Polyester
A disgraced Baltimore housewife navigates infidelity, pregnancy, pornography, and a bizarre neighborhood scandal in John Waters's gloriously tacky suburban satire.
Overview
A suburban housewife navigates the chaos of her crumbling family life, where infidelity reigns and secrets abound.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- campy
- irreverent
- sardonic
- cult movie night
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's subversive charm and proudly tacky comedy while noting its move toward greater mainstream accessibility.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Fishpaw family's scandals, pornography business, bodily odors, and tacky suburban milieu are staged as a conscious aesthetic of excess.
Francine's seemingly comfortable household collapses under infidelity, pregnancy, suspected fetish crimes, and family chaos.
Francine Fishpaw confronts her husband's serial unfaithfulness while managing the crises surrounding her children and household.
The film was accompanied by Odorama cards inviting audiences to release smells corresponding to events on screen.
Films like Polyester, and why
Female Trouble
shared subversive suburban satire, grotesque comedy, and deliberately vulgar camp
Desperate Living
shared outrageous family dysfunction, black humor, and divine's heightened comic performance
Hairspray
shared provocative domestic satire, taboo subject matter, and cult comedy sensibility
Serial Mom
shared tacky visual style, social satire, and outsider comic energy
Movie Details
- Director
- John Waters
- Release Date
- 1981-05-29
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (197)
Cast
- Divine
- Tab Hunter
- Edith Massey
- David Samson
- Mary Garlington
- Ken King
- Mink Stole
- Joni Ruth White
- Hans Kramm
- Stiv Bators
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Polyester about?
- A disgraced Baltimore housewife navigates infidelity, pregnancy, pornography, and a bizarre neighborhood scandal in John Waters's gloriously tacky suburban satire.
- What is Polyester like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Polyester as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Polyester violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Polyester as mild.
- What did critics think of Polyester?
- Critics broadly praised the film's subversive charm and proudly tacky comedy while noting its move toward greater mainstream accessibility.
- Which films are like Polyester?
- Films with a similar feel include Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Hairspray, and Serial Mom.
- How long is Polyester?
- Polyester runs 86 minutes.
- Where can I watch Polyester?
- In United States, Polyester is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
