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Cecil B. Demented

Play trailer Poster for Cecil B. Demented R Released May 17, 2000 1h 28m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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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.
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Cecil B. Demented

Cecil B. Demented

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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.

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Critics Reviews

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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

Audience Reviews

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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
Cecil B. Demented

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Cast & Crew

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John Waters

Director

Melanie Griffith

Honey Whitlock

Stephen Dorff

Cecil B. Demented

Alicia Witt

Cherish

Larry Giliard Jr.

Lewis

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Raven

Movie Clips

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Cecil B. Demented

Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - I Am Cecil B. DeMented! Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - I Am Cecil B. DeMented! 2:50 Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - The Sprocket Holes Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - The Sprocket Holes 2:54 Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Cinema on Fire Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Cinema on Fire 2:18 Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Gumped Again Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Gumped Again 3:31 Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - I Have a Vision! Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - I Have a Vision! 2:40 Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Outlaw Cinema Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Outlaw Cinema 2:34 Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Take Off Your Clothes Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Take Off Your Clothes 2:41 Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - No Budget Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - No Budget 2:21 Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Film Commission Assault Cecil B. DeMented: Official Clip - Film Commission Assault 3:11 View more videos

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Cecil B. Demented

Cecil B. Demented (2000) Cecil B. Demented (2000) Cecil B. Demented (2000) Cecil B. Demented (2000) View more photos

Movie Info

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
Le Studio Canal +, Artic Productions LLC, Polar Entertainment Corporation, 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
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