Female Trouble (1975)

John Waters expands the definition of female trouble in this mutant tribute to good-girl-gone-bad drive-in melodramas. The girl is, of course, cross-dressing cult icon Divine, Waters's plus-sized muse. Divine is at her most gleefully outrageous as teenage brat Dawn Davenport, who runs away from home and into a life of wanton hedonism all because she didn't get cha-cha heels for Christmas. Almost immediately she's molested by a sleazy motorcycle thug (also played by Divine--is this Waters's idea of "love thyself"?), but she doesn't let motherhood interfere with her plans of stardom and turns herself into an unlikely fashion statement in an apocalyptic fashion show. Waters's fourth feature, a follow-up to the midnight movie hit Pink Flamingos, is just as cinematically primitive and even more gleefully vulgar, right down to the electric climax of Dawn's road to everlasting fame. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

Hairspray without the music and production values, or any values

Divine is a goddess of crime and beauty. Mink Stole steals every scene she is in (for 14 taffy you don't look so good). There are many elements that made there way from this film to Water's big budget Hairspray. Mostly the teenage years. Not for the faint of heart but so funny. This may be Waters first film with a plot. October 21, 2008

Nice Girls Don't Wear Cha-Cha Heels!

John Waters' 1972 PINK FLAMINGOS was an unexpected "midnight movie" hit, a highly deliberate exercise in ultra-low taste done in a low budget, guerilla-film making style. The 1974 FEMALE TROUBLE was Waters' follow up. It suffers from being unable to top PINK FLAMINGOS--but really, now, what could? So it may be best to judge the film on its own.

The story is a riff on 1950s and 1960s "good girl gone bad" B-movies. In this instance, however, it would be better described as "bad girl gone even badder and then some." Dawn Davenport (Divine) is high school trash to begin with, and when her parents refuse to get her cha-cha heels for Christmas she stomps out of the house, gets pregnant, and takes to a life of crime that ranges from rolling drunks to the occasional spot of house-breaking. She eventually fetches up with Donald and Donna Dasher (David Lochary and Mary Vivian Pierce), who run a beauty parlor for super-trash and who find in Dawn their ultimate concept of criminal beauty.

In addition to those already named, most of the early John Waters gang is on hand. Edith Massey begins the film by fondling her breasts and then stomps around in lace-up dominatrix attire as Dawn's enemy Ida. Cookie Mueller and Susan Walsh are on hand as Dawn's best friends Concetta and Chicklette, and Mink Stole psteals everything that isn't nailed down as Taffy, Dawn's neurotic daughter. Before the whole thing is over, fish have been thrown, hands have been lopped off, and Divine has done the dirty deed on a roadside mattress.

Now, not everybody likes early John Waters films. Far from it, and people who decide to watch FEMALE TROUBLE because they liked the musical version of HAIRSPRAY are in for a really, really rude awakening. Even some thirty years later, the content of FEMALE TROUBLE remains extremely extreme and incredibly tasteless, so be strongly forewarned. The film isn't in pristine condition, but it's surprising good considering how cheaply it doen to begin with, and it comes with a DVD commentary track by Waters himself, which is is very entertaining and worth a listen. Recommended--but if you've never seen an early Waters film, well, you're on your own.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer May 7, 2008

it's a terrible play, but it makes a wonderful rehearsal

Female Trouble was indeed a film made by John Waters before he cared before what people thought of him. It shows. The simple, cheesy sets look like they may have been stolen--from the city dump, that is; and the script isn't all that hot, either. What does save this movie to some degree is the rather good acting. For example, I like that Divine clearly worked so hard to make his characters (he plays two roles) larger than life and completely over the top.

The action begins when Dawn Davenport (Divine) doesn't get cha cha heels for Christmas. Naturally (ahem), this sparks a violent protest from Dawn and she runs away from home only to be taken advantage of by a lowlife dude named Earl Peterson (also played by Divine). Dawn gets pregnant; and when Earl won't help support the child Dawn works in a diner and even adds on to that income by being a woman of the night. All through her life, Dawn's closest friends from high school Concetta (Cookie Mueller) and Chicklette (Susan Walsh) stay by her side. Dawn eventually gets married to a guy named Gator (Michael Potter) who works in an exclusive beauty salon; but their marriage isn't always easy.

More years go by and Dawn's grown daughter Taffy (Mink Stole) turns out to be spoiled and self-centered just like her mother. More interestingly, Dawn is selected by Donald Dasher (David Lochary) and his wife Donna Dasher (Mary Vivian Pearce) to be their "photo model" when Dawn eventually starts committing some very serious crimes as her life spirals out of control.

Of course, the plot can go many ways from here. Will Dawn's marriage to Gator last through the years? Will Gator's Aunt Ida (Edith Massey) ever accept that Gator's attracted to women? Ida wants her nephew to be attracted to men--but why? What will happen to Taffy when she can't get along with her mother Dawn? What about things in the exclusive beauty parlor--what will happen there? Will Dawn become the incredibly famous, beautiful model she wants to be at any cost? Watch the movie and find out!

The choreography works well in fight scenes; and the cinematography is equally good in those scenes.

The DVD bonuses give us a director's commentary (by John Waters) and the original trailer for Female Trouble.

Overall, Female Trouble is far from the best movie John Waters ever made; and it's way far from the best movie I've ever seen. However, the convincing acting did impress me; and so I give this movie a three star review because I think it's just "OK." John Waters's fans will give this film higher marks; and I respect that.
October 19, 2007

One of the Best Movies Ever Made

Female Trouble is quite honestly one of the finest examples of film making ever made. I would rank it at the absolute top of it's genre. Without John Water's breaking the mold, the humor of Sex and The City, Ab Fab, and everything that has follwed would not have been. A pin point perfect commentary on true-crime fascination and celebrity obsession decades before fame craving, talentless Lindsey, Britney and Paris took the stage. September 18, 2007

FANTASTIC movie...

I've been meaning to purchase this DVD for a while now but never got around to it. Once I saw it on Amazon, I was able to purchase and have it at home within a week and a half.

The movie is absolutely hysterical and everything that is John Waters. Definately one of my all-time favorite movies but not for the faint of heart. If you can stand grotesque humor...this movie is for you! July 18, 2007

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