Clube dos Pervertidos

I'm a follower of John Waters but this newest entry in the Baltimore auteur's canon is strictly for true blue fans - and even I kept thinking that his DVD commentary would be more interesting than the actual film. There are plenty of laughs in DIRTY, for sure. And Ullman is just as terrific as Kathleen Turner was in SERIAL MOM - hysterical! Johnny Knoxville and Chris Isaac do well, too. But half-way through the film, Waters abandons his well-cast characters in favor of a far-out concept that equates promiscuity with religious fervor. Therein lies the film's downfall. Ullman's personal plight (a concussion that causes her to become a sex fiend, much to the dismay of most of her family) is put on the back burner in favor of a larger canvas - just the same way that Cecil B. DeMented got lost in his kooky band of film misfits and shutterbug Pecker disappeared into the sycophantic New York art scene. The ultimate fadeout is confusing and unsatisfying but if you leave before the last half hour you might have time to rush to Blockbuster to rent DESPERATE LIVING, an earlier Waters cheapie that pushes many of the same buttons, but seems infinitely better.