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Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9780780625006 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC ISBN: 0780625005 Label: New Line Home Video Manufacturer: New Line Home Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: New Line Home Video Release Date: July 20, 1999 Running Time: 87 minutes Sales Rank: 30490 Studio: New Line Home Video Theatrical Release Date: September 25, 1998
Amazon.com: Pecker (so named, at least according to his grandmother, because he always pecks at his food) loves to use the camera to capture his fellow Baltimore residents living their daily lives. Of course, since this is a John Waters movie, those daily lives include visits to strip bars, shoplifting, and various other quirky, and frequently hilarious, human activities. When Pecker's makeshift photo exhibit comes to the attention of a New York art agent (Lili Taylor), Pecker becomes the latest sensation. Unlike the hero in most sudden-fame stories, however, Pecker, as played by Edward Furlong, isn't exactly an innocent; rather, he takes in the world with his eyes, and his mind, wide open. So instead of suffering a precipitous fall, Pecker eventually turns the tables on his more worldly New York peers.
While not as outrageous as early Waters features such as Female Trouble and Pink Flamingos, Pecker still has something to offend just about everyone. But those who take the offenses to heart would be missing out on what amounts to a sweet-natured farce. The movie is not so much a pointed satire as a gentle teasing of the art world and its pretensions. The all-embracing world of John Waters allows for lovable freaks from the big city, too.
The movie sags a bit when it settles into its plot; it can't sustain the comic inspiration reached in the opening scenes of Pecker's encounters with Baltimore's misfits. But running gags about a sugar-addicted child and a ventriloquist-doll Virgin Mary are hilarious. What ultimately makes the movie such a pleasure, though, is Waters's genuine fondness for all of his characters. Aided by a charming cast, including Christina Ricci and Waters regulars Mink Stole and Patty Hearst, Waters has created a surprisingly touching ode to human eccentricity. --Chris Neman
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Photograph Everything!
Pecker is a film about a young man who is a photographer. He takes photos of everything. His photos are noticed in a makeshift photo gallery by someone important in the industry. The humor in this film is great its funny without being over-the-top like say maybe Will Ferrel's or Jim Carey's stuff. Edward Furlong is great in this one, as is Christina Rici. A very easy to watch film.
Rating: - John waters down his earlier work in a futile attempt to make it more palatable
Pecker (Edward Furlong) is a naive artist who likes to take pictures of his family and friends in Baltimore. His name is derived from the fact that as a child he pecked at his food. He works at a sandwich shop, and is excited about having his first exhibition. It is a very amateur affair, but through some fluke he is discovered. Pecker's out-of-focus snapshots are being compared to Diane Arbus, but with empathy, and his work is sought by the New York Art Elite. Gallery owner Rorey Wheeler (Lili Taylor) is especially taken with the new artiste on the block, and attempts to lure him from his girlfriend, ... Read More
Rating: - WITH A NAME LIKE PECKER..........................!
I don't know why I like these types of film so much, maybe because the stories are not stamped out of a production assembly line. 'Pecker' is a smart and funny film with a good cast and lots of quirky characters. I did think it strange that they portrayed Baltimore locals as a bunch of whackos but, the film is very good and carries a good message. I caught this on cable so, if you see it on TV....check it out. I rate it 3 3/4 stars.
Rating: - This is a Very Funny DVD
We love it. Great cast, nice story. Wish more movies were as good as this one.
Rating: - Interesting profile and perspective on Baltimore and the NYC art scene
John Waters portrays the absurd elements of everyday life in his beloved hometown of Baltimore with such relish that it actually makes me want to visit. The highlight of the film is Pecker's grandmother who has a "speaking" Virgin Mary and his older sister who works in a gay stripclub. The NYC art scene is portrayed as cold, calculating and a bit of a leech to Pecker's fresh-faced and unassuming talent, though Christina Ricci's girlfriend character was a bit annoying in her constant complaints against the latter city while extolling the virtue of Baltimore. This is not one of John Waters' best (those would ... Read More
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