Polyester (1981)

Polyester

"Polyester" is Douglas Sirk gone wild. Looking for a laugh? Looking to be cheered up on a gloomy day? This film by John Waters is hilarious! Now some people will feel that it is a little dated (1981), but it is dated in the same wonderful way that those sudsy Sirk movies are dated. Except this is the antithesis of those Jane Wyman-Rock Hudson movies. Divine plays Francine Fishpaw, Baltimore housewife and mom. Her husband, Elmer, runs an adult theater and is carrying on an affair with his secretary. Her daughter is pregnant, and her unstable son is terrorizing the city by stomping on unsuspecting women's feet. Her own mother is a thief who belittles Francine every chance she gets. (And you thought you had problems?)

The only support Francine receives is from her best friend, former scrub woman Cuddles Kovinsky, played by the precious Edith Massey. Whenever Cuddles is on the screen, you can't take your eyes off of her. Massey's acting is so wonderfully bad, her appearance so unique, that she almost steals the movie.

Francine - with all her problems - hits the bottle. Redemption seems to come in the form of Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter) who runs a first-run art theater showing things such as a Marguerite Duras triple feature. But Todd is not what he appears to be, and Francine must go through more heartache before she can live happily ever after.

A movie not to everyone's tastes, I for one love it and seeing it so many times over the years, I still find myself laughing. September 3, 2008

Excellent, Mr. Waters

I love camp, its THE aesthetic for me. And this film is Douglas Sirk on acid. Not as purely absurd or sleazy as John Waters' early trash art, but I think thats the film's grace. Its his first tight, mainstream satire of American cultural illnesses. The first half of the film really makes art out of the depressing Hell that innocent Divine must wade through. It lets up for awhile, and the second half isn't as strong, but its not an unbalanced film or anything. Its great seeing Divine carry a film as a somewhat normal protagonist and flex his acting and amazing presence. I really commend Waters for the stylized direction and soundtrack that brings the film to life, moving away from his previous low-budget cinema verite and oddball pop selections (that we still love so much). If you enjoy 50s melodramas, punk rock, absurdist satires and Odorama, you'll find this is one of John's best. May 28, 2008

Polyester

I love offbeat movies. This is a low buget John Waters movie. It's a fun watch. It's worth watching the movie again with Water's comments over the film on this DVD. If you like this one, get "Lust in the Dust" also with Tab Hunter and Divine. May 27, 2008

Cult Classic

I've got the video (have had it for years), now that the flm is out on DVD, I can buy it in this format as well, & it'll be even better as the DVD appears to contain the odorama card which had also been available to audiences of the movie the first time around.

If you enjoy offbeat cult comedies, you'll love this offering from John Waters which stars the late Divine, sexy Tab Hunter. Incredible chemistry between these two who would reunite once again for the film Lust in the Dust, which I also recommend!

May 20, 2008

A cut above for John Waters

I always liked John Waters stuff - this seems to be a cut above...even for Divine. January 8, 2008

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