Pink Flamingos/Review

Why don’t we do something different this Christmas instead of the usual cliché garbage? But first a story because I gotta carry some traditions of the season. So back when I was 10, there used to be this show on AMC called “Movies That Shook the World”. It was a documentary series that analyzed and dissected films that had a gigantic impact on life. Be it controversial like “The Last Temptation of Christ”, “The Exorcist” or “The Birth of a Nation” or even ground breaking like “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “Shaft” and “Do the Right Thing”. But it was the movie covered on their last episode that really got the hook in me, which ironically is the one we’re talking about today. The original Queen of midnight movies: “Pink Flamingos”.

Our star here is Divine playing a fictionalized self-insert; a criminal with the alias: “Babe Johnson”. She and her family are happily living life as the “filthiest people alive”. Trouble brews with The Marbles; a meaner couple who women, impregnate them and sell the kids to lesbians. These guys soon become jealous of Divine and want her crown of garbage thorns. So much like Ozzy Osbourne and Nikki Sixx circa ’84, the two parties out-gross each other to Timbuktu. Can Divine and friends keep their title while outwitting the evil Marble?! The answer will probably get lit up in a bag for your neighbor to step on.

I have to really say that “Pink Flamingos” actually is traditional when you get down to it. After peeling back the multiple acts of obscenity, it’s your usual three-act story of the good guys triumphing over the villains. You root for Divine and her family and boo against the Marbles. Plus it also explains why the film has such a longevity while other gross-out tests fade away. To cut a transgressive story short, it was made with love.

Characters like Edie, the egg-loving mother of Divine and her love interest, Mr. Eggman come across more quirky than anti-establishment. The main character herself is so lovable for despite being branded as “the filthiest person alive”, the way she cares for her family is very clean (even with the incest scene). Not to mention, she’s got a moral code such as when she and Crackers (her son) not only save the hostages of the Marbles, but allow them to castrate their captor. That being Channing, the butler who worked for Connie and Raymond. Heck moments like them finally serving justice on the evil couple have them literally stealing the words right out of my mouth. It manages to speak to me in a way that feels both satisfying and hilarious.

Speaking of laughter, the soundtrack here is another area that tickles my funny bone. There’s moments like Raymond flashing his member to an onlooker set to “Chicken Grabber” by the Nighthawks. Of course the tables turn on him when said person isn’t what they say they are as she has a “chicken” of her own. Not to mention, there’s Divine’s party where David Gluck performs with his buttocks “lip-synching” to the Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird”. Honestly the only one that could be disgusted by this is Seth MacFarlene knowing John Waters used the song better than he did (or Stanley Kubrick).

But the absurdity has only begun as the supernatural couch has spoken. That comes from how in retaliation for the Marbles’ burning down her trailer, Divine and Crackers defile their enemies’ house. Next the couch starts bouncing Connie around and some of their furniture breaks down as if Divine is secretly from Krypton. It’s strangely the most normal aspect of the movie; though still entertaining. Especially while it’s narrated by John himself speaking like a surfer dude doing a Paul Lynde impression.

Although one thing that really stuck out to me was the references to the Manson family. It should be mentioned that “Pink Flamingos” was made in the midst of Helter Skelter and the Tate-LaBianca murders in the zeitgeist. Waters initially saw it as a case of one clan trying to be the most depraved individuals alive and their bloody stains show. From Divine walking past pro-Tex Watson graffiti to a picture of Susan Atkins in the Marbles’ apartment. The movie also opens with a title card that gives a shout-out to the Manson girls. Not much to say except at least Charlie himself isn’t mentioned technically.

So you can imagine why this flick has had such an impact on popular culture. “Pink Flamingos” with his depiction of a drag queen equipped with a “me against the world” ethic was blueprint for the punk and gay cultures. It was the original midnight movie before “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” as it had a life at the Elgin Theater in NY. All the names you can think of in shock culture followed suit to pick up the sloppy mantle. Jerry Springer, Howard Stern, Marilyn Manson, “Fear Factor”, MTV’s “Jackass”, etc. That’s one of many reasons why John Waters is an important figure in our lexicon.

Now really what can be said all-in-all? Well the only thing I can say is that “Pink Flamingos” is nothing short of a masterpiece. Johnny himself say it best when he described it as “happily, joyously and wonderfully obscene.” I think this quote pretty much sums up the lovable characters, quirky set-up and no holds bar approach to storytelling that this movie has. Oh and if you’re looking for a comment on the ending, well let’s just say it’s more happier than “Salo” that’s for sure.

I give it 5 of Carl Sparkler’s Baby Ruth candy bars from the pool out of 5 - Check it out!

Ken Hegarty is a contributor to the Grindhouse Cinema Database. You can find a list of his reviews HERE.