Female Trouble (1974)

I just looked through the reviews and the last one begins with the line "I seen this movie. . . ." and then goes on to call it the worst movie ever made and asks why, why was it ever made. Uh, friend? This movie was about YOU.

Let's face it. There are some unfortunate people in this world. These are the people who are completely befuddled by a line like "I'll have two chicken breasts, please." The poor things.

We know they'll never get it, there is no hope. If you know somebody who didn't like this movie--for whatever reason--drop them. They're not the kind of people you want to hang with.

I was lucky enough to see Female Trouble when it was first released. It's hard to communicate how joyous an occasion it was. Finally, someone was making movies for US. Who was US? All the people in the theater laughing and cheering.

There are so many quotable lines. Practically every line in the film--even out of context-- conveys its joy and lunacy. For years a friend and I quoted a line back to each other at appropriate times: "Yes I did, and I'm proud of it!" The line is delivered by Divine at her trial when she is asked if she killed her daughter. Pick any line at random; you'll find it will be appropriate to use SOME time during your life....

I personally like this movie best of Waters' work. There is something profound about it, a quality few satires possess. I'm glad IFC is running this film so that younger versions of US can see and appreciate this movie, and know that they are not alone.

Fmovies: FEMALE TROUBLE- It's astonishing how such an underground film can achieve, somehow, a level of entertainment that is very memorable. It's funny as hell, dirty as anything I've seen, and it makes you wonder what other gold you've missed from that time period.

Female Trouble works on many levels. A reason, I think, I and many many others adore this little film is because we can relate to it. It's definitely, to me, considered a masterpiece. It is a metaphor for the bad places we can go in life and the consequences of our stupid actions.

Anyway, Waters brings a great sense of morality to his film. When you watch this movie, you feel as if you can't believe you're watching such filth, but you also say to yourself, "I'm actually enjoying this...a lot!" It is divine trash indeed. And speaking of Divine, he MAKES this film. Divine is soooo hilarious that it's really indescribable. All the acting is good and refreshing, too.

This was the first Waters movie I saw and it sucked me in to see his other cinematography and watch it. Female Trouble remains my absolute favorite and will probably remain that way (I still need to see some of his even earlier films). This is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for great laughs and a great time.

9/10

Funnily enough, around the time that Divine sits in the crib with the pile of dead fish I started thinking about the words of the Bomb Squad's Hank Shocklee - "If they want noise, let's give them NOISE!" Yes, friends, Waters is the queer Public Enemy, tying identity to culture, cranking the most alienating elements of same to 11, and losing great chunks of his own demographic in the spectacular, chaotic process. This was made right off the midnight-movie success of "Pink Flamingos", and presumably this facilitated a budget, and presumably this led to the extra notch of competence that keeps the movie barreling forward from beginning to end - there's even an original theme song, plus thirty glorious seconds of Nervous Norvus singing "H-I-P". In most underground movies a scene featuring the lead actor, in two roles, raping himself for two full minutes - and THEN taking off his pants - would be the climax, not the inciting incident! And Edith "Flav" Massey yelling "NO I don't want any god damn eggs!" is an even better inversion than the new Bond's martini line. A triumphant cinematic masterpiece.

Female Trouble fmovies. John Waters fans usually acknowledge "Desperate Living" as John Waters' true masterpiece of filmmaking. Just one problem with that film: no Divine! Sure, "Desperate Living" is a great film, but Divine is just someone that goes hand-in-hand with Waters (like Joe Dallesandro with Paul Morrissey). Even though "Female Trouble" is lesser known than "Desperate Living" or "Pink Flamingos", it is better than those two films put together! John Waters' first film with an actual coherent script and plotline, Divine gives the performance of her career as Dawn Davenport, the juvenile delinquent turned full-time criminal. All of the best Waters alumni are here (only missing later star Jean Hill) and are their best: David Lochary as Donald Dasher, Mary Vivian Pearce as Donna Dasher, Mink Stole as Taffy, Cookie Mueller and Susan Walsh as Dawn's sleazy cohorts, Susan Lowe as a bitchy secretary, and last but definitely not least, Edith Massey as bizarro Aunt Ida! Anyone even remotely interested in why Waters is world-reknowned as the Prince of Puke should start here; it's not too mainstream for Waters fanatics and not TOO bizarre for the mainstream crowd who love him for "Hairspray" and "Pecker". "Female Trouble" features Waters' best writing to date (50% of the lines are instant classics), best costume design, best set design, and best gimmick (Divine raping "himself"!). Even though this is the pinnacle of John Waters' career, it is still pretty hard to find on video. A re-release is in the works for sometime this year to coincide with Waters' new movie "Cecil B. Demented", followed by a welcome video release. This new version will include enhanced video and audio quality and plenty of long-lost scenes!!! A European cut is available from Castle Video, featuring much of the lost footage promised for this year's re-release!

I am at a complete loss to understand why this film was not nominated for an Oscar for costuming, makeup and set decoration. It had the most outrageous costuming that I have ever seen. The sets were so hideous that they made me nauseous. The makeup was beyond belief.

That was the good things about the film that featured an outrageous star in Divine, a transvestite that played Dawn Davenport. He was so over the top that I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.

This is the first John Waters (Hairspray, Pecker) film that I have seen. He is definitely on the cutting edge in outrageous humor, horror, and satire.

This film on the outrageous cult of celebrity is no more outrageous than the current obsession in the media with Paris Hilton.

If you haven't seen a John Waters film, check out the Sundance Channel for this one.

This is John Waters at his zenith. In ten minutes time this film has more hilarious, outrageous humor than most other underground, drive in films do in their entirety. Like with PINK FLAMINGOES it deserves accolades for it's sheer tasteless audacity. It is consistently funny, unrelentingly perverse, obnoxious, and ugly. Just like you would expect. It also has Waters film trademark of having the actors shout their lines instead of saying them.

This is much more of a solid satire than many may originally presume. In some ways it was way ahead of it's time. It keenly shows the cult of celebrity and the desperation some have to obtain it. How skewered the famous and infamous have become and our over emphasis on beauty. It also shows how the media exploits the desperate and causes the distorted image.

Above all though this is really Divine's vehicle. She (he) steals every scene she is in. Even just watching her do modeling poses or dancing on a bar top is hilarious. She also writes and performs the opening song and even plays a male character that has sex with her female character (very well edited). There's also one inglorious moment where you even see the close up of his genitals.

For those with the right mentality this is pure entertainment. It's also has a perverse brilliance that has lost non of it's edge of potency.

8 out of 10