Polyester1981
Polyester (1981)
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Movie Info
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Cast
as Francine Fishpaw
as Todd Tomorrow
as Cuddles Kovinsky
as Sandra Sullivan
as Elmer Fishpaw
as LaRue, Mother
as Lulu Fishpaw
as Dexter Fishpaw
as Chauffeur
as Bo-Bo
as Dr. Quackenshaw
as Freddy Ashton
as Pimp
as Gospel Bus Hijacker
as Picket Reporter
as TV News Announcer
as Nun A
as Nun B
as Betty Lalinski
as Mall Victim
as Bo-Bo's Friend
as School Principal
as Teenage Witness
as Pizza Man 2
as Abortion Picket
as Pizza Man 3
as Porno Picket
as Alcoholic Leader
as Porno Picket
as Porno Picket
as Boutique Saleslady
as Detective A
as Detective B
as Press A
as Press B
as Press C
as Press D
as Hospital Reporter
as Jewish Man
News & Interviews for Polyester
Critic Reviews for Polyester
All Critics (19) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (2) | DVD (4)
Polyester is definitely one of Waters's best films, and I highly recommend attending an 'Odorama' screening for a unique night at the movies.
By standards of Waters' gross-out features, this mildly amusing film is sedate, notable for the casting of fading movie star Tab Hunter and for introducing a gimmick called Odorama, scratch-and-sniff cards.
Polyester may be one of the few times when Waters tried to expand his cinematic language at the expense of his usual verbal variety
Stinks in all the right ways.
He makes you endure the grossest of the gross and you still laugh through the whole thing
A low-rent version of a Douglas Sirk 1950s soaper, with Divine being dragged through all the paces that might have been the lot of a glossy star of the era.
Audience Reviews for Polyester
Like a Fassbinder or Douglas Sirk movie made by John Waters, it is a mess with all his trademark filth, irritating overacting and ridiculous lack of structure and focus, and I guess it would be only amusing and worth seeing in the cinema for the Odorama scratch-and-sniff gimmick.
Super Reviewer
Classic John Waters. Bad in all the right ways.
Super Reviewer
I think that "Polyester" is John Waters' best movie. "Female Trouble" may have been funnier, but I prefer the elements in this softer creation to that earlier, meaner-spirited film. "Polyester" was the director's bridge between his last bad taste epic, "Desperate Living" (which was also great) and his first attempt at something mainstream, "Hairspray". So, what I think happened was a decrescendo of creative emotion. John Waters still has something to say about the lower middle-class here, but he used up the angry parts of his perspective when he was younger. Still, he wasn't quite ready for parody... In "Polyster", I suspect that the director wanted to utilize aspects of the culture that he had affection for. For one thing, Divine never played a more sympathetic character, and she was teamed up with Edith Massey, who was, in my opinion, the most memorable and lovable and enjoyable of all of the Waters' group. I think it's closer to call "Polyester" a tongue in cheek comedy than a satire. What's so funny about "Polyester" is how everybody acts around Francine, who is extremely kind, but ineffectual and dopey. Why is everybody so pre-occupied with tormenting her? I love how LaRue gets increasingly demented. And nobody can act humiliated and put-upon like Divine... Also, the sets are very warm and pleasant - I actually loved the Fishpaw house. Warm, funny, funny movie...
Super Reviewer
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