Cecil B. Demented Review
by Laura Clifford (lcliffor AT genuity DOT net)August 2nd, 2000
CECIL B. DEMENTED
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Honey Whitlock (Melanie Griffith) is in Baltimore for the world premiere benefit of her latest flick, an event chosen by Cecil B. Demented (Stephen Dorff, "Blade") for her kidnapping. Demented and his band of Sprockets are cinema guerillas who promote anarchic filmmaking and the death of the multiplex mainstream in director John Waters' "Cecil B. Demented."
LAURA:
John Waters has just about attained respectability in recent years with his sweet natured "Pecker," satiric "Serial Mom" and nostalgic "Hairspray." "Cecil B. Demented" begins with the audacious mania and low budget looks of his earlier cult flicks. Unfortunately, it can't sustain its cool concept and devolves into a drive-in dumpster denouement.
The film begins promisingly, with movie marquees touting either "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" in all of a six screen multiplex, "Scream 4," a Pauly Shore marathon and (gasp) "Patch Adams, the Director's Cut."
The gloriously spoiled Honey Whitlock, so pampered she demands her assistant find out whether Pat Nixon had sex in her 'presidential' suite, puts on her fake face for the dignitaries she's just dissed while turning her ugly face to everyone else. Meanwhile, back at the Senator Theater, Cecil and his Sprockets, all employed by the theater, are setting their trap. When Whitlock wiggles her way onto the stage, Cecil and his gang grab her. Weapons are drawn and a bomb goes
off. 'Power to the People!' and 'Punish bad cinema!' they cry before loading Honey into their van and absconding to their closed movie theater lair.
Here we get introduced to the gang, who have been sworn to a vow of celibacy for Demented until their film is completed. Cherish (Alicia Witt, TV's "Cybil") is a former porn star and Cecil's horny girlfriend. Lyle (Adrian Grenier, "The Adventures of Sebastian Cole") an actor zonked out on drugs of every sort ('Before I was a drug addict, I had so many problems. Now I only have one.'). Aggressive cinematographer Pam (Erika Lynn Rupli, sound person and aspiring rap star Chardonnay (Zenzele Uzoma), art director by way of staple gun Lewis (Larry Gilliard, Jr., "The Waterboy") and satanic makeup girl Ravel (Maggie Gyllenhaal) comprise most of the crew. Hairdresser Rodney (Jack Noseworthy, "U571"), who hates himself for being straight, terrorizes Honey with his harsh dye jobs ('I hate roots!'). The weakest link to Cecil's cause is Fidget, the costumer, whose parents (Patricia Hearst plays his mom) still have too much control over him.
After threatening Honey to star in his movie, Cecil and the sprockets hit the streets for guerilla filmmaking, terrorizing film audiences everywhere. Soon Honey becomes bound to the cause, especially as she realizes her new outlaw notoriety is the best thing to happen to her career in ages (Eric Roberts makes a cameo as her ex-husband on Roseanne Barr's talk show). They fight parents of small children ('Family's just another word for censorship!' Honey screams), crash local film events (where Cecil convinces Honey to jump off a roof) and invade the filmming of "Forrest Gump II" starring Kevin Nealon (as himself). Lives are lost, but the cause is strong, and local kung fu fans and a porn house help protect them (the porn house is showing one of Cherish's old films in which she has an adventure with a gerbil).
While all this may sound like inspired lunacy, it's only fitfully funny. Water's best and sliest joke is his parody of former SLA terrorist
and heiress Patty Hearst within Honey Whitlock's transformation. His screenplay has several fizzy ideas, but on the screen they play flat, particularly the film's climax which is simply filmed anarchy. To his credit, Waters' film looks like the guerilla filmmaking he's portraying.
Melanie Griffith is more than a good sport here - she was meant to play this role and gives it her all. Stephen Dorff is over the top as the maniacal Demented, with his punk hair style, rolling eyes and tattoos (all the Sprockets boast tattoos of cult directors such as Herschel Gordon Lewis and Werner Rainer Fassbinder). None of the Sprockets particularly stand out, although Witt goes to town in her porn piece. Former Waters' stars Mink Stole and Ricki Lake have cameos.
While it was initially exciting to see the 'old' John Waters style back on the screen, it looks like he should stick to what works for him now. "Cecil B. Demented" is the personification of the adage 'You can't go home again.'
C-
ROBIN:
N/A
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