Thanks for the memories!

Absolutely the worst movie.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

John Waters continues his slow and steady seduction of the mainstream with the first half of the movie, only to reward its arousal by slamming a giant butt plug thru the finale. How many ways can one director demonstrate how much they hate the Hollywood machine, by mimicking it with all the jaded "devotion" of porn parody? The closing sequence at a particularly demented and violent drive-in theater screening rocks in a way not seen since Boris Karloff used his senior Citizen Cane to knock out a drive-in sniper in Targets. Yes, Mr. Waters, we know you love to hate us - you have since you made us sit thru a giant drag queen eating dog poo.But, jeez, won't you ever make a movie that doesn't glorify suicidal sociopaths to the point of murder junkie fetishism?

After the bloody awful "Pecker", John Waters made this hilarious satire about a radical independent director, Cecil B. DeMented (Stephen Dorff) and his wild crew (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Adrian Grenier and Alicia Witt, among others) who kidnap a spoiled Hollywood starlet (Melanie Griffith, self-parodying her career of once successful turned B-list name) and force her to star in an underground film. In a world where the spoofs are made for the teenage audience and with the only purpose of recreating blockbusters' popular scenes (the "Scary Movie" series and its lame imitators - even the work of "cult" names like Kevin Smith - "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" - jumped on the same bandwagon), it's refreshing to watch a satire that's really funny and kitsch, but also very witty. DeMented's crew worships directors like Sam Peckinpah, Kenneth Anger, Pedro Almodóvar, Samuel Fuller, David Lynch and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and not everybody will realize the irony in the end, but for film buffs who like these tidbits, "Cecil B. DeMented" is an absolute riot. 9/10.

Okay, right upfront I must point out that this is not a film for kids, the easily offended, people who like the current state of Hollywood films or people with good taste. The audience for this weird film is definitely a minority--all others beware!! John Waters is back in form after several films that were awfully conventional and "normal" by his twisted standards. Here, finally, is a film as offensive and bizarre as POLYESTER or FEMALE TROUBLE--but with better production values.Cecil B. Demented is a self-proclaimed film director and leader of a cult who have sold their souls to him and his twisted vision of film. Instead of the tried and true Hollywood style of film making, he advocates a fusion of terrorism with film that is done live and at the expense of the audience who is thrust into the action! This all begins after he and his group kidnap a famous movie star (played by Melanie Griffith) and force her to star in their movie. Ironically, as Griffith begins to bond with and eventually agree with Demented's philosophy, you see a Waters stock character actress, Patty Hearst, in a normal role--as a mother who wants her son to abandon the group and come home!The film is filled with obscenities, crude sexual humor and pretty much every sort of taboo you can think of...and yet at the same time, it's tough to stop watching. It's because the film is sort of like a fusion of a train wreck and a good kooky comedy. When my wife suggested turning it off early into the film, some hilarious scenes occurred and she changed her mind. Like her, I advise you to hold on to your seat and try to bear with it--the final result is excellent and fun--and has many parallels to Waters' more conventional picture about cult-adulation, SERIAL MOM.Once again, don't watch this with the kids, those with weak hearts or the easily offended!!! Don't say I didn't warn you!

the movie itself was pretty excellent. i was laughing almost non-stop through the whole thing. the only thing was - the movie cecil was making was kinda dumb. think about it. when you don't take into account the shenanigans of the cast and crew, the movie they were making just wasn't worth it.the movie itself was great though. i watched it with my sister and we both loved it, but take care of who you watch it with as it is not the kind of movie you want to watch with your grandma.overall i give it a ten because it was one of the few movies i actually went out and bought. it is a favorite.