BA_Harrison Infamous underground figure Divine (played by fat drag queen Divine) prides herself as the filthiest person alive, but finds herself competing for the title against reprehensible baby-ring operators Connie and Raymond Marble (Mink Stole and David Lochary), who also revel in their repulsiveness.With Pink Flamingos, director John Waters and his merry band of reprobates go all out to offend and disgust, and in that they most definitely succeed. The plot is seriously dumb and the acting utterly atrocious, but Waters' unique brand of depravity most definitely hits the mark, with something guaranteed to upset even the most jaded of viewers.Even though I consider myself hardened to most cinematic filth, there were several moments that almost had me reaching for the off button, including a man doing very strange things with his ass-hole, Divine giving 'her' on screen son a blow-job, and the infamous dog turd scene (by which time the film was thankfully almost over). It's been forty-five years since Pink Flamingos first shocked audiences, but thank to scenes like those, it still ranks as one of the most repugnant movies ever made.I'm not sure how to rate a film like this, so, for the time being, I'm not going to.

dylanpatrickbaldwin Pink Flamingos is truly a sight to behold. Its gargantuan cult reputation is very well deserved, because, simply put, their is nothing else like it, not even in the rest of John Waters' oeuvre. Such a strangely entertaining and cartoonish film has never been made before or since. Waters seemed to somehow pull together the perfect cast for all of his persistently odd roles, a cadre of characters all willing to indulge in sexual perversities, tastelessness, bestiality, and the consumption of various human waste products. The low-grade film stock, the strange long takes punctuated only by zoom-ins, the weird overacting by everyone in the cast, and the disturbing montages set to classic oldies music all works together to become an entirely new film experience. I can't say that it's one that I fully understand, or even that I would like to see another film like it, but I can't deny that this film is truly delightful. Every scene pulsates with anarchical glee, the costume and makeup exudes cartoonish brilliance in every shot, and of course their is the unforgettably divine Divine, otherwise known as Glenn Milstead. His (her?) sheer energy and magnetism in every scene elevates the film immeasurably; no wonder he was Waters' muse. Replete with obvious line flubs, clear awkwardness during certain scenes, and shots which should probably have had a few seconds trimmed, this is certainly a trash masterpiece, the diametric opposite of high art, and Waters' crowning achievement as a filmmaker. Were this to be made by any filmmaker other than the supremely strange Waters, it most likely would have fallen flat on its face. No other auteur has ever been in the motion picture business who so well understands the value of utter garbage, and so revels in all that is dirty and depraved in the world. This film demands that the audience bask in the glory of trash as entertainment, and that we live, breath, and worship refuse. While I cannot say that I agree, or that I will partake in these activities anytime soon, it somehow manages to make it enticing. Pink Flamingos is the crowning achievement of waste throughout all of mankind's existence. The only reason that it gets a 9 and not a 10 from me is that there were several instances where the depravity did begin to sicken me rather than entice, though these were rectified shortly afterwards. Also, I think that if I gave it a 10 I might go to hell.

pabald9480 This is the first John Waters movie I saw that I can't recommend multiple viewings-it almost made me sick the second viewing, oh well. Without going into the plot as I'm sure most viewers know by now, it's a love it or hate it movie, but I give it at 10 for its time of originality. I for one like Serial Mom with Kathleen Turner, also by John Waters, a lot better than this. This may have been his first movie ever made, but Serial Mom was my first JW movie, therefore it's my favorite. Different tastes for different people, I guess. Even though I did like the film, I felt two viewings was plenty, Serial Mom I've lost count with how many times I've watched that, I even own it, so you can tell I love that one, a friend of mine has Pink Flamingoes that I bought for him, and I'm happy with that. It is funny but gross, so I like it, I don't love it.

nwsts Trying to not "overanalyze" it…the film seemed to be trying to "shock" the audience, but in today's "Two Girls, One Cup" world it was anything but shocking. I guess in 1972 (pre-internet days) we were not as de- sensitized. Anyway if you take away the shock value, I'm not sure what is left. The one really funny bit (to me) was the second flashing incident where the "girl" flashed him back and the flasher fled in panic. I don't know why but that was just plain funny to me. The BJ scene was pretty good but was edited out during the theatrical run. Also, I'm trying to remember when Deep Throat came out. It seems like around that time people were trying to push the borders of what a "legitimate" theater might show (remember "Fritz the Cat?"). I'm glad they pushed, but even so, have we made progress in showing nudity in mainstream theaters? I don't think so. Even today, I don't think the DVD BJ scene could be shown in a legit theater. Again, thank god for the internet. Nowadays anyone with a cell phone and a computer can be a filmmaker as good as this film (and they frequently are).