Polyester (1981)

Admirable film.

A Masterpiece!

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

The acting in this movie is really good.

It's hard to describe "Polyester". It's not a camp movie. It's different. It does have some funny moments. It does have some really funny ideas. And Divine is something else. Almost always watchable in this one. The only scene that he didn't really pull off was the ending. There is a lot of really funny stuff in this one. On the flip side, there's a lot cringe worthy stuff in it too. John Waters would later lose his way. I guess he couldn't work with a budget. John Waters was a unique filmmaker. There will never be another one like him. I'm saying I'm a fan of his movies but he is a director that I think should not be lost to younger generations. "Polyester", for better or worse, is one of a kind.

If John Waters did nothing else in his career he created the fabulous screen team of Divine and Tab Hunter. Back in the day when he was one of Henry Willson's chiseled clients he was linked often on and off screen with Natalie Wood. Personally I think he works much better with Divine.Polyester and it seemed everyone was wearing the fabric in 1981 in some manner is a wonderful satire on the American scene. Like Married With Children the Fishpaws are your typical American family seen with a jaundiced eye. But the Fishpaws make the Bundys look like the Cleavers.Our leading character is Divine all 300 pounds of her who has let herself go to seed married to this bum of a husband David Samson who is getting on with his secretary. Divine is a good Christian woman who lives the middle class life due to Samson's income from a drive- in he owns where porn rules.Her daughter Mary Garlington is the Kelly Bundy of the 80s. And her son Ken King has issues that make Bud Bundy look like the All American kid. He's not called the Baltimore Stomper for nothing.In the end she gets shed of Samson and meets her dream man, Tab Hunter. But that's only the beginning.Divine created some very funny characters for John Waters in her life. But they had a touch of pathos and sadness as well. This was her great strength as a performer.Waters serves up some real funny stuff in Polyester. It's positively Divine.

This movie deliberately set out to be offensive and awful--though fortunately NOT as offensive and gross as Waters' earlier film, PINK FLAMINGOS. So, in many ways this is one of Waters' first more approachable and mainstream films. Now I still would NOT let youngsters watch the film (mostly because it talks about a lot of strange and sick taboos), but it's probably okay for teens.Divine stars as a housewife with the most awful family imaginable. Her husband is a pornographer who hates her guts and sleeps with his secretary, her son has a bizarre foot fetish and attacks women and her daughter is a total whore (and proud of it). As a result, the most NORMAL member of the family is the cross-dressing Divine! In addition to the family, a whole cast of maniacs and freaks co-star in the film--ranging from the always gross and untalented Edith Massey (who is so bad she's GREAT) to the once-famous Tab Hunter to Jean Hill in a small part as a woman who hijacks a bus in a small but hilarious scene. As far as the acting goes, all these people deliberately overdo it and are pure camp--giving the film a kooky sort of charm.In addition to weird characters and bad acting, the film also features a script that is just too bizarre and trashy to be believed. It is sure to offend almost all viewers, but is also terribly funny. I particularly liked the scenes involving the abortion clinic and the nuns--you'd just have to see it to believe it.All together, all these bizarre and shocking elements make for a very kooky and funny film that can't help but make you laugh--unless you are dead. While the film bears almost no similarity to later polished Waters films (such as HAIRSPRAY), it is wonderful in its own way--and almost as much fun to watch as my personal favorite, FEMALE TROUBLE. See it to believe it.

The first "commercial" film for John Waters is considerably more tame than his earlier works, but is still a lot of fun mostly in part to the Odorama gimmick, which pays excellent tribute to B-movie horror maven William Castle who pioneered the movie gimmick back in the 50's.All of the usual suspects (Divine, Edith Massey, Mink Stole) provide their ever so dependable over the top performances, and heck - Tab Hunter ain't too hard on the eyes either :) He fits in well with the rest of the motley crew. Definitely worth checking out for all John Waters fans or anyone looking for something a bit out of the mainstream.