A Dirty Shame (2004)

At face value, the movie seems to favor sexual freedoms, but is anything but. At every stage, it seems to speak against sexual freedoms. First, it implies (and later directly states) that sexual freedom is only caused by head trauma, and equates it to sexual addiction. It also clearly links sexuality with infidelity (although, I grant, non-sexual people aren't likely to practice infidelity). In the same few scenes, the leader of the sex addicts is shown as being the devil. The viewer is then shown a sample of the strange "perversions". Though some may not seem all that strange, they're all giving a bad light... During the film, an infantile grabs a real baby, a defecater unloads in an unsuspecting woman's purse (causing her death), a saliroist is shown licking a tire and eating strangers' cigarette butts, etc.; it's virtually guaranteed that even the most open minded person will be grossed out by at least one thing. After the perverts are failed to be saved in metaphoric church and tempted back by the devil (and more head trauma), they all run around raiding "normal" people's homes, and sexually assaulting strangers, simultaneously conjuring up zombie movies and literal "assault on families". At the climax of the movie (pun intended), it's revealed that the ultimate sex act is bashing your head in. After all this, the only thing that could have saved the movie was if it was funny. Maybe it is the self-contradictions in the movie that are supposed to funny, but sadly, the only thing good I can say about the movie is squirrel.

Over-the-top sex farce by John Waters is funny throughout the first half of the movie but loses the story and just uses sex pranks and disgusting stuff to fill up the last half. I expect to be offended when I see a Waters movie but the story has to be complete for any movie to be recommended by me and this one wasn't. The story is basically about a sexually repressed woman, played by Tracey Ullman, who gets an accidental concussion that turns her into a sex addict. She finds out that there are others and they are led by a character named Ray Ray(a sexual healer) played by Johnny Knoxville of Jackass fame. They lay in religious parallels like Ullman's character being the 12th apostle who's is supposed to bring them a new sex act to bring them to a glorious climax. Other religious stuff like putting down the 12 step program didn't set well with me. She gets knocked on the head again and brought back to her normal("neuter") self and this happens to other characters as well but then she gets brought back by another knock which is kind of strange. The group break up a sex addicts anonymous meeting and take over and this is where I kind of stopped liking the movie. They pretty much take over the area at this point and can't be stopped. Waters then throws in everything imaginable and it stops being funny. Definitely this is a revealing movie, but a little too over-the-top for my tastes. It's a dirty shame because if the story didn't fall apart it would have been a funny and worth-while movie experience despite it's many vulgarities.

For the past decade, I have been fascinated with John Waters, upon having viewed his 1988 classic, Hairspray. I was later introduced to Cry Baby, but my Waters obsession did not begin until this year, when I viewed his "masterpieces," including my personal favorites, "Female Trouble" and Hairspray." I picked up the John Waters DVD box-set for a steal on Amazon, and popped in "A Dirty Shame," having never seen it before. I was dissatisfied with the results. Unlike Waters' previous forays into film, there is not one likable character to encounter. Nearly everyone grated my nerves throughout the film, and I did not laugh until well into the second half of the film-- a good forty-five minutes in. I found even Mink Stole to be dull and unsatisfactory, which was wholly unnerving to me. The phrase "Let's go sexin!" uttered throughout made my stomach turn whenever I heard it, because it became so God-awful annoying. Every single character is flawed and undeveloped, which is unheard of in any of Waters' other films. A few moments with Selma Blair-- Ursula Udders-- made me chuckle, but main players, Sylvia Sickles (Tracy Ullman) and Ray-Ray Perkins (Johnny Knoxville) were bland and nearly unwatchable in their roles. Although "Shame" garnered an NC-17 rating, it is tame at best-- a bad move on the Ratings Board, in my book. I've seen COUNTLESS "R-rated" films that are a million times worse. Shame on the MPAA in that regard. Although the purpose of this film was largely to recapture the essence of Waters' earlier films ("Pink Flamingos"), it lacks the dialogue and the characters that made those films fantastic to view. A weak film altogether, but I am definitely looking forward to Waters' "Fruitcake."

Everyone who took part in this movie should be ashamed.Even actors who I actually like have totally collapsed before my eyes.Seeking any deep meaning and symbolism in this movie is just absurd.It completely lacks any originality.Istead there is some kind of redneckish humour in which there can't be any allegory - it is what it is - incredibly flat and superficial.I love sex jokes but they should at least be funny,not just a line of dirty words and gross images of horny old people.I voted with one star just because there is no option to vote with half or less,but this movie doesn't deserve even that much (well,maybe for the music,but that is quite merciful).Seriously,one of the worst movies ever made.