Cry-Baby (1990)

In 1950s Baltimore, a bad-boy with a heart of gold wins the love of a good-girl, whose boyfriend sets out for revenge.

Director:

John Waters

Writer:

John Waters

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	Cry-Baby
Amy Locane	...	Allison Vernon-Williams
Susan Tyrrell	...	Ramona Rickettes
Polly Bergen	...	Mrs. Vernon-Williams
Iggy Pop	...	Belvedere Rickettes
Ricki Lake	...	Pepper Walker
Traci Lords	...	Wanda Woodward
Kim McGuire	...	Mona 'Hatchet-Face' Malnorowski
Darren E. Burrows	...	Milton Hackett
Stephen Mailer	...	Baldwin
Kim Webb	...	Lenora Frigid
Alan J. Wendl	...	Toe-Joe
Troy Donahue	...	Hatchet's Father
Mink Stole	...	Hatchet's Mother
Joe Dallesandro	...	Milton's Father

Storyline

"Drape" (or Greaser) Wade Walker, also known as Cry-Baby for his ability to shed a single tear, falls head over heels for square Allison Vernon-Williams who, incidentally, is tired of being good.

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Plot Keywords:

greaser | 1950s | juvenile | love | no panties | 

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Taglines:

Too young to be square... Too tough to be shocked... Too late to be saved

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beksa

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$8,266,343 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 91 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wanda (Traci Lords) tells off Toe-Joe (Alan J. Wendl) when he approaches her to pose for naked pictures. In real life, Traci Lords became infamous for appearing in pornographic films as a minor.

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Goofs

When Allison is singing with the "Squares", after she adjusts the microphone she is on the other side and the microphones' lengths change between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Wanda's mother: Hi Kids. Remember, always look both ways before crossing.
Wanda: [embarassed] Mother!

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Crazy Credits

The film begins with an old-fashioned 50's style Universal logo. It's also accompanied by 50's doo-wop music. A stage curtain opens up the movie.

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Connections

Spoofs Jailhouse Rock (1957)

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Soundtracks

"PLEASE, MISTER JAILER"
Written by Wynona Carr
Performed by Rachel Sweet
Additional vocals by James Intveld
Produced by Al Kooper

User Reviews

A delinquent musical Joy-Ride with 50's teen angst films...

This is a film that John Waters created as a loving send up of 1950's teen and juvenile delinquent films. It tells the story of Cry-Baby (Depp) a teenage orphan with the ability to make women swoon by shedding a single tear. It's a good natured, never mean musical based in a world where a song can make jail prisoners dance and riot or make someone fall in love with you despite being from different worlds.

A cast that includes Iggy Pop, Traci Lords, Waters regular Rikki Lake and a few other pleasant treats and cameos. The actors appear to be having as much fun with the subject matter as the film is. Borrowing for value from films such as Grease, Jail-house Rock, High School Hellcats, Rebel without a cause and a zillion others from the genre this film is a self-aware campy comedy that is very well crafted.

Clean and ridiculous warmhearted fun with more than a hint of trash. As of the date I re-watched this film (April 2004 10 years later) this film is still out of print. The reason for that is inexplicable to me as it's one of Johnny Depp's funniest performances and one of the better musicals that comes to mind. Oh yeah, don't blink or you'll miss Willem Defoe as the prison guard. "God bless Dwight D. Eisenhower, God bless Roy Cohn..."

Come for the comedy, stay for the great songs.