Apr 2019
"Officer, I'm sorry, but we don't allow gum in this house."
John Waters has certainly had an interesting career. He started off with the ultimate trash epics, but he became a little more polished as time went on. By the time Hairspray was laid on thick in 1988, it was questionable as to whether JW lost his touch with his inner sleazeball... or became more subversive than ever.
Kathleen Turner plays the role of Beverly Sutphin with a big fake smile always on her face. She's a delight to watch, because she's so full of shit. This movie might have a strong message regarding to society's fascination with serial killers, but it never paints them in a bad picture. For all intents and purposes, Serial Mom is the protagonist of the movie, and we're rooting for her all the way.
There's no good reason for it, but Beverly snapped one day. She has some awfully petty reasons for doing what she does, but to her, she's entirely justified. I'm sure a lot of serial killers think they're doing the world a favor, but this woman is looney, and that's why she's so fun to watch.
It's also interesting to see Matthew Lillard playing a horror-movie obsessed teenager, only two years before Scream. Being a John Waters movie, they reference some great sleaze, like Blood Feast, and a bunch of gold vhs in a video store, including most of John Waters' own movies. When I see a video copy of Zombi 2, it makes me feel at home. Just look at all these titles John Waters was compelled to include in the video store in this movie, and all the other references:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111127/movieconnections
Some real winners in that selection. Apparently, that was(is?) John Waters actual video store. Plus, I still can't believe I never watched that Chesty Morgan flick.
What starts off as a peculiar suburban dilemma escalates into an off-the-wall serial killer rampage, and for the dumbest reasons. Maybe I didn't get this movie before, but I found it pretty hilarious in this latest viewing.
Always remember to wear your seatbelt!
John Waters has certainly had an interesting career. He started off with the ultimate trash epics, but he became a little more polished as time went on. By the time Hairspray was laid on thick in 1988, it was questionable as to whether JW lost his touch with his inner sleazeball... or became more subversive than ever.
Kathleen Turner plays the role of Beverly Sutphin with a big fake smile always on her face. She's a delight to watch, because she's so full of shit. This movie might have a strong message regarding to society's fascination with serial killers, but it never paints them in a bad picture. For all intents and purposes, Serial Mom is the protagonist of the movie, and we're rooting for her all the way.
There's no good reason for it, but Beverly snapped one day. She has some awfully petty reasons for doing what she does, but to her, she's entirely justified. I'm sure a lot of serial killers think they're doing the world a favor, but this woman is looney, and that's why she's so fun to watch.
It's also interesting to see Matthew Lillard playing a horror-movie obsessed teenager, only two years before Scream. Being a John Waters movie, they reference some great sleaze, like Blood Feast, and a bunch of gold vhs in a video store, including most of John Waters' own movies. When I see a video copy of Zombi 2, it makes me feel at home. Just look at all these titles John Waters was compelled to include in the video store in this movie, and all the other references:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111127/movieconnections
Some real winners in that selection. Apparently, that was(is?) John Waters actual video store. Plus, I still can't believe I never watched that Chesty Morgan flick.
What starts off as a peculiar suburban dilemma escalates into an off-the-wall serial killer rampage, and for the dumbest reasons. Maybe I didn't get this movie before, but I found it pretty hilarious in this latest viewing.
Always remember to wear your seatbelt!
Serial Mom's a lot of fun and maybe my favorite of his mainstream films. I like Waters' spin on small-town life and I think it, along with Hairspray and Cry-Baby makes for a cool, albeit unrelated, trilogy of sorts about seemingly normal Americana.
Kathleen Turner's a gem in anything she stars in.