Female Trouble

Devine was certainly no stranger to trash films when John Waters assembled the cast of this Baltimore gem, and it shows. Devine is gregarious, derisive at times, a stunning fem fatale who nearly steals the show as both Dawn Davenport, and her alter-ego, Earl, who staggers and lurches his way into our hearts. This film is one of the few times Devine did male drag, and he pulls it off with astonishing effect. Mink Stole is priceless as Taffy, Dawn's long suffering daughter, and of course who could forget Edith Massey as the torturous Aunt Ida and Dawn's nemesis. Almost as brilliant are the performances of Mary-Vivian Pearce and David Lochary, the demented couple who, after interviewing her to become a client in their Le' Lipstick beauty salon, befriend Dawn and encourage her into a fetid and ribald modeling career. Yes, it's shameless, destined for ruin, utterly unbelievable, and I loved every minute of it. Water's dialog is vehement, abominable, and not to be equaled. It's a shame that he hasn't been able to find replacement versions of Devine and Massey. It was the unorthodoxy of his whole approach to film in the 1970s that endeared thousands and made Devine a gay household name. I hope one day he can return to his roots and get down to building more fine trash.

The first time I saw Female Trouble I was a sheltered suburban white boy and it blew me away. The film begins in white suburbia and we quickly see that Dawn Davenport ( Divine) has just about had it with her lame parents and teachers. She is driven to extremes by the numbing vacuity of her surroundings." I hate this school and all these teachers who don't know one thing.I hate my parents too."From there Dawn follows her own dim lights to where they will lead her. She's always true to herself and is refreshingly driven by her id. I applauded her audacity and courage as I watched her destiny unfold and lead to it's awful end. But I watched from the numb, vacuous safety of my suburban shelter. One thing I noticed was how close a connection there is between Dawn her friends Chicklet and Concetta and Edina Monsoon and her friend Patsy Stone of Absolutely Fabulous. Like Dawn, Edina is a willful, childish, self-centered grown-up with a daughter who is appalled by her mother's immaturity. Both Taffy and Saffy are the voices of maturity while their mothers and their friends are the irresponsible children.

This film is my favorite of all time! All of the great elements of John Waters' films mesh together perfectly in this hilarious romp that operates around the theme of 'crime is beauty.' All of the classic John Waters' actors are here, and most of them give their best performances. John Waters has said that this film is the 'ultimate Divine vehicle', and he's right. Her look literally changes every ten minutes as she mutates from a teenage hair hopper with an attitude to an unwed, abusive mother, to crime fashion model to death row inmate. Divine also has a small male role as the father of her own illegitimate child. Edith Massey, my personal favorite actress, gives her funniest and best realized performance as Aunt Ida, the bitter, veangful fag hag who lives next door. This is not the most accesible of Waters' films, and truthfully, this probably isn't the one to start with if you're not yet a fan (I would recommend Polyester or Hairspray in that case), but if you want to see an early work thats not quite as gross as the others, check it out! Waters himself says that this is his favorite of his underground films.

"Female Trouble" is one of John Water's best movies, probably the best of his pre-respectable (read: pre-"Hairspray") flicks. Posessing a much more strong (and bizarre) plotline than the also brilliant "Pink Flamingos", "Female Trouble" documents the exploits of Dawn Davenport, a horrible juvenial delinquent turned criminal played by the unbeatable Divine.

This was Water's last film to features his entire original ensemble of actors (Divine, David Lochary, Mink Stole, Mary Vivian Pierce, and Edith Massey) and each has a memorable and hilarious role. Stole steals the show as Dawn's "retarded" 14 year old daughter, but Edith Massey is also great as Aunt Ida, who constantly urges her nephew Gator to turn gay ("The world of the heterosexual is a sick and boring life!").

The scene where Dawn hits Ida on the head with a fish is worth the whole price of admission. Recommended!!!

This really isn't a movie for everyone, but over the years I have been introduced to John Waters movies and they re my guilty pleasure! Before John Waters became mainstream, he made a whole series of art-house movies like this using grotesque characters and ridiculous story lines, but somehow they worked. I guess you gotta be a little weird and twisted in the head to enjoy them!!!! He should not be dismissed as a Director who's out to shock you for the sake of it, he's showing you a slice of life that most of us have no real knowledge about. Of course, all the characters are larger than life (in more ways than one!!!). I enjoy his style of movie making - it may be quite amateur in his early days, but you can see that his skill improves with each movie. I'm not ashamed to say that I enjoy a lot of his work!! Mark my words, this movie is certainly NOT for everybody!!! Make sure you know what you are letting yourself in for before you watch it!!!! It's pretty gross in places!! It's so tasteless it's good!!!!