Pecker (1998)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

John Waters

Writer (WGA):

John Waters (written by)

Release Date:

25 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

He never realized how far 35 millimeters would take him.

Plot:

A Baltimore sandwich shop employee becomes an overnight sensation when photographs he's taken of his...

Plot Keywords:

Art | New York City | Dysfunctional Family | Photography | Laundromat

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Edward Furlong	...	Pecker
Christina Ricci	...	Shelley
Bess Armstrong	...	Dr. Klompus
Mark Joy	...	Jimmy
Mary Kay Place	...	Joyce
Martha Plimpton	...	Tina
Brendan Sexton III	...	Matt
Mink Stole	...	Precinct Captain
Lili Taylor	...	Rorey Wheeler
Patricia Hearst	...	Lynn Wentworth
Jean Schertler	...	Memama
Lauren Hulsey	...	Little Chrissy
Mo Fischer	...	T-Bone (as Maureen Fischer)
Donald Neal	...	Mr. Bozak
Carolyn Stayer	...	Miss Betty

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, graphic nudity, language and brief drug use.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Canada:14A | France:U | Japan:R-15 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/16 (video premiere) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Israel:16

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Polar Entertainment

Trivia:

Pecker's camera is an early model of the Canonet, a compact camera made over a period of more than a decade (primarily in the 1960s) by Canon for the consumer market. The camera takes so-so pictures, and today might be worth $20-$40, when it can be found. It is entirely plausible that Pecker might find such a camera in a thrift store, at a garage sale, or the like.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the opening credits, Pecker photographs a woman outside the Sub Pit. He is holding the camera vertically, but we are shown a horizontal view through the viewfinder.

Quotes:

T-Bone: Ride it, bitch! Ride it like a butch bottom!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Rocket Science (2007)

Soundtrack:

In The Mood

Deliciously twisted.

Pecker is a young man who's obsessed with his camera. It's almost like a part of his body, and he takes it everywhere he goes, taking pictures of his everyday life and the people he loves, in his home town of Baltimore. His father is a bartender with hardly any customers, his mother works at the local thrift shop, advising homeless people on their fashion sense. His big sister Tina works as the emcee at the town's gay bar, The Fudge Palace, and mixes bragging about the strippers with making sure they're not T-Bagging the customers, and his little sister, Little Chrissy, is addicted to sugar and is going to get it, no matter what. Along with this group of blissful misfits include Pecker's beloved Memama, who adores a doll of the Virgin Mary, his friend Matt, who is a serial kleptomaniac, and his girlfriend Shelley, who works at a laundrette, and is obsessive about her work. Pecker throws a show at his place of work, a sandwich shop, and fortune shines on him when Rorey, who works at a top art gallery in New York, arrives and is thrilled with his work. Pecker becomes the latest star of the art world, but the trappings of fame soon begin to take their toll on his family, and Pecker soon realises that he has to make a choice, celebrity or those that he loves.

Although it may not be as outlandish as his previous work, John Waters has delivered another winner with Pecker. Here is a sweet, charming film about clashes in culture and the hypocritical attitudes of the art world, and also a study of a good-natured family and their eccentric values. The good cast and the amusing script are entertaining, and it's an irresistible offer dipping into the life of Pecker and his oddball acquaintances. It's not a perfect picture, as the film can appear a bit disjointed at times. But it hardly matters when you look at the film as a whole. Edward Furlong is a competent actor, and plays Pecker perfectly, but it's the supporting cast that truly shine. Christina Ricci is excellent as sullen Shelley, Mark Joy and Mary Kay Place are great as Pecker's good-hearted parents, and Jean Schertler totally charming as Memama. Lili Taylor is good, if a little under-used as Rorey, but Martha Plimpton walks away with the acting honours as Tina, blessed with some classic one-liners and an all round fabulous performance. Even though it's not perfect, Pecker is still uproarious fun. I was bowled over by just how delightfully warped the whole affair was. Waters can always be relied on to come up with a brilliant film, and once again, he doesn't disappoint. A marvellous film.