Cecil B. Demented (2000)

John Waters continues his slow and steady seduction of the mainstream with the first half of the movie, only to reward its arousal by slamming a giant butt plug thru the finale. How many ways can one director demonstrate how much they hate the Hollywood machine, by mimicking it with all the jaded "devotion" of porn parody? The closing sequence at a particularly demented and violent drive-in theater screening rocks in a way not seen since Boris Karloff used his senior Citizen Cane to knock out a drive-in sniper in Targets. Yes, Mr. Waters, we know you love to hate us - you have since you made us sit thru a giant drag queen eating dog poo.But, jeez, won't you ever make a movie that doesn't glorify suicidal sociopaths to the point of murder junkie fetishism?

John Waters, the master of bad taste and a big proponent of underground cinema himself, has brought to screen probably one of the greatest tongue-in-cheek renditions of the struggle between the Mainstream and the Art House--Cecil B. Demented, a film about a renegade crew of film lovers who kidnap an A-list actress from her impending swan dive and attempt to forever change the face of independent film-making. They have a vision, they have a drive, and they have their actress. Let them lose and see where these cinema anarchists lead you! This film is outrageous, and outrageously glorious. Waters douses the screen with characters, references, and action that any film lover can enjoy (though maybe there might still be a few film snobs out there who just can't take a joke), and pretty much let's his imagination run wild as usual while the motley crew makes one of the best cinematic creations never created.The movie itself is full of irony, a seemingly lost art in contemporary film. Full of big name actors and generally having a pretty accessible storyline, "Cecil B. Demented" is far from the audacity of "Pink Flamingoes". A highly quotable cult picture itself ("Hey MPAA, how many films have you censored today?" and "Hi I'm Raven, I'll be your hairdresser. I'm a Satanist!" are my favorites), it's message is also underlined by the very mainstream critic quotes that pepper the DVD cover, bringing to mind the movie's own line, "Death to all critics who say everything is good!" But that doesn't change it's lovable and eccentric attitude, and helps underline a point itself: this film is a dreamland that every aspiring director hopes for but can never attain. It's filled with the kitsch of success and the nirvana of artistic freedom, and yet it still stars Melanie Griffith (but hey, she does a great job)! A must for any fan of independent cinema, and a good time for anybody with a sense of humor, "Cecil B. Demented" is one of the most pleasing John Waters films of all time.--PolarisDiB

At the start of CECIL B. DeMENTED, we see a cluster of close-ups showing teens posing as ushers, doormen and whatever, getting ready to celebrate the premiere of a new film starring Honey Whitlock (MELANIE GRIFFITH), an overage Hollywood diva making a personal appearance to promote her new flick. All of them are treating the premiere as a countdown to some sort of disastrous event because they're all in on the kidnapping plan.Well, the disastrous event does happen--but it's this John Waters film that scores big in that department! Just awful. All the dialog, all the sight gags, all the performances are just short of amateurish, so painfully bad that I forced myself to pay attention until the final out of control ending, by which time director Waters seemed to have lost all control of his project, his cast and his story.Ironically, the theme of this "comedy" is supposed to be "down with mainstream film-making" as the insane Cecil B. DeMented intends to kidnap movie star Griffith so that he can use her as the drawing card on his own underground film where only the first take is ever used because he's a seeker of "the truth" and pure vision. But Water's film, while making fun of mainstream trash (and sometimes rightfully so), is itself an example of less than mediocre craftsmanship, crude, tasteless, and full of puerile humor, the kind that grosses some people out, as well as an unhealthy dose of vulgarity.It's when director DeMented (played by STEPHEN DORFF) takes his film-making crew on the road into the real world that all hell breaks loose. None of the cast has anything more than paper thin characterizations to worry about so they appear to be having a good time as they wreak havoc everywhere. The laughs are scant and the film itself just keeps getting worse as it wobbles on and on toward what is supposed to be an exciting finale.Summing up: Lots of R-rated stuff. Keep the kiddies home for this one.Strictly amateur night material which had me wondering whether MELANIE GRIFFITH was so hard up that she had to take part in such an enormous mess. She fully deserved her "Razzie" Award for Worst Actress of the Year. Too bad someone didn't do her a favor and really kidnap her to prevent her from showing up at the studio!I felt like I was watching an Ed Wood film, except it wasn't in glorious B&W!

Any film with Alicia Witt and Maggie Gyllenhaal has very good things going for it visually. And although a little weird for mainstream audiences, "Cecil B. DeMented is a very entertaining film. Imagine a spoof about the American film industry and American movie audiences, packaged as a cross between "Dr. Strangelove" and "State and Main".It is after all a John Waters film, and a film set in his hometown of Baltimore. Which means the jokes will be hit-and-miss, with many best appreciated by film industry insiders and Baltimore natives. But the obvious fun the cast has playing their out-there characters is infectious. Melanie Griffith (Tippi Hedren's daughter) has a ball tweaking her diva image as she plays an aging star gradually won over to the cause of her kidnappers (insert Patti Hearst here who actually has a small part in the picture). Alicia Witt gives her best ever performance as the delectable porn star turned revolutionary. The best scene is when she and her fellow film revolutionaries hide out at a porn theater showing "Rear Entry", an anal epic co-starring Witt and a randy gerbil.Stephen Dorff, before he went insane and got involved with Pamela (slug) Anderson, does a good job as the title character. But watch closely for an absolutely glowing performance by Gyllenhaal. She is something special with lines like: "I haven't had this much fun since my last livestock mutilation!" Worth watching if you have a sense of humor, even better if you are demented.