People are voting emotionally.

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Waters after Hairspray is like Woody Allen after Stardust Memories - you have to admire his ideas, but as far as execution the magic is gone. Pecker sets-up like a stock plot holding together a Marx Brother's comedy. Stuffed shirts, in the form of New York art snobs, are punctured by hometown "just folks". Unfortunately this isn't the Marx Brothers. Pecker's family and friends are neither fun nor interesting. And Water's undistinguished cast functions on a level well below the most routine Ma and Pa Kettle vehicle. The character acting is flat; Mary Kay Place, Mark Joy, Jean Schertler, Brendan Sexton, Carolyn Stayer, Jack Webster barely register on the screen. The supporting bit players are instantly forgettable. This is the fault of Pat Moran's casting judgement and Vince Peranio's flavorless set designs, neither of whom are helped by Water's lackluster jokes and apathetic timing. Any humdrum episode of Cheers is executed with more flair. Furlong, Lili Taylor, Martha Plimpton and Lauren Hulsey all appear ready and alert for a good show and are able to plow through soggy dialog while still showing signs of life. Unfortunately, none are given enough space to stage a filibuster and save the picture. Pecker is exactly the type of production that should have been vetted by a committee of Hollywood execs. They might have pitched better ideas about how to farm this turkey. The industry and audiences have caught up with the Waters program. They devour films and TV shows that make Mondo Trasho look respectable. That Waters would like to trade some of his cult status for box office success is understandable, but he is seriously misjudging the general audience who want something deeper and even more unique - not the same thing as on TV except more generic! Almost gave the Pecker an extra two stars for a fantastic Mink Stole cameo, but had to rescind them on account of a wasted Cindy Sherman appearance. John Waters is lucky the Baltimore Chamber of Commerce doesn't strip him of his citizenship after this pooped-out portrayal of his beloved hometown.

It has only been a week since I saw my first John Waters film (Female Trouble), and I wasn't sure what to expect the second time around.While the previous film was outrageously over the top, Pecker is actually a funny film that satirizes the art critics in New York to a T. Anyone who cannot imagine what these "Experts" find so appealing about modern art, will enjoy seeing these pretentious snobs get so full of themselves over Pecker, a boy who just found a broken camera and starts shooting his friends and neighbors.Edward Furlong (Pet Sematary II, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) was surprisingly good as Pecker. There wasn't a lot of meat on any of the roles in this film, but he really shines.Christina Ricci (Prozac Nation) comes in with another great performance as Pecker's girlfriend. In fact, it was a banner year for Ricci (Buffalo '66, The Opposite of Sex, and Pecker.Lili Taylor, who had the only good role in The Haunting, was also a significant part of the film and really made it enjoyable.There are many funny scenes, but I have to say the best was when a crown gathers screaming, "We want bush!" "We want bush!" "We want bush!" I thought it was a Republican convention until I saw the police hauling off the dancer.I am going to have to look for more of Waters' work, especially Hairspray, now that that is in the news.

This is a very light headed comedy about a wonderful family that has a son called Pecker because he use to Peck at his Food. Pecker loves to take all kinds of pictures of the people in a small suburb of Baltimore, Md., and manages to get the attention of a group of photo art lovers from New York City. Pecker has a cute sister who goes simply nuts over SUGAR and is actually an ADDICT, taking spoonfuls of sugar from a bag. There are scenes of men showing off the lumps in their jockey's with grinding movements and gals doing pretty much the same. It is rather hard to keep your mind out of the gutter with this film, but who cares, it is only a film to give you a few laughs at a simple picture made in 1998.

After "A Dirty Shame", I never thought that I was going to see another John Waters movie. That movie was really so bad, that I was convinced that all his movies would be like that. But when the DVD of this movie was reviewed in a popular magazine and they said that this was an excellent movie, I decided to give it a try anyway. Only a couple of days later it was shown on television. I taped it out of curiosity and now that I've seen it, I can tell you that this "Pecker" sure is a lot better than "A Dirty Shame".In this movie we see how a young 'nobody' from Baltimore becomes an overnight sensation in the art world of New York. He's a sandwich shop employee who photographs his weird family or things that he sees on the street as a hobby. When he keeps his very first 'exhibition' in the shop where he works, his pictures are noticed by a gallery owner who loves the pictures full of misery and weirdness. His photographs are sold for enormous prices, but when he sees how his family, friends and strangers react to his success he decides that he will no longer go to New York, they will have to come to him if they want to see more of him. And they do, but what they get to see there, is a bigger shock than they could ever imagine...It's not difficult to see why I loved this movie a lot more than "A Dirty Shame". The first reason is that this movie has an actual story. This movie really has something to say and isn't just intended to shock as many people as possible. The fact that they make fun of the art world who considers everything out of the ordinary as art because they don't know what the reality is like, isn't just funny, it's not that far from the truth either. I guess there are many people who feel about modern art that way. Nobody understands why they are making such a fuss about it, but apparently we are all supposed to like it. The second reason why I liked this movie is because this one had much better acting performances to offer. I'm not saying that everything that you will see is great, but at least the characters have some meaning thanks to the performances of the different actors like Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci,...Overall this isn't a great movie, but thanks to its criticism and some good jokes - which never really go too far - this is an enjoyable movie. It certainly isn't the best comedy ever, but I liked it a lot more than "A Dirty Shame". I give this movie a 6.5/10.