Review of Desperate Living (1977) by Bill L — 24 Apr 2007

Polyester is the greatest family comedy ever made.

The greatest one I've ever seen.

Cast to perfection, with howlingly hilarious dialogue and succinct satirical screenwriting superiority, Polyester never fails to get big laughs.

It must have been the 8th time I've seen it, and with this feeling intact, the rare big score is well deserved. It is far and away the best Waters film, in my opinion, though I've yet to see the much hyped Pink Flamingos.

...and I've yet to watch it with an Odor-a-ma card, so future delights await.

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So what the hell happened between the complete lack of execution of the earlier made Desperate Living and the great genius of the classic Polyester?

Featuring some familiar players from the finer film, I could not bring myself to get through 20 minutes of it. I almost felt guilty shutting it down so quick, not having given it full chance, but I really hated it.

I cannot even put my finger on the reasons. Certainly, the production value is less, but the exaggerated delivery of dialogue and plot point are similar. I guess it's a fine line...