A Dirty Shame

A Dirty Shame (2004)

September 29, 2004

Coolidge Theater, Brookline, MA

*** / ****

by Scott Muoio

From the first glimpse of Ursula’s utters vigorously gyrating on a platform to the final ascent of Ray-Ray’s ethereal climax, John Waters’ A Dirty Shame is a tour de force of sexual delinquency that explores the extremities of those we think of as traditionalists versus those who always seem to be at odds against them. Crude, silly, funny, and over-the-top, A Dirty Shame is as fresh and honest as a seven year olds’ first time playing doctor, even if it is just as contrived.

A Dirty Shame is the story of suburbia turned upside down, where Silvia Stickles (a surprisingly mis-cast Tracey Ullman) and her husband Vaughn (Chris Isaak) cook scrapple for breakfast and work at Sylvia’s mother’s (Suzanne Shepard in a fantastic performance as Big Ethel) convenience store while their daughter Caprice, ne Ursula, her “professional” name (Selma Blair in a perfect combination of sweet yet sensual) remains locked away in their house to protect the citizens of Baltimore from her tawdry string of indecent displays of flesh. Ray-Ray (Johnny Knoxville as a second rate Jim Carrey) materializes on the scene after Sylvia takes a bump on the head and in messiah fashion, leads the affected of Harford Road on a sexual revolution that makes the free love 60’s look like a Leave it to Beaver episode. No chance for foul-mouthed tom-foolery gets left behind as we learn that sexual deviants become that way through accidental bumps on the head, ultimately resulting in fetishistic servitude that includes everything from “splashing” to “upperdecking” to “adult babies” to “helicoptering.” Sound like your normal cinematic experience? Of course not, after all, this is John Waters’ territory circa 1972, updated for the new millennium. Oh, and don’t forget the subliminal “W-H-O-R-E” or “V-A-G-I-N-A” flashing on the screen, or the bizarro 50’s and 60’s stock footage thrown in for ambience. It’s midnight madness at its finest.

Yes, this movie is bizarre and raunchy, but is it funny? In my opinion, yes. It certainly tries awful hard to make us laugh. Often it succeeds (“there are people out there right now whose private areas are completely shaven”), mostly as a result of the bizarre lines and the excellent performances of Blair, Shepard, and a returning Mink Stole as Marge the Neuter who rallies the traditionalists around the slogan, “We’re not against anything, we’re for intolerance!” Other times it fails (the abundance of “the bears”, the all too lively shrubbery, and the bizarre computer animated squirrels). The whole affair is pretty much a one-note joke and the plot is certainly an after thought, but the way Waters manages to avoid Hollywood formulas while giving it his all, NC-17 rating be damned, is a breath of Baltimore fresh air that I was more than happy to breathe.

Bottom line: if you’re a John Waters fan I have no doubt you will be entertained. The parade of cameos of Waters’ regulars past and present is a treat in and of itself. Add to that a fresh batch of characters, absurdly funny dialogue, and the glorification, both good and bad, of prudes and perverts alike, and you’re sure to find at least a little piece of yourself somewhere in Waters’ sexual opus (and maybe a little of the person you’d like to be, purrrrrrr!). If you’re not a fan, well, this one won’t convert you, and you’ll probably be disgusted, offended, and repulsed, but no doubt, you’ll learn something about sex you never imagined you’d ever know somewhere along the way. Shame on you!