Pecker Review
by Jamie Peck (jpeck1 AT gl DOT umbc DOT edu)January 15th, 1999
PECKER
Reviewed by Jamie Peck
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)
Fine Line / 1:27 / 1998 / R (language, brief nudity, crude humor, drug use, teabagging)
Cast: Edward Furlong; Christina Ricci; Mary Kay Place; Lili Taylor; Mark Joy; Martha Plimpton; Brendan Sexton III; Jean Schertler; Lauren Hulsey; Bess Armstrong; Mink Stole; Patricia Hearst
Director: John Waters
Screenplay: John Waters
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Although John Waters might never make a movie that truly caters to the masses, his new comedy "Pecker" could very well be the closest to mainstream as he'll ever get. Maybe "There's Something About Mary"'s hair gel hijinks and the salacious entirety of the Ken Starr report have softened the low blows of Baltimore's perverse prodigal son, but that's not to say that "Pecker" comes off as reserved, atypical or troubled Waters. Quite the contrary, actually; in sparing us such repulsive sights as the stomach-turning finale of 1971's "Pink Flamingos" (a banquet of canine feces, for those who don't know), he's created a loving hometown portrait that matches vintage outlandishness with undeniable heart and accessibility.
"Pecker" gets its title from the nickname of its main character, played by "Terminator 2"'s Edward Furlong. Called such for his childhood habit of eating like a bird and not because of any "Boogie Nights"-esque endowment (though that detail _would_ feel right at home in a Waters film), the 18-year-old simpleton is at his happiest while taking amateur snapshots of his family, friends and just about everything else around him — even rats copulating in a tipped-over trash can. When savvy New York art dealer Rorey (luminous Lily Taylor) stumbles across one of his makeshift shows in the sandwich shop where he works, she loves what she sees, and Pecker and his pictures become an overnight success in the trendy, pretentious world of Big Apple artistes.
Plucking Pecker's kin out of blue-collarville is just the icing on the proverbial cake, largely because each character is such a genuine comic creation on his or her own. Mom (Mary Kay Place) manages a thrift store where the homeless get unsightly fashion tips, dad (Mark Joy) fixates over regional mandates regarding pubic hair while tending the family bar and kid sibling Little Chrissy (Lauren Hulsey) is a sugar-dependant who devours Domino straight from the sack. Grandma (Jean Schertler) divides her time between maintaining the title of "Baltimore's pit beef queen" and handling a statue of the Virgin Mary like it's a dummy in a really bad ventriloquist act — "Full of grace!" it screeches, whilst the puppeteers lips move all too conspicuously in the background.
But it's the perfectly deadpan Christina Ricci and full-tilt bonkers Martha Plimpton who rack up the films highest laugh quotients, respectively cast as Pecker's gal pal Shelly and big sis Tina. Ricci has a handful of choice moments, whether running a local laundromat like Patton or waxing poetic over "the brilliant green of a grass stain." Tina, an emcee at a gay club called the Fudge Palace, is the most brilliantly warped personality here, and Plimpton, unrecognizable under a black Judds hairdo, has a loud and proud time bringing her to life. Furlong's limited range is evident when acting opposite burgeoning thesps like Ricci and Brandon Sexton III (who plays his klepto best bud), but he still radiates a goofily charismatic vibe, readily getting into the wacky Waters swing of things.
There are a few lulls to the comedy (there are a few lulls to _every_ comedy), especially after Pecker's instant fame adversely affects all those around him you're still laughing, though not nearly as much. But this is only a slight flaw in the long run, since the movie regains momentum as it nears its giddy conclusion, a big party sequence that brings all the players and their unusual obsessions together — love the twisted new addiction given to Little Chrissy. Waters deserves as much credit as his completely game actors for keeping "Pecker"'s many running jokes fresh and funny each time they're rehashed; a filmmaker less imaginative and experienced with humorous crudity might run all this straight into the ground.
The most surprising thing about "Pecker" is how sweet it is in its dealings with familial bonds, a focus Waters often employs. This could lead some diehard fans to accuse the writer/director of softening with age bona fide Waters jolts (including a sudden close-up anatomy lesson and a taboo stripper practice known as "teabagging") number relatively few here, and they're not going to shock anyone who bore witness to Ben Stiller's zipped-up cojones in "About Mary." But there's no shortage of other assorted crotch jokes with the kinder, gentler Waters; its just that you might have to make a trip to the video store if you want to see him at his nastiest. For everyone else, however, "Pecker" is a welcome pseudo-change.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ © 1998 Jamie Peck
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