John Waters, who has made his name being a high-trash auteur, gives us Pecker, a clumsy morality play that doesn't quite seem right. Waters is a master at detailing perversions, but when he tries to deliver a moral at the end of his story, it seems woefully forced.

Pecker concerns a boy dubbed Pecker (because he pecks at his food, you perv), played by the perennial pre-pubescent Edward Furlong, who photographs all that he sees, especially the local freakshow of local Baltimore. Soon his depictions of the skidmarks of America catch the eye of high-falutin' New York art dealer Lili Taylor. Fame, fortune, and vast recognition are the fruits of his photography - for him and his subjects alike. The prying eyes of the world cast their judgmental gaze upon small town Baltimore, and nobody likes it. Trouble for everyone.

The problem with this movie is it tries to skewer fame and those that confer it, the media and the public, instead of sticking with the bizarre characters Waters has concocted expertly. The plot railroads the viewer once its true colors are exposed. As soon as you know the start of the path, the resolution is as obvious as an escalator.

Where it does succeed is the wonderfully absurd characters. Waters weaves high-class kitsch into the plot like a master tailor embroidering a dishrag. The grandmother sells beef sandwiches to a passerby on the street before running upstairs to show Pecker how her Holy Mary marionette can squawk, "Full of grace!" Pecker's little sister obsessively devours any sugary delight, especially sugar. These endearingly two-dimensional caricatures occasionally divert from the painfully didactic message, only to have the movie concludes that everyone is a freak without asking the viewer first.

Overall, the interesting characters don't redeem Pecker from preachy Hell. John Waters should probably stick to creating fun romps with outlandish characters under pressure from society. Working this close to society isn't his forte.




Recommended: No