Click here to go back to main movie index
John Water's Cry Baby
Studio executives summary / pitch
John Waters' live action teen cartoon-strip Elvis musical parody of the 1950's. Johnny Depp has agreed to star.
Short plot summary

Johnny Depp plays troublemaker Wade - Cry Baby - Walker (Elvis) who falls for pretty rich girl Allison (Amy Locane) and she falls for him, twice.

The liaison is put in jeopardy throughout by her 'square' boyfriend who schemes to break them apart; along with a girl besotted with Cry Baby who claims she is having his baby.

Cry Baby is imprisoned in the Maryland Training School for Boys after a 'gang war' which he did not start. Allison turns against Cry Baby thinking he is bad, but really loves him loads...

Rating
Has moments of face pulling (including cock-eyed), injections with large needles, moments of middle-of-the-road musical mayhem, and Olympic levels of strangeness.
Please spoil this movie for me by telling me all the good bits and then the ending.

But our hero isn't bad, not at all, no sir...

A jail break fails, but the judge who sentenced him has fallen for Allison's grandmother (Mrs Vernon-Williams). In the best musical tradition: The judge releases Cry Baby so that Allison can be happy again!

Also stars

Hatchet face - Kim McGuire, Belvedere - Iggy Pop, Ramona - Susan Tyrrell, Mrs Vernon-Williams - Polly Bergen

What our panel of critics thought

"Nobody can resist the kind heart and sexy hips of a naughty good guy like our Cry Baby."

"I'll bid $25,000 for a genuine Johnny Depp Quiff from this movie."

"Has everything a teen musical needs, except the words: 'I know, let's put on a show.'"

"From frumpy, no nonsense, square grandmother, to super cheeky age-enhanced vixen. The woman goes on a journey and we all come out of this movie the better for it. Bravisimo."

"All this, and tattoos to boot. A light-dark humored melee of conjugality. Not a nasty movie, but I had flashbacks to Kissing Cousins throughout - a movie which is truly awful. I want my money back just in case."

"I have never seen a genuine game of chicken (using chickens) in all of my 1950's movies watching years. This is a disgusting cover up on a scale of Watergate. I demand a recount."

What snack should I eat while watching this movie?

Spit roast varmint.

Justify this movie's existence in the classic strand. From theVoiceof Reason.com's Veritable Cornucopia

An Elvis parody and more. A triumph of cartoon styling, all marinaded in a delicious musical sauce.

If middle of the road music does not send you running for the exit, you will enjoy this movie with much eminence. When the rock n' roll kicks in, your toes will be tapping, and possibly your pelvis a pounding, depending on your level of hysteria, and your suppleness.

To say this is a masterpiece could not possibly be an over statement. This movie, in all of its brilliance, takes one along on a strangely wonderful John Waters journey, but, thankfully not over-strange, achieving a satisfying 1950's-Elvis-Movieville. The King is with us in spirit throughout. U-huh!

Quotable quotes
"I'm tired of being good."
"Sometimes stuck-up old ladies get cut."
"Keep away from my grand daughter, you common juvenile delinquents."
"The four B's: Beauty Brains Breeding Beauty...
Could this movie be improved with more references to Kissing Cousins, the Elvis Presely disaster?
Thankfully there is no Elvis sorta-double in this movie. A few less farmyard scenes might help.
Would your pets enjoy this movie?

Cats will enjoy the hair in this movie. Not a baldy in sight.

WARNING! Dogs may become overexcited at the naked bathing scene, especially as the actor appears to be using a stick to wash his unmentionables.

Ducks will enjoy the range of 1950's mullets in this feature.

What can I take from this movie to make me a better person?

Everyone has at least one flaw...

Estimate number of minutes of dancing in this film.
20 minutes.
How much would you pay for a copy of this movie in goods?

A rock n'roll drum set.

Other comments
Truly brilliant. A group of engagingly flawed characters, all in a live action cartoon comic strip. An homage to Elvis, West Side Story and to the 1950's USA, has everything, including the inevitable game of chicken. A great movie. Do not miss it.
Date reviewed
December 10 , 2002
Search This Site (Google) Please send a link to our movie main page to tell a friend about us by clicking here. Got a comment? We will print your best comments. Please email editor@thevoiceofreason.com (c) theVoiceofReason.com