Female Trouble

This is John Waters’ favorite film from his early movies, and while I consider Desperate Living to be my favorite, there’s no denying this is a great film. The movie shows the life of Dawn Davenport, played by Divine, from juvenile delinquent to renegade fashion icon to psycho murderer.

This movie is filled with laughs. The whole Dreamland crew is here. David Lochary and Mary Vivian Pierce play The Dashers, who own their own beauty salon that only serves “extravagant beauties”. Mink Stole plays Dawn’s daughter Taffy, an ugly and annoying little brat who grows up traumatized and, to the horror of us all, joins the Hare Krishna. Then there’s Cookie Mueller, who plays one of Dawn’s childhood friends, Concetta. I always had the hots for her, ever since I saw her naked fucking a chicken in Pink Flamingos. I wish I have had a chance to meet her before her death. Edith Massey, the Egg Lady, plays Ida, a loud obknoxious woman who wants her straight son to turn gay. However, it’s all about Divine in this one, owning every scene he’s in and stealing it from everybody else in a raving, insane performance that I can’t believe didn’t get the academy award. Plus, she also plays a man, a truck driver who rapes Dawn…so you could say he *ahem* fucks himself? Aja.

This is definitely my favorite filmmaking period for John Waters, and I love it for all the influence it’s given me and it’s outrageousness. I wish he still made movies like these.