Pink Flamingos

I will probably never love this film, but John Waters simply made something that is simply unforgettable. Here are scenes that will surprise you, derail you, and show you that anything is possible. And yes, some part of you can really love it and enjoy it. Waters is a weirdo, but this film is simply an experience. (28/08/2015)

OK, I've seen a lot, but this is really indescribable in mere words. Everything is awful by the most part, from the overacting to the topsy-turvy direction, BUT once the gourmet soundtrack kicks in, seeing Tarantino in it, I understood that this was the most "salacious" source of inspiration for the video store madman, and that it was, in its own very perverse way, a cult-classic beyond its time. And for that, Pink Flamingos deserve a small tribute, as well as for the final, wonderfully satirical execution in the presence of the amoral media; that’s something you don’t see every day. (21/09/2016)

I cannot judge if, as claimed by a viewer in one of the interviews at the end of the film, this is really better than Cries and Whispers. But what I can say is that both of these ‘unique artistic pieces’ made me suffer similarly when I watched them. The ratio between the scenes I want to remember (with funny lines like ‘I guess there’s just two kinds of people…’) and those I’d rather forget is quite uneven. Nothing against the display of obscenities (after a few minutes, everything starts to seem normal in the context of the film), but I have to say it was much less entertaining than what I had expected. The storyline is really trifling and some scenes are downright empty and too long to be fun. Chances are I won’t become a fan of John Waters’ early work. (01/11/2018)

Is it possible for such cheap-looking, woodenly acted and decadently deviant and vulgar film to be entertaining, or even irresistibly CUTE? Apparently so – it has acquired a cult following thanks to all of these qualities, together with its openness, sincerity, and uniqueness. (02/01/2011)

A film where I could write a defence for every rating because I can agree with all of them. Pink Flamingos is unique  and very bad in every technical aspect and some scenes almost made me sick, but I still don’t regret watching it. It’s not tense, it’s not comedy, it’s not satire, it’s just very weird and crazy filth that in some aspects beats every other type of cinematography. I presume that anyone who could be interested in this film has already heard about it (or even watched it), so I really wouldn’t recommend it to the random readers of this review. (12/09/2010)