John Waters Collection Vol. 2: Polyester/Desperate Living

 

 

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This is classic Divine at his/her best. John Waters always had an incredible knack for insane casting, and this is a perfect example. If you're expecting a movie with top notch acting and cinematographic effects, you won't find it here. But what you will find is a cult classic with an outrageous story line, outrageous characters, and outrageous acting. This movie is raw, and highlights pure, unpolished American white trash. Raw right down to the bone. It's brilliant.

This is a real gag fest collection of John Waters cinema. I first viewed Divine in the notorious Pink Flamingos and was immediately addicted!!! This second collection features Polyester starring Tab Hunter(Todd Tommorrow as the lead), Edith Massey(Cuddles-Francine's former cleaning lady turned millionaire and best friend), Mink Stole(Sandy Sandstone?! the misstress) and Divine (as Francine Fishpaw-unhappy, loving,devoted mother and wife to an owner of a porno theatre).This insane light comedy is just a real riot and offers its audience the unique gift of odorama. That is a card that features numbers that you can scratch and sniff only when the corresponding numbers appear on the screen. The second film is Desperate Living which does not feature Divine but instead you get Mink Stole, Edith Massey and a cast of others who venture in the backwards town of Mortville...a town that could best be described as hell on Earth! Mink Stole stars as a demented woman driven to murder her husband during an fight. Well, it was actually her black overweight cleaning lady who did but that doesn't make a bit of a difference here. They both seek refuge deep in the woods where they end up in Mortville where all the inhabitants live mortified lives under the iron grip of the evil but pint sized Queen Carlota (Edith Massey)and her drones! This is a must have for all you Trash cimena fans! The disc includes interviews with surviving cast members and John Waters who is always a delight becuase unlike other directors always has something outrageously valuable to say.

...screams Mink Stole in the opening rant of this delicious double scoop of filth and decadence. And that line sums it up perfectly: this DVD set picks up where "Pink Flamingos/Female Trouble" leave off. "Desperate Living" was the only movie in John Waters' 70's trash trilogy I had never seen (because it was never available at any local video stores) and I was unsure as to whether he could pull off another camp/trash masterpiece without his "Elizabeth Taylor" (I am referring, of course to that wonderfully, hilariously vulgar creature known as Divine). Ten minutes into this disc, and that answer was a definite "yes!". Right from its opening moments, "Desperate" has the same sleazy feel as its predecessors, and the lines that come out of Mink Stole's mouth could make up an entire CD of laugh-til-you-drop sound bytes. Sheer brilliance! And the film just gets better as it goes along, when Mink and Jean Hill descend upon Mortville and Susan Lowe and Liz Renay ("I sleep in the room right next to you.....NAAA-keddd!") enter the picture. Their flashback sequences are among the funniest moments in the movie and the "dog food" scene made me laugh out loud--but the "squish" scene at the end of the wrestling match almost made me pee my pants, it was so riotously funny! Mary Vivian Pearce actually gives a somewhat touching performance here, as I felt sorry for Princess Coo Coo once ruthless Edith Massey as Queen Carlotta started putting her wicked plans into action. The lesbian bathroom bit was another memorable sequence (Pat Moran--kudos to you for a brief but deliciously creepy turn as the "bathroom pervert"--and to Van Smith for making her look that way). Susan Lowe as Mole delivered another gut-busting moment as she stood there proudly waving her newly-attached penis ("It never goes soft!!") but also made me wince as Muffy finished off the last "stitch" making Mole scream in agony. Aside from Princess Coo-Coo's fate at the end, the movie is a real camp classic that, like the rest of Waters' earlier work, definitely improves with repeated viewings. Watch it with friends and you will all be quoting from it for days--"Royal proclomation Number One--Kiss...my...ass!!". The commentary on this disc is a little disappointing because Waters' shares the time with cast member Liz Renay who spends way too much time raving about her own body and how much she loves her own boobs, but she can be forgiven because I'm sure this discussion must have brought back plenty of fun memories for her. Waters alone does the commentary on "Polyester", which brings Divine back to the forefront as suburban matriach Francine Fishpaw, who's life of suburban bliss is constantly threatened by one crisis after another. Several of the Dreamlanders appear in this one, but in minor roles (Mink Stole is sadly under-used) yet Divine manges to hold it all together, and the actors playing her teen-age children deliver funny performances, with Lulu's go-go girl-gone-bad antics being a definite highlight (she even has her own theme song). "Polyester" is John Waters' "transition" film--not as offensive to mainstream audiences as some of his earlier works, but still quirky enough so as not to alienate fans of those earlier works. It too, is filled with wickedly bad dialogue you'll be quoting daily ("Scrub down any interesting toilets lately?"). Together, these two films will provide hours of fun--put these on at your next party and see who goes running for cover--you'll find out who your REAL friends are. Buy this set together with "Pink Flamingos/Female Trouble" and you've got hours of fun!!

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5.0 out of 5 stars edith massey and those sets!
nuff has been said about polyester. as for desperate living; it ranks with female troubles. massey makes you forget divine (not an easy thing to do) and the visual look of the... Read more

Published on Nov 11 2003 by ageofanxiety

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic
After having seen this movie for the grillionth time I still fall in love with it every time. You have to appreciate the campiness about it to "get" the film. Read more

Published on Sep 12 2003 by Jose R. Castillo Jr.

1.0 out of 5 stars Do you have taste?
I'd rather be held hostage in a septic tank than ever sit through this horrible mess again. A real test of whether someone has any taste. Read more

Published on Aug 20 2003 by fleshybanana

3.0 out of 5 stars John Waters and friends go mainstream... sort of.
John Waters' first mainstream film is tamer compared to the likes of PINK FLAMINGOS and DESPERATE LIVING, but it's still bound to offend someone out there. Read more

Published on July 30 2003 by BD Ashley

1.0 out of 5 stars Retarded and lame (desperate living only)
I know it's supposed to be bad, but I didn't know it was supposed to be useless. Nevermind the amateurish everything, that's fine, it just wasn't funny (maybe a line here or... Read more

Published on May 30 2003 by soft boy

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wonder of Odorama & A Trip To Mortville
Two more of John Waters cinematic attrocities have finally been released on DVD. If you only know Waters through his more recent titles Hairspray, Serial Mom, and Cry-Baby, you... Read more

Published on Nov 30 2002 by Dean Glass

4.0 out of 5 stars Some people just don't get it!!
John Waters' films are outrageous, disgusting and hysterically funny! That's the point! Don't expect academy award winning peformances, scripts or cinematography. Read more

Published on Nov 22 2002 by Virginia M. Rees

4.0 out of 5 stars hilarious
I found this movie very entertaining and funny. Divine was at her ultimate best. I've watched this one several times and can't help but roar laughing. Read more

Published on Sep 3 2002 by ernie garcia

4.0 out of 5 stars hilarious
I found this movie very entertaining and funny. Divine was at her ultimate best. I've watched this one several times and can't help but roar laughing. Read more

Published on Sep 3 2002 by ernie garcia

5.0 out of 5 stars Raunchy, Disgusting, Exhilerating Entertainment!!!
Waters treats the public to another DOUBLE DVD set of two of his most sought after films! There may not be a "sniff & scratch" card wtih "Polyester", but who needs it?! Read more

Published on Aug 9 2002 by Martin A Hogan

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