Waters' first (and last) attempt at a soap opera brought about the hysterically funny Polyester. Revered by many as John Waters' funniest flick, this film is my personal favorite Waters flick. Why, you ask? It is perhaps John Waters' best piece of satirical writing to date.
First of all, this is the first Waters flick where we see Divine in a vulnerable position. While many Waters fans did not take to this new side of Divine, I feel that it shows Divine's acting prowess. Francine Fishpaw (Divine) is an unhappy housewife who has to contend with her cheating husband, her "loose" daughter, and her son who has a very unhealthy fetish for women's shoes. Soon Francine begins a love affair with Todd Tomorrow (played to the "T" by Tab Hunter). Of course, Todd proves not to be as sweet and charming as he seems, and a hysterical climax ensues. Edith Massey is hysterically mis-casted as Francine's debutante friend. All-in-all, the casting couldn't possibly be any better.
This film was done on a shoestring budget, but is absolutely wonderful. Almost the entire movie takes place inside the Fishpaw household which is a perfect slice of suburban Baltimore. The film is written like a "slice-of-life soap opera" and deals hysterically with many controversial issues (abortion being the most prominent). This movie could very easily be a disaster if it didn't have the Waters' touch of satire. The film plays in a very dead-pan "you're not suppose to know its humor until you
laugh at it" way, which is very difficult to pull off. Add the controversial aspects into it, and you move the difficulty level to "near impossible". However, John Waters has the ability to straddle the line between hysterical and "too over the top" just perfectly. Even at its most controversial, John Waters deals just a little bit of humor to
remind the audience not to take the film too seriously. If you ever need to take a satirical writing course, don't. Watch this film instead.
This film was filmed in "Odorama" which is John's take on William Castle's gimmicks. Basically everyone was given a scratch-and-sniff card upon and entering, and when a number flashed on the screen, you were to scratch the corresponding number on your card. Of course, being John Waters, the majority of the smells were not pleasant at all, and the theater ended up smelling like you were sitting in an outhouse on a 100 degree day while eating head cheese after not showering for 3 weeks. Also, it's probably best to leave your Odorama card outside overnight before bringing it into your house because the scent tends to linger in your house for at least a millennium (as I painfully realized).
Most cult movie films fans will find this movie enjoyable. Waters' fans will rank it as one of his best. Satire fans will call John Waters a genius. If you get the opportunity, view it in a theater with full Odorama effects. This movie "stinks", and that's a good thing.
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