A rich housewife enlists her maids help to murder her husband: they go on the lam and end up in mortville a homeless community built into a garbage dump. Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 06/14/2005 Starring: Liz Renay Mink Stole Run time: 90 minutes Rating: Nr Director: John WatersEveryone in Desperate Living‘s Mortville has some horrible secret to hide. The mentally unstable Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole, in a superb display of overacting) and her 300-pound-plus maid Grizelda must take it on the lam after Grizelda smothers Peggy’s husband under her elephantine buttocks. They find themselves in Mortville, a shanty fiefdom ruled by the grotesque Queen Carlotta (the incomparable Edith Massey). The evil queen delights in tormenting her subjects, but Peggy and Grizelda soon team up with a pair of lesbian outcasts, and a rebellion is in the air. John Waters’s Desperate Living takes on the air of a seedy, trash fairy tale as the humiliated residents of Mortville rise up against the queen and the cursed princess finds herself in a power struggle against her mother. Notable for the absence of Waters regular Divine, this movie pushes the rest of the cast to their over-the-top best. Fifties sex bomb Liz Renay has a great time as Muffy St. Jacques, half of the lesbian couple, and was still looking great by the ’70s. The tumbledown sets of Mortville add a surreal touch to the movie, but Edith Massey steals every scene she’s in as the hateful, repulsive Queen Carlotta. Note that the actors’ breath is clearly visible in many scenes; it was filmed outdoors in a bitter Baltimore winter. Nasty, shabby, gross, and hilarious, this is John Waters at his best. –Jerry Renshaw
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March 5, 2010
#1
One more fithy movie from John Waters’ perverted mind. It is most trashy with mediocre acting, cheep cardbord settings, most unrealistic fairytale-like story and bizarre situations degrading of humans. I failed to see the art involved here and for me it was a waste of time and my hard-earned money.
March 5, 2010
#2
Not as good as Pink Flamingos, but it certainly has its moments. Highly recommended for John Waters fans.
March 5, 2010
#3
It’s a pity that John Waters’ Female Trouble is not available on video at this time so Waters’ fans could see it, because that is his best film! Desperate Living is a pretty good film, but the screenplay falls apart in the middle of the movie. John, I love you, you’re a genius, but what happened?! I do agree that Edith Massey is brilliant, I love every performance she has given, and Mink Stole, Jean Hill, Mary Vivian Pearce, and Susan Lowe give shine to their roles. But Liz Renay is not very good at all! Her character is a throw-away to any true talent she might have had, like a 1970′s Mamie Van Doren. Mink Stole did better in Female Trouble as Taffy, Jean Hill is one of John’s best actresses who disappeared too soon (look for her in Polyester!), Mary Vivian Pearce has her best acting as Princess Coo Coo, and Susan Lowe’s only recognizable role is as Mole McHenry, even though she does a hilarious turn as a secretary in Female Trouble. Wait for Female Trouble’s re-release this year to see Mink’s best role ever!!!! This is a must for Waters fans everywhere, but even John and Mink don’t think this is their best work! John prefers Multiple Maniacs and Mink Female Trouble!
March 5, 2010
#4
This is Waters’ second best work. It is amazingly hysterical! Pure joy! Rapturous! Be sure to get the unrated version, even though it’s not that easy to get.
March 5, 2010
#5
Desperate Living was made by John Waters before he truly entered the world of mainstream cinema–and it looks it. With sets that look like garbage pulled from the city dump so that they wouldn’t have to pay for it, this movie really takes a strong stomach to enjoy–if you enjoy this sort of thing at all. Its real redemption is in the acting of the cast; their script ain’t too hot but the actors sure do a fine job acting!
The action starts in the Gravel household. Peggy Gravel has just returned from a psychiatric hospital and her naive husband seems to think it’s going to be all right even though she’s still crazy like a fox! Bosley Gravel (George Stover), Peggy’s husband, wants to give her a medication injection. However, when Peggy fantasizes that Bosley is trying to kill her, their very obese maid Grizelda Brown (Jean Hill) accidentally kills Bosley by sitting on him.
Of course, they know they’re in hot water for having murdered Bosley–ands Peggy and Grizelda flee in Peggy’s car. After an unusual (ahem) scene in which a cop lets them get away, they know that they can only go to Mortville where murderesses are tolerated without being punished under the law.
And what a dump Mortville is! Full of trash, poor people and ugly shanties, Peggy and Grizelda don’t like it. They stay, however, to avoid the law. They soon rent a room from Mole McHenry (Susan Lowe) and her female lover Muffy St. Jacques (Liz Renay). They also discover that Mortville suffers under the reign of wicked Queen Carlotta (Edith Massey), who delights in torturing people, having her citizens killed and making them walk backwards one day or be murdered on the spot.
So where does the plot go from here? Does Mortville work out for Peggy and Grizelda? What if Muffy and Mole want money–lots of money–to give them room and board? Will Muffy or Mole make a pass at either Peggy or Grizelda? Will Queen Carlotta remain unchallenged? Watch the movie and find out!
The DVD has a commentary by John Waters; but that’s really it for the DVD extras.
All in all, Desperate Living is a film you’re either going to like or dislike. It has tons of filthy lines and scenes that could make a grown man choke with disgust. That’s exactly what director John Waters wanted for this movie; so he accomplished his goal. As for me, I didn’t think it was worth two bits–except for the acting. That alone redeems the movie to some degree; so I will take off two and one-half stars and give this movie a two and one-half star review.
Hope you enjoy it more than I did!