PECKER — * — Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Lili Taylor, Mary Kay Place, Martha Plimpton, Brendan Sexton III, Jean Schertler, Mark Joy, Lauren Hulsey; written and directed by John Waters; rated R (vulgarity, nudity, profanity, sex, violence, drug use); exclusively at the Tower Theatre.
Because of the wave of bad taste popularized by "South Park" and the Farrelly brothers ("There's Something About Mary"), John Waters' films almost seem tame by comparison nowadays. Of course, it doesn't help that the once-shocking filmmaker has made the mistake of creating movies with a point.
Granted, Waters' ideas have been obscured by his customary gross-out gags and similarly sketchy material. But there's still some thought there, however heavy-handed — especially in the case of his latest, "Pecker."
This lame comedic fable about the price of fame also goofs by casting extremely talented actors, who look silly in their attempts to perform in typical Waters fashion — amateurish and hammy.
Foremost among them is Edward Furlong, who stars as the title character, a teenager with a miniscule appetite (hence the nickname). He's also an aspiring photographer, whose unprofessional work is "discovered" by Rorey (Lili Taylor), a New York art dealer.
With her help, Pecker becomes an overnight sensation and sells most of his photos during his first exhibition (for greatly inflated prices, of course). However, the works also bring bad luck to their unfortunate buyers.
First, his best friend Matt (Brendan Sexton III), a "professional" shoplifter, is caught while plying his trade. Then his cynical but loving girlfriend Shelley (Christina Ricci) becomes a reluctant pinup girl.
But all that pales in comparison to what happens to Pecker's hapless family. His grandmother (Jean Schertler) is ridiculed for her un- orthodox religious beliefs (she believes the Virgin Mary speaks to her through a statue), his older sister (Martha Plimpton) loses her job at a gay strip club and his
sugar-addicted younger sister (Lauren Hulsey) is put on a healthy diet.
As hard as Waters tries, he can't play out these situations to make them as wacky as his ideas seem to be, and he keeps repeating certain jokes, so that they just become tiresome (particularly the gag about the Virgin Mary ventriloquist doll).
And, as mentioned, the acting is terrible, except for Ricci, who brings the only warmth to this otherwise clinically unfunny comedy. Furlong, who was so good in "American History X," is shrill and whiny here, while the typically dependable Mary Kay Place and Lili Taylor can't do anything with their severely underwritten roles.
"Pecker" is rated R for vulgar gags, sexual references, lewd dancing and use of vulgar slang terms, full female nudity (shown in closeup) and partial male nudity, profanity, simulated sex, a violent tussle and simulated drug use.