Pecker

A transparent, laugh-free parable about Waters' own rise to fame.

Some scenes are so flat we squint a little at the screen, trying to see why anyone thought they might be funny.

Potentially [John Waters's] most self-reflexive work.

Too soon though, this rise-and-fall-and- rise saga of an obsessed young photographer begins to sag into a one-note refrain.

There are many odd treats, like seeing former SLA hostage Patty Hearst dancing on a bar in a low-cut slip and getting a crash course in "tea-baggng."