I'm a big fan of John Waters, but this really isn't up to his past efforts. 'A Dirty Shame' is basically a tale of sexual perversions brought on by head injuries in a small, suburban town. Instead on creating great characters and a fun story, Waters seems simply out to offend as many people as humanly possible. On one level 'A Dirty Shame' tries to be a commentary on the current state of sexuality in America, but for the most part it's just a tiresome parade of perverse gags that drowns out any statement it tries to make. The problem for me is that the script was too juvenile, the jokes weren't funny, it relied too heavily on shock factor, and towards the end it was really running out of steam. Overall the film is not bad, it's just that it probably plays better to an American audience than a British.
All good, dirty fun. Full of the usual John Waters energy and sexual anarchy.
It's a bit too much like a comedy sketch stretched out into a full length movie, but there is enough outrageous invention to sustain interest.
As often in Waters' films there is a battle between the liberated on the one hand and the uptight on the other, with the liberated winning a joyous, orgasmic victory.