As Good As It Gets

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

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

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Desperate living has got to be the most horrible, sickening, disturbing piece of **** I',ve ever seen. First, the freaks (calling them freaks instead of people is a lot more accurate) in this movie don't just talk to each other, they shriek and yell, continuously! Second, none of the sex in this film has any love or nice arousle to it, it's all sick and perverted. Then comes the very worst of all. Third, a man actually starts cutting off his penis and we see him doing it close up!!!! Fourth, the fat bitch queen, who is ugly and cruel throughout the movie, actually gets cooked in a big oven and we see her being carried out all cooked whole on a large platter, with her face still visible in all cooked form!!!! And the other movie characters call this their big, celebrated roast!!!! I have never seen anything like this in my life!!! This is not a movie, it's over an hour of the sickest most demented **** that would only be of desire to someone who's mind is disturbed. And worst of all, I can NOT believe how many people gave this horrible sick **** great reviews, like 8 and 10 ratings! I've seen many more bad, ugly reviews for all those wonderful, sweet 1940s musicals (i.e. "Till the clouds roll by, which a lot of people called saccharine and annoyingly sicky sweet) than I have for this sick, disturbing trash. That just says something right there about the mentality of people in today's society! People are a different species in the 21st century than they were in the 1930s - 1950s.

i did't rate this. as a Christian who likes John Water's 'Crybaby' and 'Hairspray', i have to draw the line somewhere. i can't endorse this. it's too unclean. but as a fan of Water's, i find a lot of this painfully funny. so i can't skewer it either. i'm caught in the middle on this one, so i'll just leave it up to the other Water's fans to handle this.they used real roadkill animals in this. also cockroaches and...barf! you name it. so BEWARE! and be wary.i will say to those repeat offenders who delight in watching this over and over, "THIS IS'NT SOME COMMUNIST DAYCARE CENTER! WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS?!". and i refuse to hold your hands through this one, because sometimes the hand you hold is the hand that holds you down. you're on your own with this one. good luck but...SEE YA SEE YA WOULD'NT WANNA BE YA!!!

I can't believe no one will ever read this comment because I am so late at commenting.I guess I'll just mention that this is possibly my favorite Waters film; I love the sets, I love the characters, the dialog... this could go on for a while.Basically, Waters (along with a cast of grisly looking bums) effectively convinced me that Mortville was a REAL place, disgusting, vile, garish, scary, putrid in every sense of the word- but man, in one shot, you can glimpse the coolest umbrella I ever did see.Also, Edie is maybe at her FUNNIEST here; she DOESN'T play some kind of retard, she plays a Queen, and she does a great job. And Cookie does a great dance routine you won't want to miss.If you purchase this (as you SHOULD) you'd be a fool not to watch it with the commentary.

After rich housewife Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) accidentally murders her husband and runs away with her overweight black maid Grizelda Brown (Jean Hill) to Mortville, a community of outcasts and criminals ruled by Queen Carlotta (Edith Massey), Desperate Living starts losing the power of John Waters's greatest merit--attack on the norm of the American value. For a Waters film, the more fictitious and metaphysical its format is, the less effective the outcome of his attack is; that's why realistic (for Waters) Female Trouble is intense but fairytale-ish Desperate Living is not. Freaky actors screaming and doing nonsense are amusing to watch, but, needless to say, missing irreplaceable Divine is a significant disadvantage for early Waters.