Cry-Baby

Having gone from underground schlock cinema to mainstream success, John Waters has been revered and lauded for his daring tackling of cinema as much as his dismantling of good taste. Perhaps one of his more commercially appealing works would have to be Cry-Baby, set and shot in Ellicott City, Maryland. Despite failing at the box office on its original spring 1990 release, the film has become a cult classic enough to spawn a Tony award winning Broadway musical spinoff. Detailing the lives of delinquent teenagers interacting with each other in 1950s Baltimore, the film could be a time capsule in its own right.

The film centers around two teens named "Cry-Baby" Walker (Johnny Depp), and Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane), who disturb Baltimore society by breaking the subculture taboos, while also having to overcome their affectionate love and how their actions affect the town. From the start, the basis of the film's social commentary is the difference in classes, with Walker's group being labeled as drapes and Allison's group being labeled as squares. In depicting the squares as social elites and the drapes as white trash rednecks, the film could have easily gone in a sourly dark direction. Thankfully, Waters knows how to execute the fun out of a concept like this and turn it into a full blown campy musical. By exaggerating the stereotypes of '50s rock culture, the film subverts specific tropes, such as Cry Baby being the tough motorcyclist with a heart of gold and Allison's square boyfriend Baldwin being a monster disguised as a charming gentleman. Of course, the chemistry between Cry Baby and Allison is cute in its own right, but the sexual tension between them is what brings audiences back for more.

However, what arguably makes the movie a lot more engaging are the supporting characters. Although mostly derived from their basic traits, Cry Baby's gang/family give out the best laughs in the whole movie. Thanks to an all star cast like Ricki Lake as Cry Baby's boisterous pregnant sister Pepper, Susan Tyrell as Cry Baby's eccentric grandmother Ramona Rickettes, Iggy Pop as Cry Baby's hysterical uncle Belvedere, Traci Lords as the fed up hot Wanda Woodward, Kim McGuire as the ugly clown Mona "Hatchet Face" Malnorowski, etc, the characters serve the story enough with some heavily sprinkled cartoony gags to boot. Even for a film like this, it allows for the occasional piece of drama to spew out with a dynamic split between the drapes and squares without going too far in the pathos department. The pacing is very fast paced, almost never stopping to take a breath, which is exactly what a movie as nutty as this needs. While it doesn't delve into the prejudice happening in Baltimore of the past as deeply as the likes of Hairspray, it's one heck of a comedic thrill ride.

As for the musical highlights, the soundtrack consists of already existing rock hip hop songs from the 50s and songs intended for the movie alone. Since the film barely lets two minutes go by without a musical number, it practically tells the story through the soundtrack, emphasizing the camp punk culture of yesteryear still beloved by Baltimorians today. The choreography alone is incredible, paying tribute to early rock cinema and the outlandishly bold musical numbers they would boast to move the story along. Some of the songs are so poignant that even a single entitled Teardrops Are Falling emphasize why our titular character is called Cry Baby from the start On top of that, the production design and specific editing choices recreate the look of a comically silly 50s feature brought into the early 1990s (most likely why the movie wasn't a hit at the time). Perhaps in bringing his influences in campy rock & roll cinema into the mainstream three decades after the fact was more of a curse on Waters' part, but looking back now, this film delivers on that for all to cherish from that time period alone.

So even if its outlandishly cartoony tone won't please everyone in the world, Cry Baby remains a delightfully infectious musical ode to the teen rebel genre. As both a tribute and a lampoon of the types of films that inspired it, there's a lot to recommend to audiences who are yet to check it out. If you're discovering the later mainstream works of John Waters, this might be a really good place to start, at least before Hairspray and Serial Mom. Lastly, regardless of what you think of Johnny Depp and Amy Locane nowadays, this film will forever remain a cult classic in spite of them more so because of them.

