A Dirty Shame (2004)

An uptight, middle-aged, repressed woman turns into a sex addict after getting hit on the head, and she then falls into an underground subculture of sex addicts in suburban Baltimore.

Director:

John Waters

Writer:

John Waters

Stars:

Tracey Ullman, Chris Isaak, Selma Blair

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tracey Ullman	...	Sylvia
Johnny Knoxville	...	Ray Ray
Selma Blair	...	Caprice
Chris Isaak	...	Vaughn
Suzanne Shepherd	...	Big Ethel
Mink Stole	...	Marge The Neuter
Patricia Hearst	...	Paige
Jackie Hoffman	...	Dora
Nick Noble	...	Weird Paperboy (as Nicholas E.I. Noble)
Lucy Newman-Williams	...	Neuter Yuppie Woman
Scott Morgan	...	Neuter Yuppie Man
Wes Johnson	...	Fat Fuck Frank
David A. Dunham	...	Mama Bear
David Moretti	...	Papa Bear (as Dave Moretti)
Jeffrey Auerbach	...	Baby Bear

Storyline

Middle-aged, sexually repressed Sylvia Stickles is the subject of this John Water's film, set in North Baltimore. She refuses to have sex with her husband, Vaughn Stickles, and keeps her overly-endowed daughter, Caprice, locked in her room, while she serves home detention for moral depravity charges. Sylvia, together with her mother Big Ethel, lead a group calling themselves "neuters" that promotes decency on Harford Road. When Sylvia is accidentally hit on the head by a lawnmower hanging out of a passing pick-up truck, however, her sexual behavior is changed completely from prude to prostitute. She meets the sex addicted sexual healer Ray Ray Perkins, becoming his twelfth apostle of sex in a journey of pleasure and orgasm.

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Plot Keywords:

lust | prostitute | go go dancer | male pubic hair | nudist | 

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Taglines:

Threatening the very limits of common decency.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for pervasive sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adictos al sexo

Filming Locations:

Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,384, 19 September 2004

Gross USA:

$1,339,668

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,808,166

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine Line Features, This Is That Productions, Killer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 84 min (R-rated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The book David Hasselhoff reads near the end of the film, "Suicide In The Entertainment Industry" is a real book given to John Waters as a gift.

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Goofs

Before running out of gas, the car is turned off and in park but is still driving.

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Quotes

Sylvia Stickles: Hey, would you like to go out for some funch?
Vaughn Stickles: What's funch?
Sylvia Stickles: Fucking during lunch!

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Alternate Versions

The Theratrical Release Of The film was the original NC-17 version.For the VHS/DVD releases John Waters said that it will be released in the original NC-17 rated version and a cut R Rated Version.

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Connections

Referenced in This Filthy World (2006)

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Soundtracks

Teddy Bears On Parade
Performed by Peter Pan Players and Orchestra
Written by Adelmo Melecci
Courtesy of Tinkerbell/Ambassador Records

User Reviews

All in good humour...or not

I can't say I've seen many of John Waters' films, but I've seen enough to get an idea of what he's about; and A Dirty Shame would appear to be a typical John Waters film. All of the jokes in the film come from sexual perversions, and it's not hard to see why a number of people don't like it - as if you thought Serial Mom was a difficult film to get along with, wait until you see this one! To be honest, I'm not completely sure of whether I liked it or not; on the one hand, I respect the director for daring to go further than many directors would dare...but on the other hand, it's amazingly silly and the central ideas behind the plot don't hold much weight. There are some really good one-liners in the film, however, and the surreal nature of the way the plot plays out is a delight. The story follows a prudish housewife named Silvia who hates sex, and the fact that her daughter is a sex symbol named 'Ursula Udders'. However, after hitting her head one day; she comes into contact with a man named Ray Ray, a 'sexual healer', and it's not long before she discovers that she is, in fact, a sex-addict.

I'm sure that the main reason why John Waters has so many fans is because of his willingness to take risks. This film is full of risks; some of which work. The cast list isn't typical, with popular American comedienne Tracey Ullman taking the lead role and performing well in the more lurid scenes. Selma Blair stars alongside an enormous pair of fake breasts, while there are support roles for the likes of Chris Isaak and Suzanna Shepherd. The biggest risk where the cast is concerned is undoubtedly Jackass' Johnny Knoxville, who is a lot better than you would think. Waters has seen fit to have a lot of scenes play out to music, and this works well some of the time. The way that certain words (such as 'Whore') pan out across the screen is good, but personally I didn't like the use of CGI. The film gets off to a really good start, and I laughed more in the first half hour than in any film I've seen recently; but it takes a bit of a downturn in the middle, and never fully recovers. The film is good because you never really know where Waters is going with it, and the full on orgy of the last twenty minutes is bound to divide audiences. Overall, this film is in extreme bad taste; but it's also a great laugh. However, if you haven't liked whatever Waters' films you've seen so far - I wouldn't recommend seeing this one.