It's good that everything is done up in ridiculous fashion, otherwise the pranks would be too mean-spirited to sit through. Everyone comes in for their share of abuse, some funny, some not so. No doubt, the movie is strictly a matter of taste. Waters takes a shot at social mores, marriage especially. Poor wife Francine's life is in an ongoing crisis, from foot-stomping son to slutty daughter to philandering husband to abusive mother. Only gap-toothed Cuddles provides relief. That is, until handsome Tod (Hunter) cozies up. But is he too good to be true.
This may be the most kinetic movie I've seen in a while. The performers are in constant motion such that dialogue gets delivered on the fly. It's like Waters doesn't want to risk a revealing pause. I'm sure Waters would hate it, but I suspect there's a moral at work here. Namely that true repulsiveness comes from within and not from without. Note that the repulsive looking Francine and Cuddles are the most sympathetic characters, while the other more normal looking or attractive are callous in some exaggerated way. I was curious to see a Waters film since this one and others were much ballyhooed at the time. Though well made, I frankly wasn't impressed much one way or the other. But I can see why it's attracted a cult following among fans of the outrageous.
This may be the most kinetic movie I've seen in a while. The performers are in constant motion such that dialogue gets delivered on the fly. It's like Waters doesn't want to risk a revealing pause. I'm sure Waters would hate it, but I suspect there's a moral at work here. Namely that true repulsiveness comes from within and not from without. Note that the repulsive looking Francine and Cuddles are the most sympathetic characters, while the other more normal looking or attractive are callous in some exaggerated way. I was curious to see a Waters film since this one and others were much ballyhooed at the time. Though well made, I frankly wasn't impressed much one way or the other. But I can see why it's attracted a cult following among fans of the outrageous.