Cry-Baby (1990) on Netflix
PG-1319901h 25mComedyMusicalRomance
In 1950s Baltimore, Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker leads a gang of drapes. Allison Vernon-Williams, a well-off girl weary of being a square, falls for him despite her grandmother's disapproval.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb6.5/1069,371 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes73%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1954 Baltimore, Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker, a drape known for the one tear he can shed, and Allison Vernon-Williams, a wealthy girl tired of being a square, take to each other after she approaches him. He asks her to a party at Turkey Point, the drapes' hangout, and she goes despite her grandmother, who runs a charm school and doubts him. Pepper, Hatchet-Face and Wanda restyle her, and she sings a duet with him onstage. Cry-Baby's father was executed for being the Alphabet Bomber, and Allison lost her parents in plane crashes; the two trade those losses. Baldwin, Allison's jealous boyfriend, then brings other squares to the hangout, where they scrawl on the drapes' cars and set Cry-Baby's motorcycle alight.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Cry-Baby (1990)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Following the 2002 success of the Hairspray musical on Broadway, Cry-Baby became the second Waters film adapted for the musical comedy stage; the 2008 Broadway version has an original score and adapts no songs from the film.
- A box office failure during its initial release, the film has subsequently become a cult classic and spawned a 2008 Broadway musical of the same name, which was nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
- The film opened on April 6, 1990, in 1,229 North American theaters, an unprecedented number for a Waters film, and grossed $8,266,343 by the end of its theatrical run against an $8 million budget.
- The film, set among the delinquent "drapes" and their rivals the "squares" in 1950s Baltimore, was Waters' first following the death of his muse and frequent collaborator Divine.
- Part of the film takes place at the now-closed Enchanted Forest amusement park in Ellicott City, with other scenes in Hampden, Baltimore, Reisterstown, Jessup, Milford Mill and Sykesville; the only scenes not filmed in Maryland were shot at Golden Oak Ranch in Santa Clarita, California and Hershey Park in Pennsylvania.
