X
- 1990
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 25 m
- 1990
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 25 m
Summary In 1950s Baltimore, a bad boy with a heart of gold wins the love of a good girl, whose boyfriend sets out for revenge.
Directed By: John Waters
Written By: John Waters
- 1990
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 25 m
- 1990
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 25 m
Cry-Baby
63
6.6
Where to Watch
Summary In 1950s Baltimore, a bad boy with a heart of gold wins the love of a good girl, whose boyfriend sets out for revenge.
Directed By: John Waters
Written By: John Waters
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
63
59% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
41% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
63
59% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
41% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Replete with a thumpingly good soundtrack mixing old standards with modern pastiches, this is Waters' finest film to date, a worthy successor to Hairspray which exudes teen angst and young lust from every pore...Seriously sexy stuff.
Peppered with fun-to-spot cameos (can you spot Williem Dafoe?), the parody-satire script works well with Depp's adept handling of the titular bad boy. A delinquent joy-ride, though without the Hard-core distaste of previous Waters flicks, which may or may not be a bad thing.
Underneath the numerous entertaining cameos, not much is going on, and it shows. The film's terrific first half-hour can't sustain itself. Depp is nice to look at, but too diminutive to bring much force to his sexy biker. Locane is well, okay, but she's eclipsed at every turn by the marvelously vulgar Lords, who embraces the genre with the energy and anarchy of the much-missed Divine.
Cry-Baby is more polished than Waters' Hairspray, but the script's lack of focus makes it a lesser film. And though some of the numbers are inspired, their non-stop frequency is as exhausting as the rest. [6 Apr 1990, p.4D]
Basically the filmmaker reminds us of his affection for social misfits, but without much conviction. He's simply too hip to commit himself to his beliefs, and a relentless frivolity prevails. Still Cry-Baby is not without its spit-curled charms, its amusing lines and its funky famous-name cameos.
Cry-Baby doesn`t have a subject, but only a format-a rickety framework erected to suport a few broad gags and a few indifferently filmed production numbers.
Watching it is a bit like checking out a grade-school talent show on parents’ night. The eagerness of the performers, their flat-out verve and innocence, wins you over. For a while at least...Finally, the film wears you down.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 User Ratings
6.6
43% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
57% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 User Ratings
6.6
43% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
57% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
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