An uptight, middle-aged, repressed woman turns into a sex addict after getting hit on the head, and she then falls into an underground subculture of sex addicts in suburban Baltimore.An uptight, middle-aged, repressed woman turns into a sex addict after getting hit on the head, and she then falls into an underground subculture of sex addicts in suburban Baltimore.An uptight, middle-aged, repressed woman turns into a sex addict after getting hit on the head, and she then falls into an underground subculture of sex addicts in suburban Baltimore.
- Awards
- 1 win
Nick Noble
- Weird Paperboy
- (as Nicholas E.I. Noble)
David Moretti
- Papa Bear
- (as Dave Moretti)
Susan Allenback
- Betty Doggett
- (as Susan Allenbach)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSuzanne Shepherd first read the script while on a train to Baltimore. After discovering the film's content, she became quite upset and did not want to do the film. It was only after meeting John Waters that she agreed to play Big Ethel.
- GoofsBefore running out of gas, the car is turned off and in park but is still driving.
- Quotes
Paige: Admit to God... you are a whore.
Sylvia Stickles: I'm a whore.
Paige: Good. Now, make a list of all the people you've fucked and apologize to their parents.
- Alternate versionsThe Theratrical Release Of The film was the original NC-17 version.For the VHS/DVD releases John Waters said that it will be released in the original NC-17 rated version and a cut R Rated Version.
- ConnectionsEdited from Go Down, Death! (1945)
- SoundtracksSylvia
Performed by David Raksin Orchestra
Written by David Raksin and Paul Francis Webster
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
Featured review
Depressed puritanical housewife Sylvia Stickles (Tracey Ullman) with a nice but horny husband (Chris Isaak) and a HUGE breasted kid (Selma Blair) is hit on the head one day. It immediately turns her into a raving sex addict and she finds there's a whole group of people like her led by Ray Ray Perkins (Johnny Knoxville).
First off I should mention I saw the 84 minute R rated cut and not the 89 minute NC-17 one. Some of the cuts were obvious as were the voice overdubs but I don't think it changed the movie a lot. What I saw was a typically strange John Waters film with plenty of good moments but it didn't totally work. The main problem is the script is all over the place! The first half of the movie is coherent but the film totally derails during the second half. Complications come on fast and furious and it all ends up not making a lot of sense. The movie is chockful of dialogue discussing frank sexual acts and some incredibly unsubtle imagery. Some of it works but, more often than not, it just doesn't hit its mark. A cameo by David Hasselhoff particularly makes no sense and isn't funny at all. Also the pacing here is atrocious--but that's not uncommon in a Water film. Acting really helps this one. Ullman is fearless here considering some of her very sexually explicit lines and costumes. Blair deserves a lot of credit for wearing these HUGE breasts and making the character sympathetic and believable. Isaak is given little to do but he's good. Best of all is Knoxville who has a real difficult role to play--and pulls it off. So, it has its moments but not enough of them. I can only give this a 5.
First off I should mention I saw the 84 minute R rated cut and not the 89 minute NC-17 one. Some of the cuts were obvious as were the voice overdubs but I don't think it changed the movie a lot. What I saw was a typically strange John Waters film with plenty of good moments but it didn't totally work. The main problem is the script is all over the place! The first half of the movie is coherent but the film totally derails during the second half. Complications come on fast and furious and it all ends up not making a lot of sense. The movie is chockful of dialogue discussing frank sexual acts and some incredibly unsubtle imagery. Some of it works but, more often than not, it just doesn't hit its mark. A cameo by David Hasselhoff particularly makes no sense and isn't funny at all. Also the pacing here is atrocious--but that's not uncommon in a Water film. Acting really helps this one. Ullman is fearless here considering some of her very sexually explicit lines and costumes. Blair deserves a lot of credit for wearing these HUGE breasts and making the character sympathetic and believable. Isaak is given little to do but he's good. Best of all is Knoxville who has a real difficult role to play--and pulls it off. So, it has its moments but not enough of them. I can only give this a 5.
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $15,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,339,668
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $29,384
- Sep 19, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $1,914,166
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content