Desperate living has got to be the most horrible, sickening, disturbing piece of **** I',ve ever seen. First, the freaks (calling them freaks instead of people is a lot more accurate) in this movie don't just talk to each other, they shriek and yell, continuously! Second, none of the sex in this film has any love or nice arousle to it, it's all sick and perverted. Then comes the very worst of all. Third, a man actually starts cutting off his penis and we see him doing it close up!!!! Fourth, the fat bitch queen, who is ugly and cruel throughout the movie, actually gets cooked in a big oven and we see her being carried out all cooked whole on a large platter, with her face still visible in all cooked form!!!! And the other movie characters call this their big, celebrated roast!!!! I have never seen anything like this in my life!!! This is not a movie, it's over an hour of the sickest most demented **** that would only be of desire to someone who's mind is disturbed. And worst of all, I can NOT believe how many people gave this horrible sick **** great reviews, like 8 and 10 ratings! I've seen many more bad, ugly reviews for all those wonderful, sweet 1940s musicals (i.e. "Till the clouds roll by, which a lot of people called saccharine and annoyingly sicky sweet) than I have for this sick, disturbing trash. That just says something right there about the mentality of people in today's society! People are a different species in the 21st century than they were in the 1930s - 1950s.

This film is a true gem. For followers of sleazy cinema, this is a must- see that will never lose its entertainment value.A rich neurotic housewife kills her husband in a fit, with the help of her maid. Now the duo have to escape and take up a new life in Mortville, a slum-like trash community made up of filthy criminals, perverts and other oddballs. The inhabitants are harassed daily by the gruesome Queen Carlotta, and have to make the best out of their desperate, feeble lives.What is striking about this film is that it has a self-ironic feel, I don't know whether it is intentional or not. Every part of the story is over-the-top for a reason, and John Waters certainly makes use of "more is more".Most of the acting is mediocre at best, but it all comes together perfectly for that trashy feel. Mink Stole is hilarious as Peggy Gravel, she plays her neurotic character without flaw.Even though the acting, the story, the budget and everything else is as bad as you'd expect, the film is extremely humorous and the actors have enough comical timing to make you laugh again and again. This in combination with the irony of it all made me appreciate the film on a whole other level than similar sleaze-productions.The most interesting aspect of this film however, is its gender perspective. All the important characters are -without exceptions- women, the men are nothing but objects or servants in this film. Apart from regular Hollywood productions, there is lots of diversity among the female characters, and everyone is equally filthy. There are lots of elements in the movie to strengthen the image that Mortville is ruled by females; the Queen and her male servants/sex slaves, the beating up of males by females, and extensive lesbianism. John Waters paints a picture that is, again, far from today's supermodel standards, where females rule and are free to be as disgusting or beautiful as they want.I highly recommend this film to anyone who would like to watch something different, because it's way underrated.

John Waters disgusted the world in 1972 with the holy grail of trash PINK FLAMINGOS, starring the voluptuous Divine, and continued to offend and entertain two years later with FEMALE TROUBLE. When the final climatic piece of his trash trio DESPERATE LIVING came to pass, it was not as widely accepted as it was missing his muse Divine, instead casting resident villain Mink Stole (the fire crotched Connie Marble in PINK FLAMINGOS and ungrateful illegitimate delinquent child Taffy Davenport in FEMALE TROUBLE) as the lead character, neurotic and paranoid housewife Peggy Gravel. While Stole doesn't possess the outrageous act and memorable costume and attitude of the late Divine, her portrayal of Gravel was equally lively and insane as Divine's roles.Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) is an abusive housewife fresh out of the sanitarium after suffering from EXTREME paranoia and psychotic breakdowns. When her sweet-natured husband Bosley (George Stover) tries to medicate her after a round of abuse at her two innocent children, she and her obese black maid Grizelda (Jean Hill) kill him and go on the run from the law. After a narrow escape from a perverted motorcycle cop, they seek refuge in a scummy town for runaways called Mortville. The runaway partners in crime stay with lesbian lovers Mole (Susan Lowe) and Muffy (Liz Renay), owners of a boarding house, Mole being a woman trapped in a mans body, and Muffy as the most beautiful woman in Mortville. The sleazy town is run by kinky and sadistic Queen Carlotta (Edith Massey), a fascist leader whose punishment for ANY crime is death by firing squad. When her wayward daughter Princess Coo-Coo (Mary Vivian Pierce) runs off with a nudist garbage man, all hell breaks loose. DESPERATE LIVING is my favourite John Waters film, and one of my favourite films period. I'm relatively new to Waters, but his outrageous sense of humor and strong satirical slander is particularly evident in DESPERATE LIVING. He mocks the fascist political view, with paintings of Hitler and Idi Armin lining Queen Carlotta's walls, and the most trivial things being contraband (such as newspapers etc.). It is also a strong feminist film, which copped a lot of flack in its release as it was made by a man! And the performances are golden, Mink Stole makes the opening scene magical, Jean Hill is the perfect addition to the Dreamlanders as she goes all-out, and Edith Massey is adorable and strong as always. Mary Vivian Pierce is also delightful, and I don't know if this was intentional, but bears a strong resemblance to Bette Davis' Baby Jane Hudson from WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE.DESPERTE LIVING is one of the funniest films I've ever seen, the dialogue is fantastic. There are charming and original costumes, and the set design of the town and Queen Carlotta's kingdom is great.While John Waters' DVD commentary is hilarious as usual, Liz Renay contributes a less insightful, but still relatively entertaining accompaniment. You could tell she really enjoyed working with John, and she looked divine (no pun intended) for her age (51 at the time). R.I.P. Liz, while your contribution to the commentary was slight, your energetic performance will live on in my DVD player.Overall, DESPERATE LIVING is one for fans of trash and Waters alike, but with a strong political satire. 10/10, don't take the humor too seriously or you will want Waters castrated.

from my life!!" - regarding a wrong number. i LOVE this John Water's film. It is my favorite. If ever there was a film where freedom of expression is used to create great and so horribly wonderful entertainment; this is it. It's one of John waters earliest works and is nice and raw, like listening to a great garage band. He sweeps us right out of suburbia and into the twisted underbelly of society that the suburbanites try to avoid. From an ornery maid to the misbehaving children to the Evil Queen Carlotta and her well endowed male servants and the transvestites trying to satisfy their wayward lovers; each character has their own special qualities. Watch and enjoy!