A Dirty Shame

John Waters' satirical 2004 release "A Dirty Shame" was the controversial film that attained an NC-17, and basically was unable to be edited for an R-rating. Waters' film is very disgusting at times, sometimes even vile in its matter-of-fact portrayal of various sexual fetishes (some of which are admittedly fun-looking, while others are just plain foul and hilarious), which to be honest is expected of his films. And oddly, the characters are all well-played and likable. This is a film I have trouble rating. It isn't his best film, but it is ultimately enjoyable, despite some serious flaws.

Tracy Ullman stars as Sylvia, a "neuter" (someone who is repressed sexually) in a small town that is obvious very repressed and uptight. However, within the community exists a growing group of people who have experienced a sexual awakening (mainly due to head injuries), and are very open with their fantasies. When Sylvia experiences a head injury and is awakened, she meets with "sex saint" Ray-Ray (Johnny Knoxville) who introduces her to the world of open sexual fetishes, as he and his followers search for the ultimate fetish.

The film is very much a sexual cartoon, and often is full of exaggerated ideas, dialog and imagery. Waters employs all sorts of tactics (everything from gags, on-screen subtitles, suggestive set dressing, etc.) to illustrate a town that is repressed while still being exposed to sexuality, and the characters are all very interesting. I didn't even mention Selma Blair as Ullman's daughter- a woman who has enormous implants that are practically bigger than the rest of her body.

The film is also quite funny (particularly a scene that will make you look at the "Hokey-Pokey" in a whole new way), with some great gags and hilarious dialog, as well as trademark over-the-top jokes. A lot of "queasy" laughs are also brought in by the descriptions of various fetishes (many of which are real) and occasionally by seeing them played out by our "awakened" characters. Although this is one of the problems- the film does go overboard at times, and a lot of the gags don't quite fit in, and interrupt the flow.

In addition, it isn't made particularly well- certain effects give themselves away, the plot does get sloppy, and after a while, the content will weigh on your patience. You will wish that more "plot" would happen.

That being said, there is still a lot of fun to be had, just don't expect this to be Waters' masterpiece. I give it a slightly above average 6 out of 10.

I'm a follower of John Waters but this newest entry in the Baltimore auteur's canon is strictly for true blue fans - and even I kept thinking that his DVD commentary would be more interesting than the actual film. There are plenty of laughs in DIRTY, for sure. And Ullman is just as terrific as Kathleen Turner was in SERIAL MOM - hysterical! Johnny Knoxville and Chris Isaac do well, too. But half-way through the film, Waters abandons his well-cast characters in favor of a far-out concept that equates promiscuity with religious fervor. Therein lies the film's downfall. Ullman's personal plight (a concussion that causes her to become a sex fiend, much to the dismay of most of her family) is put on the back burner in favor of a larger canvas - just the same way that Cecil B. DeMented got lost in his kooky band of film misfits and shutterbug Pecker disappeared into the sycophantic New York art scene. The ultimate fadeout is confusing and unsatisfying but if you leave before the last half hour you might have time to rush to Blockbuster to rent DESPERATE LIVING, an earlier Waters cheapie that pushes many of the same buttons, but seems infinitely better.

I picked this one up from the new releases section of the local DVD rental joint as a bit of a laugh, thanks in large part (excuse the pun) to the hideously large fake breasts that Selma Blair was wearing on the front cover. Johnny Knoxville is also usually a safe bet that you'll get some hilarity. If there was a plot behind the film, it wasn't very clear, however there was plenty of sexual innuendo, straight out sex jokes and plenty of twisted, retarded stuff to get anyone with a decent sense of humour laughing; even if it is because you can't believe they bothered. Some of the acting from the support cast is as you'd expect from a straight to DVD (AUST) movie, but the toilet humour is enough to see it through.

I can't say I've seen many of John Waters' films, but I've seen enough to get an idea of what he's about; and A Dirty Shame would appear to be a typical John Waters film. All of the jokes in the film come from sexual perversions, and it's not hard to see why a number of people don't like it - as if you thought Serial Mom was a difficult film to get along with, wait until you see this one! To be honest, I'm not completely sure of whether I liked it or not; on the one hand, I respect the director for daring to go further than many directors would dare...but on the other hand, it's amazingly silly and the central ideas behind the plot don't hold much weight. There are some really good one-liners in the film, however, and the surreal nature of the way the plot plays out is a delight. The story follows a prudish housewife named Silvia who hates sex, and the fact that her daughter is a sex symbol named 'Ursula Udders'. However, after hitting her head one day; she comes into contact with a man named Ray Ray, a 'sexual healer', and it's not long before she discovers that she is, in fact, a sex-addict.

I'm sure that the main reason why John Waters has so many fans is because of his willingness to take risks. This film is full of risks; some of which work. The cast list isn't typical, with popular American comedienne Tracey Ullman taking the lead role and performing well in the more lurid scenes. Selma Blair stars alongside an enormous pair of fake breasts, while there are support roles for the likes of Chris Isaak and Suzanna Shepherd. The biggest risk where the cast is concerned is undoubtedly Jackass' Johnny Knoxville, who is a lot better than you would think. Waters has seen fit to have a lot of scenes play out to music, and this works well some of the time. The way that certain words (such as 'Whore') pan out across the screen is good, but personally I didn't like the use of CGI. The film gets off to a really good start, and I laughed more in the first half hour than in any film I've seen recently; but it takes a bit of a downturn in the middle, and never fully recovers. The film is good because you never really know where Waters is going with it, and the full on orgy of the last twenty minutes is bound to divide audiences. Overall, this film is in extreme bad taste; but it's also a great laugh. However, if you haven't liked whatever Waters' films you've seen so far - I wouldn't recommend seeing this one.

I had fun watching this movie, but, it went on about the same thing forever. Never in my dedicated history of watching John Waters movies was I ever bored. (Incidentally, I haven't seen Cecil B. or Pecker) I could barely watch the last 1/2 hour of this. I kept wondering when it would finally be over.

I applaud this film maker for tackling taboo subjects. Ullman was good+ but, not performing her own material (where I believe she would have excelled).

It was fun and I'm thankful for something other than mindless dreck, but, it left me pining for "desperate living" and "female trouble" which had so much more to offer in the way of outlandish entertainment and featured no big stars (alright, several of them were reaaaally big)!

I miss cuddles.