Stars: Melanie Griffith, Stephen Dorff, Adrian Grenier, Alicia Witt, Mink Stole, Ricki Lake

Director: John Waters

Summary: John Waters follows 1998's benevolently vulgar PECKER with this reactionary story of another young artist. Cecil (Stephen Dorff) is a radical young (and arguably insane) filmmaker whose motive for creating his art stems from a violent dissatisfaction with the pandering product produced by Hollywood. Cecil and his gang of film terrorists, the Sprocket Holes (who each has a tattoo of the name of their favorite director), kidnap spoiled superstar Honey Whitlock (Melanie Griffith) at the Baltimore premiere of her new film with the intention of forcing her to star in their antistudio opus RAVING BEAUTY. When Honey sees the street credibility she gets from her association with Cecil's terrorist antics, however, she no longer has to be forced to participate in the Sprocket Holes' outlandish schemes.<BR>Less polished than some of his previous works (SERIAL MOM, CRY-BABY) but not nearly as crude as his reputation-earning early films, DEMENTED fits somewhere in the middle of Waters's ouevre. With an anything-goes spirit that one can rarely find outside of Waters's gleeful taboo-breaking creations, DEMENTED allows true lovers of cinema to live vicariously through characters who are desperately trying to remedy the sad state of the medium at the turn of the 21st century.

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They say that the best comedy always has a point to make. John Waters' Cecil B Dementedis certainly no exception. Using the director's unique brand of melodramatic kitsch comedy the film offers an exposé of popular Hollywood cinema. The Sprocket Holes are a gang of underground cinema anarchists with a life or death goal to destroy Hollywood--"Power to the people who punish bad cinema" cries their leader and director Cecil B Demented (superbly played by Stephen Dorff who appears to have been taking lessons at the Gary Oldman school of acting). After kidnapping Honey Whitlock (Melanie Griffith) to appear in their underground guerrilla film they return to their hideout--an old movie theatre--to begin the dramatic make-over of Honey from Hollywood prima donna to underground cinema queen. Exposing the realms of media manipulation--it's amazing what a little anarchy can do to help your cause--the Sprocket Holes gain notoriety and a fan base from their violent actions.

Although Waters seems ill at ease with choreographing violence, the farcical nature of these aggressive scenes adds another level of humour to his exploration of the divide between mainstream and underground cinema. The director could have done more to explore the fickle nature of the movie starlet, however, and the opening scenes with Honey Whitlock as a superficial two-faced star are bland: Griffith is perhaps not made for the part of a Hollywood bitch. Easier to stomach than Pink Flamingos, like Serial Mombefore it Cecil B Dementedwill appeal to a wider audience, who perhaps will come away believing that Forrest Gumpis not a cinematic masterpiece after all.

On the DVD:The menu is probably the most notable feature of the disc, with a nodding-dog Cecil B Demented and a crazy rodent popping up everywhere it fits perfectly with the Waters style of humour. The special features simply consist of a bland trailer and some mundane interviews with the main cast and crew, which offer little towards appreciating the humour of the movie. With a 5.1 Dolby digital audio track and widescreen ratio the disc at least offers a high standard of viewing pleasure, no budget spared. --Nikki Disney

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Directors Commentary, Theatrical Trailer, Behind The Scenes Special
Year:	2000
Release Date:	September 10, 2001
Runtime:	84 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	M P 018 D
Keywords:	Cecil, Comedy, General, Demented, B
Genre:	Comedy