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71 of 79 found the following review helpful:
 Woo-Wee, you caught me in my birthday suit! Buck nekkid! May 24, 2005
By Michael LaPointe
"Island Mike"
I'm really excited to see this great film finally make its debut on dvd; it's been a long wait.
John Waters has proven himself time and time again as America's avatar of bad taste and all things tacky, but he sidelined his more base urges for a greater good over a decade ago. Starting with Hairspray, Waters essentially re-created the American musical, and honed that to perfection with the castly underappreciated Cry-Baby. But it's not just a musical - it's also a heartfelt valentine to a simpler time, his beloved Baltimore of the late 1950's.
Depp stars as "Cry-Baby" Walker, a juvenile delinquent from the wrong side of the tracks who spends his time hanging with his gang and singing that evil rock n' roll music. He and his way of life are constantly threatened by the town 'Squares' who are both threatened and repelled by Cry-Baby and those like him.
Naturally, he falls for a Square girl and all hell breaks loose. That part of it is a simple story, and I won't waste time rehashing or giving it away here. No, what really stands out about this film is its gleeful embrace of 'white-trash culture,' its loving tribute to the great juvenile delinquent movies of the 50's and 60's, and its rambunctious energy.
As usual, Waters peppers the film with eclectic casting; Susan Tyrell, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Mink Stole, Joe Dalessandro, Willem Dafoe, David Nelson (son of Ozzie), Traci Lords and Patty Hearst (yes, that Patty Hearst) are just a few of the many talents that form this wonderful ensemble cast. And of course, it's another one of Depp's great iconoclastic roles that have helped define him as one of the great idiosyncratic actors of our time.
So grab yourself an RC Cola, a Moon Pie, and put yer teeth up on the windowsill while y'all enjoy this trashy good time. You'll thank me for it and if y'all don't like it, I'll eat me a bug.
21 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Funny Oct 04, 2005
By Terry Mesnard
There are two movies that people who don't know John Waters and the types of films he normally makes always love. Cry Baby and Hairspray contain both John Water's sense of humor and style, but don't necessarily dig into the depths of depravity (like eating dog poo) some of his more subversive films do. I'm not a John Waters aficionado yet, but what I've noticed in his films is that they normally center around two opposite sides that will eventually come crashing into one another. From Hairspray to A Dirty Shame, the films do a great job of putting two sides in direct opposition to each other and then letting the fur fly.
Cry Baby is no different. In this case, the Drapes and the Squares square off (pun not-intended) with Johnny Depp's Wade and Amy Locane's Allison at the center. Basically a love story that draws on the same dichotomous split seen in Romeo and Juliet, you have the poor and rowdy meet the rich and on the surface proper. What follows is a funny and zany ride as the two sides end up colliding in a winner-take-all car chase.
The writing is sharp as is the directing. What I admire about Waters the most is his ability to create vivid characters with personality. Sometimes he relies heavily on stereotypes, but each character is his or her own. You won't ever confuse them. They stay sharp, even when the acting isn't exactly stellar. The acting, like a majority of John Water's films, is spotty. Its done in an over-the-top sort of way that you can't help but laugh at. It reminds you that this isn't real and that you shouldn't take it seriously. Water's employs not only great upcoming talent (like Depp) but also people like Hatchet Face who haven't been seen much in film since. All do a great job playing their roles; however, not all of them are good actors.
Once you look past this minor speed bump, the ride is hillarious. It, along with Hairspray, is probably the most accessible of John Water's films. It maintains his sharp satirical writing and funny dialogue, but keeps the humor bawdy but not excessive.
25 of 29 found the following review helpful:
why is cry baby not on DVD(5 Star Rating for the film) Feb 27, 2004
By hannah wooding
cry baby what a great film! I am 16 and i have been watching Cry baby since i was 8 years old on a battered and worn out version on VHS. The film makes me feel really happy, the songs are unforgetable and the characters are just real funny especially Johnny Depp. I have mailed the director about releasing the film on DVD and i cant wait for it to happen. I am sure lots of people will buy. So "please Mr Jailer" give us Cry baby on DVD
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 LEAVE THE EXTRA SCENES IN!!! Aug 03, 2005
By Carlie
I saw the movie Cry Baby with all of its scenes included on IFC years ago. They did a John Waters back to back marathon. I'm glad I had taped it because since then I have never seen the movie with those seens included. For instance, you don't see Johnny getting chased by the policeman on the way to the charm school. These parts are cut out to save time. If you ever get the chance to see it with ALL of the scenes, watch it! It's better, I think. And the part where Traci Lord's character tells exchange student Inga about American boys is great. It's better with the extra scenes. Once you see it, you'll see what I mean.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
I'm So tired of being good! May 10, 2006
By Anita
"Emma"
I'm SO happy!!! Cry-Baby AT LAST ON DVD!! about time! This is a MUST SEE MOVIE! If you havent got it, GET IT! If you havent seen it, SEE IT! Its one of those movies that makes the world a better place ;-)
Cry -Baby represents every adolesent girls dream,he sings, has a bike, and when the Squares cant beat him, thay join him! Its a classic and a MUST have for any movie mogal.
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