John Waters' movies are perhaps acquired taste (read: first class TRASH!), but "Cry-Baby" is a fairly accessible and comical romp, complete with great music, very likable performances and a moody 50's atmosphere. Obviously mocking "Grease", the story is set in a Baltimore high school where teen idol Johnny Depp leads the "Drapes" thug gang versus the chic and fancy "Squares". The hormones work at maximum power and Depp's character inevitably falls for the most popular square-girl in school. Arguments like these can only be settled with rough fights and…dance contests! Johnny Depp and Amy Locane are both great in their lead roles, but it's the supportive cast that impresses the most. More particularly ex-porn star Traci Lords, Kim McGuire as Hatchet-Face (you can't but stare at her grimaces), Iggy Pop and Ricky Lake (as Depp's wild sister in a constant state of pregnancy). The gags are more tasteful than usual but all John Waters' trademarks are still present. "Cry-Baby" is a strangely sexy film that'll definitely bring a smile on your face. Recommended!

I first saw this movie on TV and then just HAD to get it on video. It's a brilliant send-up of the Grease story and Johnny Depp is perfectly cast in the James Dean-type role as a juvinile dilinquent who falls for a square. It's very funny and all the songs are great! Turn up the volume especially on 'Cry Baby'!

There seem to be two types of folks who detest "Cry-Baby;" those who think Waters sold out by making anything that cost more than $500 and didn't include coprophagy, and those who insist that all movies be Art with a capital A.

I was well into my 20's when the movie first came out, not a fan of 21 Jump Street, and no stranger to movies, including masterpieces and early John Waters, but I LOVED it, and have caught the uncut version on USA network quite a few times.

Cry-Baby is no Citizen Kane, and it's no Pink Flamingos, but, at risk of being pretentious, I will say that its full of something that makes art: Truth. Even in incredibly silly scenes, the movie is based in real and true emotions. John Waters' love for the fun parts of the 50's, (and hatred of the status quo that obviously made his teen years a living hell) is all over this film.

Yes, scenes such as the orphanage are silly, but the cynicism of the orphanage workers and the angst of the mother are as real as can be. The silliness works because the John Waters BELIEVES in what he is saying, and makes damn sure that his actors are with him!

All of the actors, from Johnny Depp who (as with all of his roles) *becomes* the character to Joe Dallesandro who barely can get his lines out, believe in their characters.

"Cry-Baby" parodies 50's "Teen Rebel" musicals such as "Rock Around the Clock" and "Don't Knock the Rock", but with obvious affection.

Yes, it's a musical. If you're one of those cynics who says things like "But people DON'T just start singing in real life" don't see it. Movies exist to give us a break from real life while mirroring it enough to be cathartic. Musicals and parodies take it one step further. They're not diaries, they're not reality, they're MOVIES!

"Cry-Baby" is a lot of fun, and the soundtrack is terrific (and "Hairspray"'s is even better!).

If you liked "Cry-Baby", I recommend "Hairspray" (not quite so silly, just as sweet.) and "But I'm A Cheerleader," which is definitely Waters-inspired, from its use of pink to its incredibly true emotions within very silly situations.

If you didn't like Cry-Baby, how sad. You obviously missed something.

The movie "Cry Baby" is about a young boy and girl from opposite sides of the track falling in love. Wade "Cry baby" Walker (Johnny Depp) is considered a drape and a juvenile delinquent, and Alison (Amy Locane) is considered a square and a perfect angel. In their time Drapes and Squares were not seen together. Cry Baby fights with all his heart going up against an ex-boyfriend, a concerned grandmother, and even jail to keep his love with Alison.

Baldwin (Stephen Mailer), Alison's ex-boyfriend, does everything in his power to keep Alison to himself and away from Cry Baby. He picks fights and gets his gang together to vandalize the drapes property.

Alison's grandma (Polly Bergen) is like the leader of the squares and in the beginning worries that Cry Baby will be the downfall of her grandchild. Since she is left with Alison's care, she is over protective; but she wants Alison happy more than anything. In the end she comes around and tells Alison to choose the man her heart loves.

I believe director John Waters made a new twist to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and this provides a happy ending. Through his movie, Waters tells us that love happens when it happens and that no matter what background we come from, we should fight for love with all our hearts.

I love this movie. The first time I saw this movie as a four year old girl, I said I was going to marry Cry Baby. I recommend this movie to everyone. It has action for men and romance for women. I think that it transports us back in time and helps us see the conferences of the two social classes and feeds our belief that love really can conquer it all. I have probably watched this movie a thousand times and will probably watch it a thousand more. It definitely is worth the eighty-five minutes it takes to watch.