'

Cecil B. Demented

Play trailer

Cecil B. Demented

R

Released May 17, 2000

1h 28m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

52%

Tomatometer

82 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

An insane action-comedy about a young lunatic director and his devoted cult of cinema terrorists who kidnap a movie goddess and force her to star in their underground movie. Vowing to punish the crass sins of commercial cinema, fueled by revolutionary zeal and their self-imposed sexual frustration, Cecil B. DeMented and his guerrilla production crew invade the streets of Baltimore to shoot their no-budget epic. When Cecil says Action, he means action! Nothing is going to stand in his way.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

The idea behind John Waters' latest has much potential, but the movie ends up being too sloppy and underdeveloped in terms of script and direction. Also, by today's standards, it fails to shock.

Read Critics Reviews

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Mildly scabrous.

Rated: B

May 3, 2005

Full Review

Globe and Mail

Rated: 3/4

Apr 25, 2003

Full Review

Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

Rated: 4/5

May 10, 2001

Full Review

Jan Stuart

The Advocate

John Waters all too often dresses up colorful characters only to give them no place to go. His lopsided Cecil B. Demented is a prime example.

Apr 5, 2022

Full Review

A.S. Hamrah

The Baffler

Kevin Nealon, in his greatest role, plays himself as the star of Forrest Gump II. Impossible dreams abound...

Sep 16, 2020

Full Review

Stuart Klawans

The Nation

Does this picture leap off the screen, or what? Yes, it leaps -- thanks to Melanie Griffith's eager participation in this act of revenge, Stephen Dorff's unbuttoned nuttiness...and Waters's knowing, caring intelligence about movie culture and its decline.

Jul 13, 2015

Full Review

Read all reviews

thiago s

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, o filme mostra cecil tenta fazer um filme mas as cenas do filme dela dão errado, juntos com as cenas do filme do filme mesmo, algumas levemente salvam mais não o suficiente para ser bom.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/23/25

Full Review

Kevin P

This should be one of my favorite films based on its plot. The first 30 minutes or so are excellent. Then, out of nowhere, the film takes a hard turn into the toilet and never recovers. So frustrating!

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/24

Full Review

S S

Probably one of the best underrated movies about the process ever John Waters Melody Griffith Stephen Dorff amazing cast this movie is a cult classic

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/22

Full Review

andrew k

Some movies go so far around the blend that they come back again. And in this case that's the point. Maybe the only film to exist that satirizes the entire film industry. From big budget studio movies to no budget indie auteur films. A film that only John Waters could make.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I think this movie got bad reviews because many critics did not realize it was supposed to be stupid, ridiculous, and satirical. "We are all horny but the film comes first!". Waters, now 75, is an outsider that has pushed the limits of cinema throughout his career; however, he does so not simply as an attempt to be shocking. He made a career of outraging conservatives but, actually, poking fun at the hypocrisy of rigid liberalism. This film, like Burton's Ed Wood, honors the art of filmmaking by making fun of hubris of the people and the process. It is dumb, but a really good time. The ensemble cast, some that went onto much greater success, is terrific. They all get it. They are all in on the joke. Never a big fan of Melanie Griffith, but she is so bad in this that she is good. I can't help but feeling a thread of Lloyd Kaufman throughout the film. This one aged well.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Grasped the cult-driven satire towards Hollywood, but it was disgustingly and abysmally executed with unlikable characterization favoring injustice satisfaction which is where Stockholm syndrome resides within. (C-)

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

John Waters

Director

Melanie Griffith

Honey Whitlock

Stephen Dorff

Cecil B. Demented

Alicia Witt

Cherish

Larry Giliard Jr.

Lewis

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Raven

Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - I Am Cecil B. DeMented!

2:50

Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - The Sprocket Holes

2:54

Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Cinema on Fire

2:18

Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Gumped Again

3:31

Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - I Have a Vision!

2:40

Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Outlaw Cinema

2:34

Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Take Off Your Clothes

2:41

Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - No Budget

2:21

Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Film Commission Assault

3:11

View more videos

The Red Dwarf

71%

58%

The Red Dwarf

Watchlist

Stardom

42%

43%

Stardom

Watchlist

Life

52%

77%

Life

Watchlist

Bamboozled

54%

74%

Bamboozled

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Bamboozled

Made

70%

66%

Made

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

An insane action-comedy about a young lunatic director and his devoted cult of cinema terrorists who kidnap a movie goddess and force her to star in their underground movie. Vowing to punish the crass sins of commercial cinema, fueled by revolutionary zeal and their self-imposed sexual frustration, Cecil B. DeMented and his guerrilla production crew invade the streets of Baltimore to shoot their no-budget epic. When Cecil says Action, he means action! Nothing is going to stand in his way.

Director: John Waters
Screenwriter: John Waters
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
Production Co: Polar Entertainment Corporation, Le Studio Canal +, Artic Productions LLC, Ice Cap Production
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 17, 2000, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 21, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.3M
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now