Click to read the article
Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:11
Rotten:11
Average Rating:2.5/10
Consensus: Plagues And Pleasures is a thoroughly engrossing account, both humorous and disheartening, of a once bustling community ravaged by ecological change and human greed.
Theatrical Release:2006
Synopsis:
Fabulously offbeat and refreshingly upbeat, this lovable film gets friendly with the natives of the Salton Sea, an inland ocean of massive fish kills, rotting resorts, and 120 degree nights located...
Fabulously offbeat and refreshingly upbeat, this lovable film gets friendly with the natives of the Salton Sea, an inland ocean of massive fish kills, rotting resorts, and 120 degree nights located just minutes from urban Southern California. This award-winning film from directors Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer details the rise and fall of the Salton Sea, from its heyday as the "California Riviera" where boaters and Beach Boys mingled in paradise to its present state as a decaying, forgotten ecological disaster. From wonderland to
wasteland, PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA captures a place far more interesting than the shopping malls and parking lots of suburban America, a wacky world where a beer-swilling Hungarian Revolutionary, a geriatric nudist, and a religious zealot building a monument to God
all find solace and community.
Crisply and hilariously narrated by oddball auteur John Waters, and featuring music by desert lounge rockers Friends of Dean Martinez, PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA melds high camp with stark
realism, offering both a sobering message about the consequences of tampering with nature and a heart-warming tale of individualism.
[More]
Starring: Sonny Bono, John Waters
Starring: Sonny Bono, John Waters
Director: Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer
Director: Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer
Producer: Chris Metzler
Studio: Tilapia Film
Get This Movie
Reviews for Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea
A tossup between oasis paradise and wasteland, or Eden and hellhole, this mecca turned ecological disaster of biblical proportions with its string of ghost towns and stubborn eccentric homesteaders, is the subject of this uniquely conceived documentary.
While maintaining the perspective of an anthropological, geological case study on a piece of land in southern California, Metzler and Springer’s documentary illustrates the multifaceted nature of man’s interaction with his environment.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!







