Python Hyena Polyester (1981): Dir: John Waters / Cast: Divine, Edith Massey, Tab Hunter, David Samson, Mink Stole: Released with "ordorama" where cards are distributed for scratch and sniff action when a number flashes on screen. John Waters starts us out with a rose at number 1 but eventually unleashes every disgusting smell imaginable. This is Waters' first R rated film after directing the X rated Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble. Divine plays Francine Fishpaw whose life is coming undone. Her glue sniffing son is the Baltimore Foot Stomper. Her daughter is pregnant and dating a rebel. She cheers with glee claiming the "F" on her report card was "fantastic." Francine's husband runs a local pornography theatre and overjoyed by the reaction of the protesters. This is twisted and will offend certain tastes but it contains improvements within Waters' skill. Divine is a sight struggling to be a good house wife while battling the negative surrounding her. Edith Massey is hideously adorable as former maid Cuddles, Francine's closest friend whose mentality is challenged. Tab Hunter plays Todd Tomorrow whose wayward charm connects to Francine's fantasy. David Samson plays Elmer Fishpaw who smiles at controversy. Mink Stole plays the sleazy secretary whom Elmer joins in harassing his wife with their affair. Questionable humour yet hilarious spin attacking suburban lifestyles that reek of phony portrayals. Score: 9 / 10

edezagon I recently had the pleasure of seeing John Waters live show followed by a screening of Polyester and we were spoiled and got the Odorama cards! Aside from Waters being hilarious on stage and wonderfully unpolitically correct, the movie is excellent. Completely offbeat, wonderful dysfunctional family, physical comedy, exaggerated characters makes this a classic comedy, even if a bit outdated. I loved it. I only gave it a 9 because of the sound quality and the slightly outdated look, albeit still excellent. Divine's performance is divine... If you didn't now it was a man, you could almost be fooled. Lulu's performance is over the top, so not very credible, but it makes it all the more funny and ludicrous. Dexter is nuts, plain and simple. One does not see this film for its true like story line, but to see over the top blown up characters that make you laugh. This does just that. However, if you ever have the chance to see Waters,' live show, do not miss it!

NateManD I love John Waters movies. Whether it's his old or new films. He has his own strange sense of humor. In "Polyester" Devine plays down to earth overweight housewife Francine Fishpaw. Poor Francine, her husband who runs the local porn theater (pronounced thee-ater) is having an affair. Her own mother insults her constantly, her son is a glue sniffer with a foot stomping fetish and her daughter Lu-Lu is a teen rebel with an unwanted pregnancy. The only true friend Francine has is Cuddles, played by the always hilarious Edith Masey. Francine's soap opera like life spins out of control resulting in alcoholism and depression. This movie is filmed in oder-rama and the DVD comes with a scratch and sniff scent card. If you need a good laugh, you should definitely see "Polyester". And who could forget the words of young Lu-Lu? "I'm having an abortion, and I can't wait!" Don't wait .... to see this movie.

gftbiloxi After several years of crudely made, crudely funny films such as PINK FLAMINGOS, director John Waters graduated to a somewhat more sophisticated style, and POLYESTER has a comparatively (note the word: comparatively) subtle script, cinematography that doesn't shake, sets and props that don't actually look like they were salvaged from the local junkyard, and even a mainstream star: 1950s matinée idol Tab Hunter.The story concerns the extremely dysfunctional Fishpaw family. Husband Elmer is in the porno movie business; daughter Lu-Lu is a mindless teenage slut with a nasty boyfriend; son Dexter is wanted by the law for a sexual fixation that leads him to stomp women's feet! And then there is the mother, poor Francine, extra large and utterly at sea, hoping against hope for middle class respectability in the midst of it all.Tab Hunter (who is even more of a stud here than in his earlier pretty-boy days) romancing female-impersonator Divine is a major draw, and there is enough hilarity--ranging from a nun-enforced hayride for single pregnant women during a rainstorm to a black gospel singer who hijacks a bus to chase down a juvenile delinquent--to keep the show rolling, and the satirical edge is often quite effective.Even so, POLYESTER lacks the same shock appeal that made Water's earlier work so entertaining--and it is a tremendous pity that we can't experience the film in its original "ODORAMA." Recommended, but primarily for Waters fans interested in seeing him in his transitional phase.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer