Pecker
At the end of Pecker John Waters has the curator for the Whitney Museum toast the “end of irony.” This, of course, is ironic. Little in the film, and in Water’s oeuvre in general, isn’t. What is special about this film is its exploration of irony: its victims and perpetrators. While working out these more significant themes, Waters has fun with the earnestness of a Baltimore family and the pretensions of New York high art culture. Anyone who delights in the quirky and obsessive nature of humanity will love this film.
Pecker (Edward Furlong) works at a sub shop and takes photos of Baltimore’s sites and inhabitants: a phallic statue of Washington, a woman shaving her legs on a bus, rats copulating—you get the picture. He loves his town. He lives in an all-American home with his family who named him Pecker for his eating habits and has no clue of the word’s connotation. The sign on their gate isn’t the usual threat, “beware of dog,” but “HI!” Everyone is welcome.
Pecker’s grandmother, Memama (Jean Schertler), runs a Pit Beef kiosk on the side of their house, and has a Mary statue that is a talking miracle. His father (Mark Joy) owns a bar named after its claw machine, but he is losing money to the recently opened Pelt Room that specializes in lesbian stripers for straight men. His sister (Martha Plimpton) emcees at the Fudge Palace, a trade bar, meaning straight go go dancers strut their stuff for gay patrons, which has a strict “no teabagging” policy. His best friend, Matt (Brendan Sexton III), a kleptomaniac, keeps him in constant supply of Kodak film. He has a sweet relationship with Shelley (Christina Ricci), who rules a Laundromat with an iron fist. His baby sister (Lauren Hulsey) is addicted to candy, and his mother (Mary Kay Place) runs a thrift store where she supplies fashion tips for the homeless. Nowhere near Norman Rockwell, but Waters paints it as if it is.
For Pecker, “life is sweet, sweet as honey,” until Rorey Wheeler (Lili Tayler) happens upon his sub shop gallery and puts together a show for him in New York, where he immediately becomes the talk of the art world. On the coattails of his fame, rides disaster. Everyone he has photographed begins to suffer from his or her exposure. Memama’s Mary stops talking. The Pelt Room is closed for having pubic hair on display and liquor for sale. Matt can no longer steal so he begins go go dancing at the Fudge Palace, where Pecker’s older sister, Tina, just lost her job for failing to preempt the final teabag that broke the camel’s back. Shelley is receiving perverted phone calls, and little Chrissy, Pecker’s baby sister, is put on Ritalin.
Something is rotten in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore. Pecker needs to restore its original harmony. In order to do so, he has to confront the nature of his photography, which has received accolades for its portrayal of what the high art world labels his “culturally challenged family,” and, by implication, hometown. In other words, his work has been taken as an exploitive brand of irony. Rorey pushes him in this direction. When she finds out that his house has been robbed she urges him to think about his next show and take pictures of his “mom’s loss and [his] dad’s sadness.” She advises him to get close ups. Pecker falls under her influence and before he knows it, he is taking a photograph of his sister in despair over losing her job.
Waters hilariously presents the ethical issues of photography. He does so by creating a love triangle with Rorey, Shelley and Pecker. Rorey is associated with the exploitive elements of photography. She wants to seduce him over to her side. Shelley is Pecker’s tie to his sweet past and tries to keep him from becoming an “A-hole.” Pecker almost gives in to Rorey’s advances, but Shelley catches them together. She cries out that she “hates modern photography,” and runs off. Pecker then denies Rorey, smashes his new camera and swears off the Whitney. He chases after Shelley, yelling that he loves her more than Kodak. He’s seen his subjects’ humanity and has decided against mistreating it. Pecker wants to celebrate rather than exploit his subjects.
This is how Waters informs us of his position—not with a sermon but a satire. It’s brilliant and accessible. He enjoys poking fun at the art world as much as Pecker’s family. His irony is democratic. Everyone is empowered and everyone, including the high art world and its photographers, is subjected to the camera, even if “it takes a little getting used to.”
Pecker is definitely a cult classic and won’t appeal to everyone one, but those who share Waters’ humor will find it an A in every category. Everything in Pecker’s world is finely detailed and fully realized. The DVD has a brilliant transfer, a fabulous running commentary with Waters and an interview with Chuck Shacochis, the man who took the photographs.
|
