if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

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.

It's good that everything is done up in ridiculous fashion, otherwise the pranks would be too mean-spirited to sit through. Everyone comes in for their share of abuse, some funny, some not so. No doubt, the movie is strictly a matter of taste. Waters takes a shot at social mores, marriage especially. Poor wife Francine's life is in an ongoing crisis, from foot-stomping son to slutty daughter to philandering husband to abusive mother. Only gap-toothed Cuddles provides relief. That is, until handsome Tod (Hunter) cozies up. But is he too good to be true. This may be the most kinetic movie I've seen in a while. The performers are in constant motion such that dialogue gets delivered on the fly. It's like Waters doesn't want to risk a revealing pause. I'm sure Waters would hate it, but I suspect there's a moral at work here. Namely that true repulsiveness comes from within and not from without. Note that the repulsive looking Francine and Cuddles are the most sympathetic characters, while the other more normal looking or attractive are callous in some exaggerated way. I was curious to see a Waters film since this one and others were much ballyhooed at the time. Though well made, I frankly wasn't impressed much one way or the other. But I can see why it's attracted a cult following among fans of the outrageous.

John Waters was still doing really outrageous movies when "Polyester" came out. Portraying suburban Baltimore housewife Francine Fishpaw's (Divine) world falling apart, the movie pulls no punches. I just wish that I could have gotten an Odorama card when I watched the movie; maybe some of the things in the movie weren't to pleasant to smell, but it would have been neat nevertheless.What more to say? That whole sequence where the daughter was at the camp was a hoot. It just goes to show that if John Waters is all about bad taste, then he knows how to do it right. I hope that he keeps making movies forever.

As many of the readers saw on this site, I wrote a rather scathing review of John Waters' Desperate Living. "A desperate cry for attention" is what I called it. However, I also mentioned in that review that I enjoyed Polyester. After recently seeing Cry-Baby, I've come to a conclusion. Even though he's sick and twisted, when he wants to be, John Waters is actually a good director.Polyester certainly doesn't have much of a plot and is more concerned about the characters, a trait which I find admirable (that's what the Coens do). All of the characters are laugh out loud funny. The pushy husband, the cross dressing Divine, Lulu, the foot fetishist son (and thank God this movie doesn't have too much Edith Massey, that woman looks like she was dug up from the grave). Every character is so wacky in this wild ride that you can't help but laugh.I won't get too detailed about the plot because it's essentially about a neurotic housewife (Divine) whose marriage and kids are out of control. Her porno theater owning husband is having an affair with his secretary and unafraid to show it, the daughter hangs out with the bad boys, and as I mentioned earlier, the son is a foot fetishist (I think it'd be funny as hell to smash random people's feet). All of this leads her heavy boozing and pill popping. Thank God Tab Hunter comes along, he cheers her up, at least for awhile.One example of Waters pulling off good directing. Even though I'm a pro-lifer, I thought the scene when Lulu is attacked by pro-lifers, tries to punch her own baby, and is finally being taken away by nuns, was hilarious. I know Waters is a fan of abortion but in this scene, the zany pace made everything so ridiculous and as a result, it was funny. Everything was exaggerated to the nth degree, so I found it hard to be offended. The pace gets so frantic that you can't help but jump on for the ride.Overall, I liked this movie. Despite the fact that these actors won't be hitting Broadway anytime soon, the sheer enthusiasm of every character made their performances enjoyable. You could tell that they had a lot of fun making this gross out farce. It certainly isn't as offensive as past Waters vehicles, and that's fine. His characters were great and the hyper camera work shows that Waters knew what he was doing. I think Waters is actually pretty talented when he's not just grossing you out, and this movie showcases his skills.