Cry-Baby (1990)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Cry-Baby	Johnny Depp	½
Allison Vernon-Williams	Amy Locane
Ramona Rickettes	Susan Tyrell
Mrs. Vernon-Williams	Polly Bergen	½
Uncle Belvedere	Iggy Pop
Pepper Walker	Ricki Lake
Wanda Woodward	Traci Lords
Hatchet-Face	Kim McGuire
Guard	Willem Dafoe

Review

John Waters toys with the Grease-culture as well as the Randal Kleiser film itself in this alleged parody. But beneath the burlesque, Cry-Baby is all but completely empty. For a controversial and auteuristic filmmaker, Waters has remarkably little to say, and his rendition of the 1950s is neither charming nor pinpointed - it's just a series of overblown vignettes tied together by a hapless cast of caricatures. A sensationally beautiful Johnny Depp honing his acting-skills is the only real interest here, whereas the amiable musical numbers are the least dull and most cheerful parts of the film. The silly and unfocused plot is best left forgotten, but Waters is actually much more at home showing off his hammy romance than he is when trying to be clever, such as with his take on Sweden or the stupid chicken race.