A spoiled schoolgirl runs away from home gets pregnant while hitchhiking and ends up as a fashion model for a pair of beauticians who like to photograph women committing crimes. Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 09/22/2009 Starring: Divine Mary Vivian Pearce Run time: 98 minutes Rating: Nc17John Waters expands the definition of female trouble in this mutant tribute to good-girl-gone-bad drive-in melodramas. The girl is, of course, cross-dressing cult icon Divine, Waters’s plus-sized muse. Divine is at her most gleefully outrageous as teenage brat Dawn Davenport, who runs away from home and into a life of wanton hedonism all because she didn’t get cha-cha heels for Christmas. Almost immediately she’s molested by a sleazy motorcycle thug (also played by Divine–is this Waters’s idea of “love thyself”?), but she doesn’t let motherhood interfere with her plans of stardom and turns herself into an unlikely fashion statement in an apocalyptic fashion show. Waters’s fourth feature, a follow-up to the midnight movie hit Pink Flamingos, is just as cinematically primitive and even more gleefully vulgar, right down to the electric climax of Dawn’s road to everlasting fame. –Sean Axmaker
Buy “Female Trouble” For Only $4.79
May 9, 2008
#1
Giving this movie three stars to me seems a little generous. The movie lacks the vulgarity and hilarity of Pink Flamingos and often goes to the point of being plain obnoxious. This isn’t to say that there are not some really good scenes.
Dawn Davenport (Divine) runs away from home after not getting the Christmas present that she desired. She becomes a stripper, prostitue and eventually a thief. She then starts going to a private hair salon owned by the asexual Dashers, gets married to a hairdresser all while trying not to raise her child. Eventually she gets rather caught up in an experiment that the Dashers are attempting. But that is ok because she is a star.
The most shocking thing about this movie was that it was not shocking enough. Yes there was plenty of gratuitous nudity and plenty of disgusting imagery but not the amount that you would grow to expect from John Waters. Though this film was obviously made in accordanceto his style, looking almost like a home-movie at times and always giving us close-ups of crotches and random objects that serve as innuendo.
Divine’s role became almost annoying by the end of the movie and I was at times hoping that the movie would end a little quicker. Overall this movie was mediocre and nothing to write home about, but good enough to sit and watch on a stormy Saturday evening with a bottle of cognac.
May 9, 2008
#2
John Waters’ follow up to his classic PINK FLAMINGOS doesn’t plume the same depths of hilarious depravity but is still an entertaining movie. FEMALE TROUBLE sees Waters (who also co-edits and wrote the lyrics for the title song) reteaming with PINK FLAMINGOS stars Divine (who also performs the title song) and Mink Stole (who is also credited with the stills).
FEMALE TROUBLE tells the tale of the life and crimes of Dawn Davenport (Divine) beginning with her High School days in 1960. After destroying Christmas for her family Dawn runs away from home and is picked up hitch-hiking by a sleazy guy who impregnates her. Not surprisingly she ends up giving birth to her daughter in typically tasteless Waters fashion.
With a daughter to support and a scuzzy hippie boyfriend spongeing off her earnings, Dawn works a series of menial jobs from waitress, hooker and gogo dancer (not a pretty sight) before discovering her true niche as a career criminal. As a result she meets a bizarre artistic couple who want to photograph Dawn’s crimes because they feel “Crime equals beauty”. This predictably leads to media fame and plenty of Waters’ bad taste: gratuitous nudity (not the good kind), maiming, mutilation, incest- all the usual barrel scraping (Which I don’t have the heart to spoil for potential viewers), though this is pretty tame compared to PINK FLAMINGOS which I still consider to be his masterpiece.
FEMALE TROUBLE will appeal to cult movie buffs but mainstream viewers should probably steer clear; especially those only familiar with his more accessible PG rated movies like HAIRSPRAY and CRY BABY. Connoisseurs of camp and vulgarity will love it. Personally, I have mixed feelings about FEMALE TROUBLE hence my 3 star rating. I still rate later Waters’ movies like SERIAL MOM and CECIL B. DEMENTED higher than this, but it’s still worth a look.
May 9, 2008
#3
Bravo! A screamingly funny movie — Waters was so far ahead of his time, and Female Trouble is every bit as fabulous today. Buy it and imagine the fun of watching the faces of friends who have never seen a John Waters movie before! Definitely worth the money.
May 9, 2008
#4
Finally! A re-release of this John Waters classic! I was fortunate enough to find an original copy of this in sealed condition on e-bay. It tells the tale of misunderstood Dawn Davenport, the girl in high school who was cool because most of the other girls hated her, and she didn’t care. She has to deal with parents who don’t understand her, and later, teen pregnancy (fathered by, of all people, herself!). We then get to see what her traumatic formative years formed her into, and the type of laissez-faire parent she would become.
Again, John Waters uses his wry wit to point out glaring facets of modern culture, and views on beauty and the near deification of criminals. It’s a must see for any true John Waters fan!
May 9, 2008
#5
Female Trouble was indeed a film made by John Waters before he cared before what people thought of him. It shows. The simple, cheesy sets look like they may have been stolen–from the city dump, that is; and the script isn’t all that hot, either. What does save this movie to some degree is the rather good acting. For example, I like that Divine clearly worked so hard to make his characters (he plays two roles) larger than life and completely over the top.
The action begins when Dawn Davenport (Divine) doesn’t get cha cha heels for Christmas. Naturally (ahem), this sparks a violent protest from Dawn and she runs away from home only to be taken advantage of by a lowlife dude named Earl Peterson (also played by Divine). Dawn gets pregnant; and when Earl won’t help support the child Dawn works in a diner and even adds on to that income by being a woman of the night. All through her life, Dawn’s closest friends from high school Concetta (Cookie Mueller) and Chicklette (Susan Walsh) stay by her side. Dawn eventually gets married to a guy named Gator (Michael Potter) who works in an exclusive beauty salon; but their marriage isn’t always easy.
More years go by and Dawn’s grown daughter Taffy (Mink Stole) turns out to be spoiled and self-centered just like her mother. More interestingly, Dawn is selected by Donald Dasher (David Lochary) and his wife Donna Dasher (Mary Vivian Pearce) to be their “photo model” when Dawn eventually starts committing some very serious crimes as her life spirals out of control.
Of course, the plot can go many ways from here. Will Dawn’s marriage to Gator last through the years? Will Gator’s Aunt Ida (Edith Massey) ever accept that Gator’s attracted to women? Ida wants her nephew to be attracted to men–but why? What will happen to Taffy when she can’t get along with her mother Dawn? What about things in the exclusive beauty parlor–what will happen there? Will Dawn become the incredibly famous, beautiful model she wants to be at any cost? Watch the movie and find out!
The choreography works well in fight scenes; and the cinematography is equally good in those scenes.
The DVD bonuses give us a director’s commentary (by John Waters) and the original trailer for Female Trouble.
Overall, Female Trouble is far from the best movie John Waters ever made; and it’s way far from the best movie I’ve ever seen. However, the convincing acting did impress me; and so I give this movie a three star review because I think it’s just “OK.” John Waters’s fans will give this film higher marks; and I respect that.