Polyester

R

Released May 29, 1981

1h 26m

Comedy

List

94%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A frustrated housewife, Francine Fishpaw (Divine), tries to maintain her sanity while taking care of her dysfunctional household. Elmer (David Samson), her husband and the owner of an adult theater, is sleeping with his secretary, and her delinquent teen son, Dexter (Ken King), and pregnant teen daughter, Lulu (Mary Garlington), aren't helping matters any. But when Francine meets dashing Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter), the owner of a theater specializing in art films, her life appears rosier.

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Critics Consensus

As proudly tacky as its titular fabric, Polyester finds writer-director John Waters moving ever so slightly into the mainstream without losing any of his subversive charm.

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Devils A

Probably the most famous Drag Queen is Divine, one who will stop at nothing to show how crass and big a movie star and maker of music that makes you want to dance, and that is why I give this movie a *5* star rating!!!!! By the way, no family was perfect back in those days, everybody knew just what their neighbors were doing and keeping it quit!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

dave s

Seriously? I mean…like, really? What is the appeal to John Waters and his movies? It's hard to imagine anyone even thinking about laughing at any point in Polyester. It's the story of…wait a second…there really is no story. Francine Fishpaw (Divine) has a dysfunctional family. That's about it. It's horribly overacted, the dialogue is terrible, and the whole thing looks amateurish. It's mind-boggling that anybody would even consider recommending this, Odorama or not. There should have been an eleventh spot to scratch on the Odorama scratch card – the stench of foul garbage.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

what the hell is going on

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

From director John Waters and filmed in Odorama comes one of the rare films featuring an LGBTQ lead Divine stars as a transvestite frustrated housewife, Francine Fishpaw She tries to maintain her sanity while taking care of her dysfunctional household Elmer, her husband and the owner of an adult theater, is sleeping with his secretary, and her delinquent teen son, Dexter and pregnant teen daughter, Lulu (Mary Garlington), aren't helping matters The townsfolk are also protesting her husband's profession bringing money from adult themed means But when Francine meets dashing Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter), the owner of a theater specializing in art films, her life appears rosier She might've actually found some semblance of happiness Oh and did I mention Francine has a unique sense of smell? It's her gift The movie doesn't have any real focus and the plot really stretches out for long periods of time There's a lack of concentration on what should move forward This was alright

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The cheesy melodrama is at odds with the camp of Waters' style, and there is something a little too clean about it. Like you can feel the studio system forcing something more polished here. But it's still gonzo and entertaining enough, the Odor-Rama was a nice touch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/24/20

Full Review

Audience Member

Unsure as I am about what I just watched, I'm even less sure about what I just smelled; but like the scent of piss after drinking a full pot of coffee, there's something divine about a thing so rancid.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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John Waters

Director

Divine

Francine Fishpaw

Tab Hunter

Todd Tomorrow

Edith Massey

Cuddles Kovinsky

Mink Stole

Sandra Sullivan

David Samson

Elmer Fishpaw

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Show More Cast & Crew

27%

65%

House Party 2

76%

91%

Friday

0%

67%

House Party 3

94%

81%

House Party

TRAILER

for House Party

57%

49%

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Variety Staff

Variety

A fitfully amusing comedy of not so ordinary people.

Sep 12, 2008

Full Review

Derek Adams

Time Out

OK, so it's not The Cherry Orchard, but who could resist a film where a massive drive-in billboard proclaims 'Now showing - Three Great Marguerite Duras Hits'?

Feb 9, 2006

Full Review

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Stinks in all the right ways.

Rated: B

May 4, 2005

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Polyester isn’t one of his best; the midnight movie sensations Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble, as well as later mainstream hit Hairspray, hold up better. Still, it is a lot of fun.

Dec 27, 2022

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Not nearly as gross as Waters’ previous outings (when Francine has to puke, she does it discreetly into her purse), but still wild enough to please any Waters fan.

Rated: B

Aug 30, 2022

Full Review

Scott Sublett

Washington Blade

Polyester will be remembered for a long time. It is a well-made film, a masterpiece of comedy and an utterly original, independent vision.

May 20, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

A frustrated housewife, Francine Fishpaw (Divine), tries to maintain her sanity while taking care of her dysfunctional household. Elmer (David Samson), her husband and the owner of an adult theater, is sleeping with his secretary, and her delinquent teen son, Dexter (Ken King), and pregnant teen daughter, Lulu (Mary Garlington), aren't helping matters any. But when Francine meets dashing Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter), the owner of a theater specializing in art films, her life appears rosier.

Director: John Waters
Producer: Robert Shaye
Screenwriter: John Waters
Distributor: New Line Home Video [us], Criterion Collection, New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 29, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 18, 2010
Runtime: 1h 26m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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