Desperate Living

A lot of the world knows about John Waters who made the historic "Pink Flamingos". Probably most famous for it's dog-s*** eating scene, a scene where a man has sex with a chicken plus cannibilism, artificial insemination and mother-son blowjob. But this film is probably his most shocking film. Its "plot" is about Peggy Gravel(The hilarious Mink Stole), an ultra-neurotic woman who has just been released from the asylum. When she comes back home, she is under the impression that the neighborhood children are trying to kill her just because they accidently smash a footbal through a window. She is also under the impression that her five year old son raped his equally young sister just because they were playing doctor. Her husband tries to help her with no success after the 500 pound maid crushes him(The maid played by Jean Hill, but this role was NOT written for the absent Divine). Peggy and the maid, Grizelda then go on the run to Mortville, a small Baltimore town where criminals of Baltimore come out to hide. When there, Peggy and Grizelda meat up with Mole(Susan Lowe) and Muffy(Liz Renay, in a role originally intended for Divine) and ake refuge at a motel. The rest of the film is a blur of male and female nudity, vaginal gun shot wounds, ass-kissing and a DIY sex change. This truly is one of Waters most shocking films and something that even tops the likes of the blowjob scene in Pink Flamingos. It starts off with a rat getting served on a plate and in the middle we see a penis get cut off and at the end we see Edith Massey kissing Liz Renay's ugly pornographic ass. This is Waters last real gross out movie. After this movie, no more blowjobs or s*** eating. He went strictly mainstream. See this film as soon as you can.

Seven out of Ten

I LOVE THIS MOVIE. I have always been a big John Waters fan, and I think that this is definitely his early masterpiece. Polyester is without a doubt his later masterpiece, although Serial Mom contains some of the funniest stuff ever. But back to Desperate Living, I just can't get over this awesome awesome movie, which I saw for the first time last night. Although Pink Flamingos may be Waters most well known work, it seems almost as though Waters was practicing in comparison to this film, which is equally funny and shocking and sick to no end. The plot is better and more structured than Pink Flamingos, and as a whole the color scheme throughout is fantastic, especially Jean Hill in a sea green tutu with bright green makeup and bleach blonde hair. Queen Carlotta definitely has some amazing lines, and her stripping sessions with her henchmen are hysterical, but the best line in the movie has to go to magnificent Mink Stole, who in her sexual encounter with Grizelda moans, "If it was good enough for Gertrude Stein...!" Of special note is Waters homage to his personal childhood hero, the Wicked Queen from Snow White, as Mink Stole becomes the spitting image of the Queen as she prepares her rabies potion. Ahhh, Bliss!

John Waters never apologizes for his movies- and this one is both funny and disgusting. Mink Stole as the hysteric and Miss Edie as the queen are both off the wall good. Waters doesn't shy away from nudity- both male and female-- but it all works to make this a hilarious spoof.

DESPERATE LIVING is something of a transitional film for director Waters. It is a departure from his earlier works because it was the first of his films not to be produced by his Dreamland company, but by a limited partnership called Charm City Productions. It was also the first feature he made without his usual star, Divine, and therefore represents a departure from his usual story lines (which had previously served as vehicles for Divine). In this sense, it is a film that is more Waters' vision. The story and the execution of the film is far too grim, however. Waters' films work because the characters seem to enjoy themselves very much. But DESPERATE LIVING presents us with characters that simply seem miserable, and nothing else. The opening scenes are quite funny, though. Jean Hill's performance is particularly funny. From a moviegoers' standpoint, I prefer FEMALE TROUBLE highly over this film. I am somewhat baffled at the statement that DESPERATE LIVING is Waters' best film. I can see that it is his most technically advanced up to the time it was made, but surely FEMALE TROUBLE contains the funniest dialogue and performances. All in all, DESPERATE LIVING represents a pre-mainstream John Waters which is always an interesting experience. However, I would not reccomend it as highly as I would some of his other works.

This is Waters' second best movie, next to Pink Flamingos. There are so many memorable lines in this puke-fest that it's nearly impossible to list them all. The story and events are so repulsive and sick that I'd rather let them be a surprise. Desperate Living is quite funny, quite gross, and quite nonsensical. If you are looking to watch something that makes any form of sense whatsoever, this is not your movie. If you want stomach-churning grossness for the sake of stomach-churning grossness, juvenile acting, low-budget film-making, and line after line of hilarious dialog, then Desperate Living should please you. John Waters still hasn't topped this one or Pink Flamingos to date.