Movie Review by Nigel A. Messenger
Starring: Melanie Griffith, Stephen Dorff, Adrian Grenier, Alicia Witt
Director: John Waters
Stop! Take a deep breath because you are about to be subjected to an assault on your senses.
Melanie Griffith plays Honey, a leading Hollywood actress, who is about to appear at the Baltimore premiere of her new movie. While addressing the audience from the stage before the start of the movie she is kidnapped by indie film director Cecil B Demented (Stephen Dorff) and the rest of his cast and crew, all of whom hate sappy mainstream cinema with a vengeance and make no secret of it. Honey is forced to act in the lead role in their new movie and gradually comes to accept Cecil B Demented’s views as the exploits of the rogue band of filmmakers quickly develops an enthusiastic fan following amongst the public as their filming raids are covered on the television news.
CECIL B DEMENTED is an ‘in your face’ abrupt assault on your senses, which takes every opportunity possible to take pot shots at mainstream cinema which is made to appeal to an undemanding general public. In fact that’s the whole theme of this film but it comes across so aggressively that it’s entertaining until the end.
Good performances by all including Alicia Witt, who plays a hardcore porn actress (she is in fact one of the top star names in hardcore porn!). A well made John Waters production with a kick-ass soundtrack and a cinematic message.
