Clean-cut 'squares' face off against hoodlum 'drapes' in this hilarious send-up of 1950s teen flicks - juvenile delinquents, straight-faced craziness, and cool musical numbers. Directed by John Waters.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
What was that???? Too insipid and over-acted to be a drama, but too lacking in humor to be a farce. Sure Johnny Depp is hot, but then he opens his mouth to spout such exaggerated, archetypical lines that all respect for the actor he has become goes out the window. There is not even one character who is realistic to anchor the movie. Everyone and every situation is over the top. Sorry, but I couldn't even finish this movie. I could have endured waterboarding more than this!
This is probably one of John Waters’ tamest movies, so fans of HAIRSPRAY will find lots to enjoy here. For older viewers, the cameos are delightful and include Patty Hearst, Troy Donahue, Joey Heatherton, Joe D’Allesandro, David Nelson as well as original Dreamlanders Mink Stole and Mary Vivian Pierce.
Spoofing the 1950s teenage delinquent films with a musical twist, CRY BABY satisfies on all levels, as a parody, a musical, an homage.
The Bonus Features give us some great interviews with the cast but Amy Locane seems to give off the vibe of being an outsider and not really wanting to be there, and Johnny Depp seems positively sedate.
Not one of my favorite Waters films (I prefer the earlier, trashy ones) but still a fun view that holds up on repeated viewings. This review is for the 2005 release by Universal.
Best kept secret in my opinion. Not many people seem to have ever heard of the movie. One of my all time favorites and the fact Jonny is in it only adds to it lol 😝 I know I have watched the movie way to many times when I can go around reciting scenes from the movie. Lol I bought this copy for my soon to be sister-in-law for Christmas she loved it.
holy crap! this was terrible. the acting, plot - everything. only plus is the graphics and props were pretty good for the time frame that this movie was made. painful to watch
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
Cry Baby is a John Waters satire of 1950s Rock N Roll films. It pits the squares against the juvenile delinquents in Baltimore. The story focuses upon Cry Baby (Johnny Depp) falling for a square named Allison (Amy Locane). Waters always liked highlighting the losers, the rejects, the outcasts, and this was no different.
The film goes through all your usual tropes of this genre. There’s Rock N Roll, fights, prison, and musical bits where the entire cast busts out in song.
Waters also had a social conscience. He had the delinquents being friends with African Americans. This was a subtle poke at the racist and segregated America of the 1950s which is when the film takes place.
The whole movie is told with a tongue in cheek attitude. For instance, the first time Cry Baby is with Allison he tells her to “Kiss him hard.” To which she asks, “Will I get mononucleosis?”
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
I love this movie. I hadn’t seen it in around 20 years. I watched it with my 79 year old mom and she loved it too. Cry Baby is adorable! John Waters is highly underrated. This film is classic. Johnny Depp is amazing. The entire cast was wonderful. Watch it!
If you have never seen this movie then you are missing out. It is so corny and wonderful! Johnny Depp is smoking hot and it’s one of those movies you can’t help but to love.
Silly and funny musical full of little quotes and scenes that stick with you for a long time. It is absurd, totally made-up, and in some ways offensive, yet still knows how to be fun.
Love this film! I'd forgotten how good it is. Johnny Depp is at his finest as Cry-Baby Walker with Rickie Lake playing his sister Pepper and Iggy Pop playing Uncle Belvedere. Features some great music from the 50's, written and directed by John Waters this is a mickey take of Dirty Dancing and Jail House Rock, Johnny Depp show cases just how well he can sing as he plays the juvenile delinquent Wade Cry-Baby Walker who falls in love with the square Alison Vernon-Williams ( Amy Locane) Also features the late Kim McGuire as Hatchet-Face. Brilliant film.
Johnny Depp always seems to choose weird films to be in with strange characters to play, and this is no exception. If you watched this as a child, you probably loved it - which describes me to a T! It's a really awful film that is just stupid in places, a ridiculous musical with characters that just wouldn't exist in real life. In one part of the movie, there's a girl who says she's pregnant to try and get cry baby to stay with her, then later on grabs a child's doll in front of him and says she's had her baby - which is just stoopid. But if you love Johnny Depp, then get it. Ricki Lake is in it too, when she was really young and huge, playing cry baby's little sister, still in high school but with 2 kids aged around 6 and 8, and pregnant with her third. If you think about it, she'd have had her first kid aged around 7 or 8 years old! It's just a really stupid movie.
Hatchet face always makes me laugh with the faces she pulls too...
got the directors cut of this movie with some new scenes.very funny and entertaining.the music in this for me are on a par with grease.johhny depp is great in this,he has a great cast with him. ricki lake as his sister pepper is funny,the characters milton wanda and hatchet [i really think she looks like that in real life]. mrs vernon williams is good and the judge. this version does not bleep the court room swearing[might not be able to show to young kids].from beginning to end this is a must for me the best john walters movie.i will be looking for this version on bluray but for now will watch this dvd version,make sure you watch the docu it came from baltimore as it interviews the cast as they are i think in 2010
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
Before he was a pirate, or an evil wizard, Johnny Depp was Wade Walker, bad boy drape of my teenage dreams. It's been a joy to pass my love of this cheesy musical down to my daughter!