pecker

Pecker
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Waters
Produced by	John Fielder
Written by	John Waters
Starring	Edward Furlong Christina Ricci Lili Taylor Mary Kay Place Brendan Sexton III Martha Plimpton Bess Armstrong
Music by	Stewart Copeland
Cinematography	Robert M. Stevens
Editing by	Janice Hampton
Distributed by	New Line Cinema Fine Line Features
Release date(s)	September 25, 1998
Running time	87 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$6 million
Gross revenue	$2.2 million

Pecker is a 1998 comedy film directed by John Waters and starring Edward Furlong and Christina Ricci. It was filmed and set in Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood.

The film examines the rise to fame and potential fortune of a budding photographer.

Plot

Set in a Baltimore neighborhood known for having the thickest local accent, Pecker tells the story of an unassuming 18-year-old who works in a sandwich shop and takes photos of his loving but peculiar family and friends on the side. Pecker (Edward Furlong), so named for his childhood habit of "pecking" at his food, stumbles into fame when his work is "discovered" by a savvy New York art dealer, Rorey Wheeler (Lili Taylor). Pecker's pictures—grainy, out-of-focus studies of unglamorous subjects—are far from professional, but they strike a chord with New York art collectors.

Unfortunately, instant over-exposure has its downside. Rorey's efforts to turn Pecker into an art sensation threaten to ruin the low-key lifestyle that was his inspiration. Pecker finds that his best friend Matt (Brendan Sexton III) can't even shoplift anymore now that Pecker's photographs have increased his profile. Shelley (Christina Ricci), Pecker's obsessive girlfriend who runs a laundromat, seems especially distressed when the press dub her a "stain goddess" and mistakes her good-natured "pin-up" poses for pornographic come-ons.

When his family is dubbed "culturally challenged" by an overzealous critic, they begin to feel the uncomfortable glare of stardom. Pecker's mother (Mary Kay Place) is no longer free to dispense fashion tips to the homeless clientèle at her thrift shop. Pecker's grandmother Memama (Jean Schertler) endures public ridicule when her experience with a talking statue of the Virgin Mary is exposed on the cover of a national art magazine. Tina (Martha Plimpton), Pecker's fag hag older sister, is fired from her job emceeing go-go dancing at a gay bar because Pecker's edgy photographs chronicle the sex practices of the club's patrons. Even Little Chrissy, his six-year-old sister, feels the pressure of celebrity when her eating disorder is exposed, bringing unwanted attention from nosy child welfare agencies. (She's mistakenly diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and prescribed Ritalin.)

After Pecker's new-found fame disrupts his family's and friends' lives, Pecker turns the tables on the art world by refusing to participate in a scheduled show at the Whitney Museum of Art. Instead, he forces New York art collectors to come to Baltimore to see his latest photographs, which portray the same people who disparaged his family in an unflattering light. (One photo shows Patricia Hearst adjusting her breasts in a mirror.)

Cast

• Edward Furlong as Pecker
• Christina Ricci as Shelley
• Bess Armstrong as Dr. Klompus
• Mary Kay Place as Joy
• Martha Plimpton as Tina
• Brendan Sexton III as Matt
• Mink Stole as Precinct Captain
• Lili Taylor as Rorey Wheeler
• Patricia Hearst as Lynn Wentworth

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released on September 22, 1998 by New Line Records.

Track listing

1. "Happy-Go-Lucky Me" - Paul Evans
2. "The Love Chase" - Stewart Copeland
3. "I'm a Nut" - Leroy Pullins
4. "Memamam" - Stewart Copeland
5. "Uh! Oh! (Part 1)" - The Nutty Squirrels
6. "Straight Boys" - Vicky Randle and Stewart Copeland
7. "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" - Bill Williams
8. "In the Mood" - Henhouse Five Plus Too
9. "Back to Hampden/Sneaky Shelly" - Stewart Copeland
10. "Baltimore, You're Home To Me" - Dave Hardin
11. "Thrift Shop Fashion Shoot" - Stewart Copeland
12. "Don't Drop the Soap (For Anyone Else But Me)" - Stan Ridgway and Stewart Copeland
13. "New York Montage" - Stewart Copeland
14. "Swamp Thing" - The Grid
15. "Woo-Hoo" - The Rock-A-Teens

External links

• Pecker at the Internet Movie Database
• Pecker at Allmovie
• Pecker at Box Office Mojo