Cry Baby

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Cry Baby

PG-13

1990

1h 25m

Musical

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

64 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

A prim and proper schoolgirl goes against her mother's wishes when she dates a motorcycle-riding juvenile delinquent.

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Critics Consensus

John Waters' musical ode to the teen rebel genre is infectious and gleefully camp, providing star Johnny Depp with the perfect vehicle in which to lampoon his pin-up image.

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Neil Jillett

The Age (Australia)

Dec 13, 2024

It would be excessively generous to call Cry-Baby a satire, but its parody of what enchanted and excited teenagers more than 30 years ago is energetically delivered by Waters and the enthusiastic cast.

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Budd Wilkins

Slant Magazine

Jun 7, 2024

Packed with catchy musical numbers, John Waters’s Cry-Baby is a riotous satire of ’50s teen idol and JD films that still has something to say about class in America.

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Henry Sheehan

Chicago Reader

May 12, 2022

3/4

In fact, the movie is so good- humored that it stands in marked contrast to almost every other mainstream American film out now...

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 14, 2026

2/4

Often it's just either pointless or tiresomely campy.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Apr 29, 2025

... Waters’ tribute to 1950s rock and roll movies and juvenile delinquent exploitation pictures.

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Sep 3, 2024

3.5/4

The overall tone may be comedic, but Waters wants the romance to be real, which is ultimately what makes Cry-Baby work so well.

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Kim P

@RT98672688 Jun 18, 2026

Let's be clear... John Waters will never make a good movie. Ever. But he excels at making weird, quirky ones with amazing casting. To support Johnny Depp, he assembled: Polly Bergen, Tracy Lords, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Patty Hearst, David Nelson (from Ozzie and Harriet), Willem Dafoe, Darren E. Burrows (Ed from Northern Exposure), Troy Donahue and Joey Heatherton. Wow! Mind blown (boooom). The movie itself has the structure of a failed SNL skit but is charmingly silly and gently satiric so you may be inclined to cut some slack and enjoy its foolishness.

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Brad T.

@Ilovemovies506 Jun 6, 2026

😭 I had to hold on to my sanity just of how good looking cry-baby was

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Julia Y

@RT43800888 Jul 11, 2025

One of the weirdest and most absurd film I ever watched. I was recommended to watch it cause I dance Lindy hop but there were almost no dancing only some of rock'n'roll singing and some music of 50s 60s but the movie overall made in a very bad taste, the actors make a lot of faces, overact in awkward way and it's unpleasant to watch , wasted time for me.

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Nick O

@Nicki1985 Jun 6, 2025

A perfect piece of John Waters juvenile delinquency. This wild hillbilly musical is an all out celebration of Rock N’ Roll and just being bad!

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penut b

@RT99848403 Jan 13, 2025

its a funny movie, funny to watch but in a bad way. the acting is really bad, the songs are alright. most of the acting is just too funny not to laugh at (again, in a bad way) im not sure if this is a satire but i pray that it is. iggy pop is in it though so for that it gets 2 stars.

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Mason M

@RT73597940 Dec 26, 2024

Though Cry-Baby may not be all too good of a film at the end of the day, it hard to deny that I really enjoyed this film. The wonderful musical numbers and often hilarious satire from Waters left me entertained and full of joy throughout this watch.

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John Waters

Director

Johnny Depp

Wade 'Cry-Baby' Walker

Amy Locane

Allison Vernon-Williams

Susan Tyrrell

Ramona Rickettes

Polly Bergen

Mrs. Vernon-Williams, Allison's Grandmother

Iggy Pop

Uncle Belvedere Rickettes

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Synopsis

A prim and proper schoolgirl goes against her mother's wishes when she dates a motorcycle-riding juvenile delinquent.

Director: John Waters
Producer: Rachel Talalay
Screenwriter: John Waters
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 6, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.5M
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: Surround

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