At the weekend I bought a Cry-Baby T-shirt as it was only $15 and had the fabulous Johnny Depp on it. I felt a bit silly buying it having not actually seen Cry-Baby and I usually scorn people who do exactly as I did. So, I vowed to not wear the t-shirt until I had seen the movie.
Cry-Baby is a John Waters film – I so loved his Hairspray that I refused to pay money to watch the remake and watched it when it happened to be on TV (it was actually pretty good but will NEVER take the place of the original for my sister and I). This film has the same vibe as Hairspray – it doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s a musical set in Baltimore, it’s about teenage rebellion and Ricki Lake is in it!
I’m sure the 50s had its bad points but going by movies such as Grease and Cry-Baby it looks pretty damn fun. Cry-Baby is the nickname of Johhny Depp’s character Wade Walker. He’s known as Cry-Baby as he is able to shed one single tear. This is handy to get the ladies, but we also learn that this in not the only reason for the single tear. Cry-Baby steals the heart of Allison when he cries a single tear while getting his polio jab. This meeting is all it takes for them both to fall head over heels in love. That and him feeling her up in a field.
Cry-Baby and his gang are “Drapes” who are the opposite of Squares. While Squares like to attend Charm School and sing about Mr Sandman Drapes wear tight pants, drive hot rods and pash (with lots of tongue). Naughty Drapes. Baldwin, Allison’s boyfriend and king Square leads his friend’s to Cry-Baby’s family home where they cause a huge fight and set fire to Cry-Baby’s motorbike.
Cry-Baby is sent to The Maryland Training School for Boys, where he spends his time making licence plates and pining for Allison. Allison sits at home crying and drinking her tears (I almost gagged). With the help of Cry-Baby’s gang Allison sings for his release and they all live happily ever after.
That’s about how quickly the movie wraps it up too. Allison’s grandma goes from a diatribe against Drapes to advising Allison to follow her heart in the space of about 20 minutes.
The brief scene at the orphanage where the children are in glass cases holding placards – “I’m cute” and showing how well they do chores is fantastic. The music was great and the costumes and hairstyles were fabulous but thanks to Katy Perry I shan’t be rushing out to copy.
I was watching the special features and they were talking about the joke where Wanda’s mum drops an f-bomb. The first two are bleeped out and then the third one is not. John Waters said it was because he was contracted to make the film a PG-13 and only 1 f-bomb is allowed. He was hoping that in director’s cut that the bleeps would be taken out. Personally I think the joke works better how it is currently.
While in prison Cry-Baby gets a teardrop tattoo under his eye. Next time you see a gangsta with a tear drop tattoo you should think – are they really a murderer or just a big fan of Cry-Baby?
Overall it was a fun movie but not on the level of classic for me; it was a little too zany for its own good in parts (I’m talking about you iron lung lady).
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