Review of Female Trouble (1976) by Alex S — 12 Apr 2009

I hesitate to say this is the perfect introduction to the "shock" cinema of John Waters because it is missing something that I cannot quite put my finger on. Oh, it is a cheap affair filled with insane characters (Waters' go-to drag queen, Divine, is our lead who enters a life of crime one Christmas morning when her parents fail to get her a pair of cha cha heels) and visuals (Edith Massey with her freshly cut off hand sitting in a person-sized birdcage) but it just seems to lose steam as it goes.

Granted, this followed after the untouchable "Pink Flamingos" (far and away, Waters' signature film and one of the most hilarious, and important, films ever) but there just isn't as much fun in dismantling society's thirst for fashion updates and criminal activities as there is in other Waters films.

There are definite moments of brilliance here (the first 15 minutes are comedy gold) but they fizzle next to the almost empty, by-the-numbers finale and one of the most annoying characters ever committed to film (Donna's daughter almost single-handedly ruined this movie for me).

So, consider it a different, yet still very trashy, warm-up for what Waters is truly capable of (which would be insanely crude levels of depravity that defined his recognizable "punk cinema" techniques).