IMDb > Polyester (1981)
Polyester
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Polyester (1981) More at IMDbPro »


IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   2,633 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
John Waters (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Polyester on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
29 May 1981 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Filmed in ODORAMA more
Plot:
A suburban housewife's world falls apart when her pornographer husband admits he's serially unfaithful to her, her daughter gets pregnant, and her son is suspected of being the foot-fetishist who's been breaking local women's feet. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Joe Berlinger's "Crude" New Film
 (From IFC. 3 September 2009, 7:33 AM, PDT)

The Sandbox: Shake Your Money Maker
 (From IFC. 24 April 2009, 10:39 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
I Had a Smile on My Face the Whole Time more (40 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Divine ... Francine Fishpaw

Tab Hunter ... Todd Tomorrow
Edith Massey ... Cuddles Kovinsky
David Samson ... Elmer Fishpaw
Mary Garlington ... Lu-Lu Fishpaw
Ken King ... Dexter Fishpaw
Mink Stole ... Sandra Sullivan
Joni Ruth White ... La Rue
Hans Kramm ... Heintz
Stiv Bators ... Bo-Bo Belsinger
Rick Breitenfeld ... Dr. Quackenshaw
Michael Watson ... Freddy Ashton
Derek Neal ... Pimp
Jean Hill ... Gospel Bus Hijacker
Jim Hill ... Picket Reporter
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
86 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Canada:18A (Ontario) | UK:15 (re-rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (re-rating) (1990) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | Argentina:16

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The "Scents" on the Odorama card were as follows: 1. Roses 2. Flatulence 3. Model Airplane Glue 4. Pizza 5. Gasoline 6. Skunk 7. Natural Gas 8. New Car Smell 9. Dirty Shoes 10. Air Freshener more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Dexter's principal calls Francine, Francine starts acting as if he's hung up on her before he's even said goodbye. more
Quotes:
La Rue: Don't you know it's bad luck to let retards in your home? more
Movie Connections:
References The Blob (1958) more
Soundtrack:
THE BEST THING more

FAQ

Where should I use the Odorama card?
more
6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
I Had a Smile on My Face the Whole Time, 22 June 2006
9/10
Author: PCyst from The Base of Your Spine

John Waters is truly a great director. I had seen Pink Flamingoes but not to much of his earlier work. I am more familiar with his later works like Serial Mom or Cecil B. Demented, which is all great stuff. Polyester is the bridge, as so many people put it, between his disgusting yet entertaining earlier work to more mainstream films like Hairspray.

Divine plays Francine Fishpaw. A rather large lady who is married to a man who owns a pornographic theater. Her son is a drug attic who loves to smash womens feet and her daughter is a wannabe Go-Go dancer who gets herself pregnant. Francine has only one friend in the world and that is Cuddles who is wonderfully played by Edith Massey. After Francine catches her husband sleeping with another woman (Mink Stole) Francine's life starts going into a downward spiral as she can't control her children and she becomes an alcoholic. Only, when she meets a man named Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter) do things start to change... or do they?

I had a grin on my face throughout the whole movie. The storyline sounds pretty depressing but only John Waters could have pulled this off and turn it into a complete comedy. Divine is right at home in her role as Francine. You truly do feel completely sorry for her. Edith Massey is excellent in the role as Cuddles and is definitely the most likable character in the whole movie. What made this movie so great for me was when this came out in theaters I was to young to see this. I just recently bought it on DVD and it comes with an actual Scratch N' Sniff card for the movie! Great stuff! This movie gets a 9/10 from me.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Polyester (1981)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Was this supposed to funny? lynxx55
TV Version alanmcooley
J.W. snitched odorama ? ksf-2
New Odorama Cards mozart599
Odarama DVD missgoddess85
Any other movie with some character with foot fetish obsession? factoryes
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