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Desperate Living (1977)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:10
Fresh:7
Rotten:3
Average Rating:6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) is a frazzled housewife who has just been released from a mental hospital. Arriving at her suburban Baltimore home in a delicate state, she quickly decides that her... Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) is a frazzled housewife who has just been released from a mental hospital. Arriving at her suburban Baltimore home in a delicate state, she quickly decides that her husband is trying to kill her...and coerces her rotund maid, Grizelda (Jean Hill), to suffocate him with her ample bottom. In order to escape imprisonment, the unlikely duo seeks refuge in Mortville, a oddball shantytown populated by criminals and social outcasts. To the citizens' dismay, however, vicious Queen Carlotta (Edith Massey) rules the kingdom with an iron fist. With assistance from a cranky pre-op transsexual (Susan Lowe) and her sexpot lover (Liz Renay), Peggy and Grizelda attempt to navigate their strange new lives. An antifascist fairy tale obviously influenced by THE WIZARD OF OZ, DESPERATE LIVING creates a true feeling of oppression, amid the expected gross-outs and comedic absurdities. Production designer Vincent Peranio creates an entire village on a shoestring budget, lending the film the effectively disorienting effect of a surrealistic school play. For those who like their comic boundaries dark and stretched to the limit, filmmaker John Waters once again provides sights simply not seen anywhere else. [More]
Starring: Mink Stole, Jean Hill, Susan Lowe, Liz Renay
Starring: Mink Stole, Jean Hill, Susan Lowe, Liz Renay, Edith Massey, Mary Vivian Pearce
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
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Reviews for Desperate Living
Desperate Living [is] a movie that feels like three separate films fused together. The first and the second are fantastic.
Not for the weak of heart or stomach, this one is worth a look for truly brave movie fans. People with delicate constitutions shouldn’t even get close.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| 19% 19% | Transformers: Revenge … |
| 55% 55% | Orphan |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 88% 88% | Ballast |
| 66% 66% | The Merry Gentleman |
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