A celluloidal trash-god-film like Pink Flamingos is a tough act to follow. Not only did Female Trouble do it successfully, but it became undoubtedly the most beloved John Waters film ever. How the hell did that happen? Well, pull up a chair and I'll tell you the story.
After Pink Flamingos, it seemed as if there was no shock left. Well, that might be true. So, John Waters took a slightly different angle and came up with Female Trouble. While still having some shock, this film's true attraction is the hysterical one-liners and the unforgettable characters. Divine plays the maniacal Dawn Davenport who turns to a life of crime after she does not receive the cha-cha heels she wanted for Christmas (after all, wouldn't that turn ANYONE into a delinquent?). With her bratty daughter (played by Mink Stole) and her equally bad-ass girlfriends, Dawn becomes a celebrity after the owners of the Lipstick Beauty Salon use Dawn as the star of their latest piece which suggests that "crime is beauty".
Divine clearly plays the best role of her career. Dawn is a remarkably complex character for Waters' early work and Divine pulls off the character brilliantly. All the Dreamlanders are back including Cookie Mueller, Mary Vivian Pierce, David Lochary, and Edith Massey. This is the strongest of John Waters' flicks at this time (meaning 1975), surpassing Pink Flamingos by miles (which was basically little more than a half-assed storyline with a hell of a lot of shock value). Mink Stole was positively hysterical as Taffy (the car accident game was too funny for words). Though overacting occurs, it is hysterical and adds to the comic value.
This film stands out as different from all the other Waters films for many reasons. This is the first film to show the viewers how wonderfully perverted his brain actually operates. This may sound strange as Pink Flamingos came before this. However, in his prior films, Waters was not concerned with laying himself out on a slab. Instead he concentrated on dealing the most shocks as possible. Let's face it, you don't need to be a perverted genius to do this; all you need to have is a creative imagination. However, Female Trouble has much smarter dialogue which truly lays out Waters' wonderfully twisted mind for the viewing population. Not to mention, this film has perhaps the most unpredictable ending ever for a Waters film.
This film is a John Waters film made only for Waters' fans. While trash film fans would likely enjoy it, only the true Waters diehards will love it. This isn't for Pink Flamingos fans or just people who think he's "kinda cool". Only true fans will appreciate the complete beauty of this work. If this is you, then put on those cha cha heels and enjoy.
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