Pecker

Movie Name: Pecker
Year of Release: 1998
Director: John Waters
Starring: Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Mary Kay Place, Lili Taylor, Martha Plimpton, Brendan Sexton III, Mark Joy, Jean Schertler, Lauren Hulsey, Mink Stole, Patricia Hearst, Donald Neal, Tim Caggiano, Scott Morgan
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review

The last film directed by John Waters, as of 2025, has been 2004's "A Dirty Shame". And while a recent project was announced, he sadly has been met with difficulties in financing, which illustrates the state of the industry: denying one of its most original voices, the ability to continue a directorial career that sadly hasn't been as prolific as it should have been. "Pecker" came out in 1998, following "Serial Mom", who has gone on to become a cult film, one that is frequently quoted in pop culture jargon. "Pecker" takes place in Baltimore and follows the life of a young man by the name of Pecker, who loves photographing his loved ones, and what he considers interesting about his life and everyone's life in his city. Pecker loves to capture beauty in the unexpected, be it his girlfriend Shelley who owns and runs a laundromat, or his best friend Matt who is a compulsive shoplifter, or the gay club where his oldest sister works. His camera is like a diary, an extension of how he sees the world, even if his photos are at times out of focus or have unexpected angles. Pecker has a mini showing for his photos in the Deli where he works, and catches the attention of Rorey, an art dealer from New York. Pecker's work and his unpretentious demeanor delight Rorey who decides to do a showcase of him in an art gallery in New York. His work is received extremely well, and he suddenly finds himself as the pin-up of the art world, giving him some financial rewards, but taking away some of his anonymity, and making his process for taking photos that much harder. It also puts a strain on his family's life, not to mention his girlfriend's and best friend's. 

While "Pecker" may not be as corrosively funny as "Serial Mom" turned out to be, it's nonetheless an interesting and ironic view at how the art world has a way of being both incestuous and also superficial, constantly tooting the horn for the meaning of art, for the next big artist, all the while failing to truly view the artists and their point of view for what it is. John Waters perfectly captures how the art world creates these hype-cycles around someone whom they don't really know, but that becomes a trend, simply because they can and the timing is right. The film illustrates this dichotomy quite well in how it portrays the more realistic perspective of how Pecker lives in Baltimore, and the contrasting reality of the art world of New York, who considers Pecker and his subjects much like curiosities to be studied (and while the fantastic Cindy Sherman does have a cameo, John Waters doesn't make Pecker's photos to be like Nan Goldin's for instance). What the film ultimately illustrates is how trends and hype are indeed fleeting, but that the unique point of view of an artist, in this case Pecker and his camera, stay with him, even after the focus of attention goes in a different direction. What makes this film successful, much like all of John Waters' features, even if with different levels of success, lies on the universe he illustrates and brings to life, always filled with colorful characters, where everything has a slight different tonality to it. Yes, there are influences from classic Hollywood, including Douglas Sirk, but it's all blended through his lens, one that mixes his sarcasm, irony, politics, sex, and nixes the concepts of gender and labels. "Pecker" features great performances from the always reliable and underrated Mary Kay Place, Christina Ricci, Martha Plimpton, Lili Taylor, and while Edward Furlong may not have been the best choice for the central part, he still makes the character a lovable kid who just wants to keep doing what he loves. The production team is solid including Stewart Copeland's score, Robert M. Stevens' cinematography, and Vincent Peranio's production design (who perfectly captures the art gallery vibe of the late 1990s). It's an entertaining feature, one that is a comforting visit to a universe from an artist who isn't as prolific as he should be.