Review of Cry-Baby (1990) by Goodluck B — 19 Sep 2012

I cannot begin to explain how much I love this movie it's just an hour and a half of cheesy, humorous lines, upbeat songs in the style of Grease and a plot that is so extravagant that it asks questions such as is the movie a spoof of typical teen movies? Is it a spoof of itself? and most importantly does it matter? The simple answer is no because Cry-Baby is a wonderful trip through the 1950's were being square meant dressing smart and singing pop and being a drape was all about leather jackets and rock and roll. Cry-Baby boasts a fresh faced cast including a young Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Ricki Lake and even Iggy Pop plays a part in the film as the uncle of Cry-Baby.

Cry-Baby tells the tale of the Wade 'Cry-Baby' Walker and his gang of juvenile delinquents who love to terrorize squares and disobey the law. When a square named Allison falls in love with Cry-Baby her grandmother and her boyfriend are disgusted and tell her that she should be proud to be a square but as Allison and Cry-Baby learn more about each other they fall in love but after an alteration with a square Cry-Baby is arrested and as rumors spread Allison leaves him in jail much to the annoyance of Cry-Baby. Allison soon learns the truth however and the only way they can convince the warden to let Cry-Baby go free is through song!

Cry-Baby has an insanely silly plot and some of the scenes are cringe worthy but it seems like this was intended by director John Waters as he tells an almost Romeo and Juliet style story through this dialogue and some very catchy songs. Cry-Baby is a highly enjoyable movie with a delightful cast and many some very funny scenes.