Cry-baby (Movie)

Cry-baby. Universal Studios, 1990.
Cast: Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell, Polly Bergen.
Director: John Waters.
Rating: PG-13.
Length: 85 minutes.
ASIN: B0009IOR6Q

Plot:

In 1954 Baltimore, the town is divided between the Squares and the Drapes. The Drapes are led by Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, named for his ability to shed a single tear. One day after school, Cry-Baby is approached by Allison, a Square who is tired of being good. He comes by her house to take her to Turkey Point, the hangout for the Drapes, which is owned by Cry-Baby’s grandmother. Despite her disapproval, Allison’s grandmother allows her to go. While there, Allison gets a “bad girl” makeover by Cry-Baby’s friends. While Cry-Baby and Allison are kissing, Allison’s jealous boyfriend, Baldwin, and his friends attack Turkey Point and the police break everything up, arresting Allison and the Drapes. Allison is released, but Cry-Baby is sent to juvenile hall. Allison swears to be loyal to him, but changes her mind after Lenore, a Drape with a crush on Cry-Baby, claims to be pregnant with his child. Allison then goes back to Baldwin, while Lenore decides to claim that she is a Square, as well. Her grandmother and the Drapes convince Allison that Cry-Baby is really the boy for her and they all set out to convince the judge to release him from juvenile hall.

Critical Evaluation:

John Waters created a cult classic with Cry-baby. This hilarious tongue-in-cheek musical good-naturedly mocks more traditional films such as Grease, West Side Story, and The Outsiders. The story is a familiar one, that of the good girl falling for the bad boy and both of them being redeemed in the process, but with an irreverent take on everything from their relationship to the reaction of the town. The characters are caricatures with often ridiculous dialogue, but they never fail to entertain. The movie invites the viewer to laugh along with it as it makes fun of the genre, the time period, the storyline, and even itself. It’s evident that the cast is having fun with the performance, but they’re still taking their parts seriously. Johnny Depp and Amy Locane manage to take what could have been over-the-top characters and play them with a sincerity that balances the humor perfectly.

Though the music could have easily been overshadowed by the story, the songs stand on their own. They’re catchy, fun, and advance the plot rather than distracting from it. The combination of rockabilly, doo-wop, and 50s pop leave the viewer wanting to sing and dance along. Johnny Depp’s dancing and James Intveld’s singing are reminiscent of Elvis and offer another throwback to the 50s. This parody of typical teen musicals is something teens will definitely appreciate.

Annotation:

Allison, a Square is tired of being good when she meets and falls in love with Wade “Cry-baby” Walker, a Drape from the wrong side of town.

Director Information:

John waters was born April 22, 1946 in Baltimore, Maryland. As a child, he saw the movie Lili, which spawned his interest in puppets. Growing up, he also loved violent and gory movies and would often watch adult-only movies playing at the drive-in by using binoculars. Both of these had a large effect on his film-making as an adult. He attended NYU for film-making, but was unsatisfied with the program and quickly left.

He made his first film at the age of 18. He would go on to write 16 more films and direct 15 of those. His films are almost always set in his hometown of Baltimore and often are cast with the same core group of actors, including his childhood friend, the drag queen Divine. Another childhood friend, Mary Vivian Pearce, has appeared in every one of his movies. His core group of actors is referred to as Dreamlanders, named after his production company Dreamland Productions.

Genre:

Movie: Musical Comedy

Curriculum Ties:

Music: 1950s Music
Theater: Musicals

Movie Talking Ideas:

• Describe the Squares and the Drapes.
• Compare Cry-baby to Baldwin.
• Discuss the evolution of Allison's character.
• Focus on its satirization traditional teen musicals.

Interest Age:

13 and older

Challenge Issues:

Teen pregnancy
Tobacco use
Delinquency
Casting of Traci Lords

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

This movie was first shown to me when I was 17 and I've loved it ever since. It remains one of my favorite films from my teen years.

Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb

Limb, Sue. Girl, 15, Charming but Insane. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2004. 224 pages. ISBN-10: 0385732147. ISBN-13: 978-0385732147.

Plot:

Jess Jordon is a typical 15-year-old girl who believes that her life is a disaster. Her best friend, Flora, is beautiful, smart, and comes from a perfect family. Jess, by contrast, has a body she dislikes, an absent father, and the tendency to let her mind wander while in class. She also has a crush on popular boy, Brad. After Flora starts dating Brad’s best friend and the three of them start a band, Jess has a chance to get to know Brad. All he wants to do it talk about Flora. In her quest to get to know Brad, Jess looks past her other best friend, Fred. Fred is the one who has always been there for her, from stealing an embarrassing topless video of her that surfaced after a party to letting her stay with him after she and her mother had a blow out. Consumed with her obsession with Brad and her rivalry with Flora, Jess doesn’t fully appreciate Fred until it is too late. After accidentally blowing off his mother’s birthday party because of a family emergency, Jess finds that Fred is no longer speaking to her. As she attempts to fix this situation, Flora reveals to Jess that she likes Fred, which makes Jess jealous. Jess must make up with Fred, figure out her situation with Brad, and deal with Flora, all the while dealing with all the other problems that come with being 15.

Critical Evaluation:

Jess is an incredibly funny narrator. She has a wit and self-deprecating humor that is charming to all audiences, but will especially appeal to teen readers. She’s a very realistic character who has a tendency to make mistakes and end up in embarrassing situations. The reader can both cringe and sympathize when reading about her latest problem. The other characters aren’t quite as well-developed as Jess, but instead read as reflections of her views of them, rather than actual people. This serves well to further Jess’s characterization, however.

The writing is simple and in a style appropriate to the teenage narrator. It isn’t overly flowery, but the author does allow some whimsy appropriate to Jess’s overactive imagination. The plot isn’t complicated or involved but instead just focuses on average events that could easily occur in the life any teenage girl. This isn’t a book that will teach a moral or that is very thought-provoking; it is entertaining. If the reader is in the mood for a cute, light, funny read this is an excellent choice.

Reader's Annotation:

15-year-old Jess has enough to deal with between her too perfect best friend Flora, her absent father and his “horrorscopes,” giving up her room to her death-obsessed grandma, a falling out with her other best friend, Fred, and her undying love for Brad. When Flora starts dating Brad’s best friend, Jess decides now is the time to get Brad to notice her, but is he really the one for her?

Author Information:

Sue Limb was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England in 1946. She attended Cambridge to study English, Elizabethan Poetry, and get her certification in Education. Prior to becoming an author, she spent a decade working on and off as a teacher. She taught Literary Criticism at the college lever and both English and Drama at the secondary level. She also spent a year teaching in a prison. She then spent several years working in radio and television, including adapting her novel Up the Garden Path for both a BBC radio and later ITV as a sitcom. However, what is probably her most well-known work was that of her column in The Guardian written under the pen-name of Dulcie Domum. From 1990-2001, she wrote a humorous column entitled "Bad Housekeeping" about a feminist novelist’s experiences as a rural wife.

Besides writing, she lists several interests on her website including horticulture, agriculture, music, politics, painting, natural history, architecture, and travel. These interests are evident in much of her non-young adult work. She has written close to 30 books for adults and teens. Her writing has won several awards including Book Sense Picks and the School Library Journal award.

Genre:

Chick Lit

Curriculum Ties:

None

Booktalking Ideas:

• Present part of Jess's personals ad monologue.
• Present as Jess talking about her many problems and her love for Brad.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Profanity
Sexual content
Inappropriate language

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

It was one of the books I read for our chick lit presentation and I enjoyed it enough to include it here.