Cecil B. DeMented (2000)

An insane independent film director and his renegade group of teenage filmmakers kidnap an A-list Hollywood actress and force her to star in their underground film.

Director:

John Waters

Writer:

John Waters

Stars:

Melanie Griffith, Stephen Dorff, Alicia Witt

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melanie Griffith	...	Honey Whitlock
Stephen Dorff	...	Cecil
Alicia Witt	...	Cherish
Adrian Grenier	...	Lyle
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.	...	Lewis (as Larry Gilliard Jr.)
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Raven
Jack Noseworthy	...	Rodney
Mink Stole	...	Mrs. Sylvia Mallory
Ricki Lake	...	Libby
Patricia Hearst	...	Fidget's Mom
Michael Shannon	...	Petie (as Mike Shannon)
Kevin Nealon	...	Himself
Eric Barry	...	Fidget (as Eric M. Barry)
Zenzele Uzoma	...	Chardonnay
Erika Lynn Rupli	...	Pam

Storyline

In Baltimore, guerrilla filmmaker Cecil B. Demented leads a band of cinema revolutionaries who kidnap Honey Whitlock, a bitchy and aging movie star of big-budget froth. Cecil wants her in his movie, a screed against Hollywood they film during blitzkrieg attacks on a multiplex, a Maryland Film Commission press conference, and the set of a "Forrest Gump" sequel. He insists on celibacy; the cast and crew channel sexual energy into the production. With a family-values coalition, aggrieved Teamsters, and the police on their trail, Cecil needs help from porno, kung-fu, and drive-in audiences. What about Honey? Will she bolt or refuse to act? Or will she hit her marks and light up the screen?

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Plot Keywords:

movie star | actress | drive in | person on fire | drinking urine | 

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Taglines:

Long live guerilla film making!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong crude sexual content, violence, language and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Atalanta Filmes [pt] (Flash or MSWord only) Bac Films [fr] (French)

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 August 2000 (France)

Also Known As:

A morte Hollywood

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$26,474 (UK) (8 December 2000)

Gross:

ESP 31,768,470 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artic Productions LLC, Canal+, Ice Cap Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title of the film is a play on the name of the director/producer Cecil B. DeMille.

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Goofs

When they set Honey's hair on fire when atop of the building at the drive in theater, she's obviously wearing a badly-disguised wig/prosthetic in the wide shots.

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Quotes

Cherish: We can fuck now?
Cecil: From here to Timbuktu!

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Crazy Credits

The credits thank "Fred and Ginger" both insinuating Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the dance duo, and "Fred e Ginger" a movie by Federico Fellini, paying homage to the duo.

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Connections

Spoofs Forrest Gump (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Demented Forever"
Written by John Waters, Stephen Janis, Daniel Woodis and Sheree Magwood
Performed by Karen McMillan
Produced by Stephen Janis

User Reviews

Watch Out for Those "Genre Specific" Audiences

Any film with Alicia Witt and Maggie Gyllenhaal has very good things going for it visually. And although a little weird for mainstream audiences, "Cecil B. DeMented is a very entertaining film. Imagine a spoof about the American film industry and American movie audiences, packaged as a cross between "Dr. Strangelove" and "State and Main".

It is after all a John Waters film, and a film set in his hometown of Baltimore. Which means the jokes will be hit-and-miss, with many best appreciated by film industry insiders and Baltimore natives. But the obvious fun the cast has playing their out-there characters is infectious. Melanie Griffith (Tippi Hedren's daughter) has a ball tweaking her diva image as she plays an aging star gradually won over to the cause of her kidnappers (insert Patti Hearst here who actually has a small part in the picture). Alicia Witt gives her best ever performance as the delectable porn star turned revolutionary. The best scene is when she and her fellow film revolutionaries hide out at a porn theater showing "Rear Entry", an anal epic co-starring Witt and a randy gerbil.

Stephen Dorff, before he went insane and got involved with Pamela (slug) Anderson, does a good job as the title character. But watch closely for an absolutely glowing performance by Gyllenhaal. She is something special with lines like: "I haven't had this much fun since my last livestock mutilation!"

Worth watching if you have a sense of humor, even better if you are demented.