Production Year: 1998 - Comedy - Director: John Waters - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Beth Armstrong, Martha Plimpton, Brendan Sexton III, Mink Stole, Cindy Sherman more
The winning 10th feature from John Waters straddles a fine line between the eager vulgarity of his earlier works and the sloppy sweetness of HAIRSPRAY and CRY-BABY. Set, as usual,... more
Pecker DVD
Pecker a sandwich shop clerk takes photos of his rather odd family and friends and ... more
nobody thinks anything of them until one day a New York art dealer discovers his work and makes him famous. Is this what Pecker really wants? Another quirky entry from...
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A review by Staggly on Pecker (DVD) August 2nd, 2001
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Loved it
Story
Outstanding
Characters / Performances
Outstanding
Special Effects
Good
How does it compare to similar films?
Good
Advantages:
Surreal but very good little known film
Disadvantages:
A bit too strange for some people?
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I hadn’t heard of this film, as I guess many of you haven’t, until I was looking through Christina Ricci’s filmography and saw ‘Pecker’. Hmmm, I thought, wonder what it’s about. I love Ricci, she’s one of my favourite actresses and when I saw this DVD in the shop I picked it up.
The back of the box told me little, Edward Furlong (Terminator 2, American History X) plays Pecker, a guy who likes to take photos and gets discovered by a New York agent who wants him to have a show in the big city (he lives in a small part of Baltimore). Oh yeah, it mentioned that Ricci was his girlfriend.
Well then, I thought, it’s going to be a nice little drama about local lad doing good…same old stuff but I liked the cast so…
Oh my God! How strange? This certainly ain’t the straight film I thought it would be!
Pecker lives with his folks, two sisters and his Nan. His mum owns a used clothes store and is obsessed with clothing the homeless for very little money (‘A whole Easter wardrobe for 25 cents’), his Dad works in a local bar but business is floundering due to the lesbian strip joint that’s opened over the road (‘Pubic hair should be illegal’), his youngest sister is a sugar junkie and constantly demands candy, if she can’t get it she’ll steal it, his elder sister works at a Gay bar (The Fudge Palace) and his Nan has a model of the Virgin Mary who she uses like a ventriloquists dummy and believes it’s a miracle (‘Full Of Grace!’). Pecker’s best mate and ‘assistant’ to his photography is actually a thief and assists by nicking him film.
Phew! That’s the crazy band of people and they follow Peckers ‘career’ from beginning to ultimate downfall and then his come back.
Oops! I forgot about Ricci, she plays Shelley, Pecker’s girl, she owns the towns launderette and is a workaholic, she is obsessed by the place and feels very worried when she is apart from it (‘You don’t understand, their could be people pissing in my dryers as we speak’).
This film is mad. Very funny, very strange and very different. Completely not what I expected and all the better for it.
The cast are all great, especially Furlong and Ricci. If you’re a fan of these then get it, you won’t be disappointed.
The DVD ain’t too bad. We get a directors commentary (always a good thing, this is a pretty cool one), the normal scene selection and cast and crew bios. There’s also a little making of documentary…not great but then quite good for an unknown film. Enjoy!
More Reviews
Full of Grace Review ofPecker (DVD)by
peppersinclaire
Advantages: Nice slice-of-life comedy, very funny Disadvantages: You might find it a bit slow/bizarre
...plays the title character, named Pecker because "he always used to peck at his food" - a likely story Mr Waters! I bet Guy Ritchie never knew what he was getting into with Snatch either, eh? EH?
Anyway, Pecker is a sandwich shop worker by day, and photographer by day, and night, in fact he photographs pretty much anything - rats making love in a trash can, women shaving their legs on the bus. And then there's his dysfunctional family. His dad owns ... ...across the way from his ("Pubic hair is illegal!"), his mother runs a thrift store and is determined to make homeless people look good.
His big sister works in a gay bar ("No teabagging!"), his little sister is obsessed with sugary snacks, and his most hilarious relative is Me-Ma-Ma, his grandmother with a ventriloquist's dummy of the Virgin Mary, who she manipulates into saying holy phrases.
Christina Ricci plays Pecker's laundromat-worker girlfriend ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Talented lead actors in Furlong, Ricci and Taylor... Disadvantages: All of whom are wasted on this film.
...wrong, wrong.
Wrong.
Pecker follows the life of a young, handsome and ambitious aspiring photographer played by Edward Furlong. Right from the opening scene of the film he is an incredibly snap-happy character, joyfully hopping on and off buses, taking pictures of everyday and not-so-everyday scenes and getting into various minor scrapes with his uncompliant subjects. To cut a long story short, and even at 90 minutes Pecker does seem at least an ... ...at the grill cafe where Pecker works, some art afficionado from New York recognizes that Pecker is a really talented snapper. Thereafter his pictures become the toast of the art world. He nearly cheats on his girlfriend (played by the gorgeous, far-too-good-for-this-film Christina Ricci), but doesn't; he nearly relocates to New York and becomes a sell-out but doesn't; he nearly forgets what's most important about his life, but doesn't; his success ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Plot: Pecker takes photos of his rather odd family and friends and nobody thinks anything of them until one day a New York art dealer discovers his work and makes him famous. Is this what Pecker really wants?
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
The winning 10th feature from John Waters straddles a fine line between the eager vulgarity of his earlier works and the sloppy sweetness of HAIRSPRAY and CRY-BABY. Set, as usual, in Baltimore, the film stars Edward Furlong as Pecker, a sweet-natured young fellow who happily passes the days photographing his surroundings with a cheap secondhand camera. Egging him on are his Virgin Mary-obsessed grandmother (Jean Schertler), his sugar-addicted younger sister (Lauren Hulsey), his kleptomaniac best friend (Brendan Sexton III), and his girlfriend (Christina Ricci), who runs a Laundromat with an iron fist. When Pecker's works are "discovered" by a slumming NYC art dealer (Lili Taylor), his simple life is turned upside down, and he quickly realizes that he was happier as an unknown. A valentine to--and satire of--the art world, PECKER makes strangely poignant statements about the nature of art and the value of fame. As someone with a foot in both the New York art scene and the earthiness of Baltimore, the title character obviously has more than a touch of the director in him. As with all other Waters films, those who are familiar with Baltimore culture will be even more richly rewarded.
Technical information
Special Features: Theatrical Trailer, Cast And Crew, Peckers Snapshot Gallery, Commentary By John Waters
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review: "...A broad yet loving satire....Turns your home into a kitschy wingding..." -- Rating: A- (Entertainment Weekly, p.70, 05/03/1999)
"...The characters are vivid, and you'll be pleased to know that Waters hasn't lost his taste for outrageous sexual humor..." (Movieline, p.48, 01/09/1998)
"...Ebulliently trashy fun..." (New York Times, p.E15, 25/09/1998)
"...PECKER remains a refreshing reminder of Waters' spunky talents, and offers continued proof that there really is a very thin line between treasure and trash..." (Sight and Sound, p.50-1, 01/02/1999)
