Tracey Ullman plays Sylvia Stickles, a miserable convenience store owner who looks almost as bad as she feels. She has a devoted husband, Vaughn (Chris Isaak), and a daughter, Caprice (Selma Blair), whos a famous stripper with a massive fake rack (the makeup artists should get an Academy Award for their work).
Sylvia gets knocked on the head and gets a concussion which awakens sexual urges that have been repressed for years. She gets a little help from Ray-Ray Perkins (Johnny Knoxville), a sexual healer who also serves as a tow-truck driver. He services her just as shes coming out of her concussion, and from then on shes hooked as a sexual addict. She soon learns that there are many others in town whove had their perverse sexual desires awakened with a knock on the head. Meanwhile, her mother, Big Ethel, is leading a decency movement in town and is horrified by Sylvias new sexual freedom.
The film works as a comedy. Some of the scenes are really bizarre, but there are enough laughs to make it a fun ride. Sylvia seems to have hundreds of ways to describe her new obsession with oral sex. Tracey Ullman gives her usual over-the-top performance, and Suzanne Sheppard steals the film with her hilarious portrayal of Big Ethel. We also get a cool cameo from Patty Hearst of all people. Fans of director John Waters will be happy to see him get back to his depraved roots. Its cool and subversive and everything else youd expect from a John Waters film. Enjoy the ride.
3 / 5 Stars
Starring: Tracey Ullman, Chris Isaak, Johnny Knoxville, Selma Blair
Director: John Waters
DVD Features:
The highlights include a great commentary from the legendary John Waters and an entertaining “behind-the-scenes” look at Waters and the film.
