Female Trouble

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Female Trouble

NC-17,

1975,

1h 35m,

Comedy/

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

90%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

An obese woman (Divine) gives birth to an obnoxious child and embarks upon a bizarre and violent life of crime.

Critics Consensus

Director John Waters' affection for camp brings texture to societal transgression in Female Trouble, a brazenly subversive dive into celebrity and mayhem.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Dec 17, 2018

The resulting feast of sex, violence, cruelty, and frivolity mocks sentimental notions of family, work, and love, and turns the egomaniacal furies of pop culture inside out.

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Gary Dowell

Dallas Morning News

Apr 18, 2002

B-

One of John Waters' best and most notorious movies.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Apr 29, 2025

There’s no polish to this production, which is part of its charm, but there is passion and sheer creative energy.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Jan 2, 2024

Probably the best of Waters' early "underground" features, even if it's a tad less famous than the preceding Pink Flamingos.

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Kyndall Cunningham

The Daily Beast

Dec 5, 2022

Observing Waters’ comedic genius always feels like a present to me.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Jul 25, 2022

4.5/5

John Waters' trashterpiece is just as hilarious today as it was almost 50 years ago. Just bring your pearls with you in case you need to clutch them.

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Ron R

Aug 20, 2018

While this revolting film is daring, funny and provocative for quite some time, soon it becomes insufferable with a bunch of people shrieking around without end and yelling at each other for much longer than our patience can take (hell, of course, this is John Waters).

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Hermione M

May 18, 2018

This movie is not for everyone, okay? It's sleazy and gross and in bad taste and it made a friend of mine cry (don't feel bad, she's nuts) but it's got some of the best jokes out of all of John Waters' films. I mean, if you got a screwed up sense of humour then there are some solid belly laughs waiting for you here. The only problem is it tends to drag a parts and loses momentum about 40 minutes towards the end. Still, I'd recommend it over Waters' extreme flicks or his 1980-2000's 'Waters Lite' period.

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Theodore W

Apr 28, 2018

another funny waste of time movie from john waters band of freaks

Albus L

Mar 23, 2018

Female Trouble is a very funny, occasionally shocking movie that is elevated by Divine's performance and Waters's endlessly quirky script.

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Abraham P

Oct 25, 2017

An acquired taste, but a great film.

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Synopsis

An obese woman (Divine) gives birth to an obnoxious child and embarks upon a bizarre and violent life of crime.

Director: John Waters
Producer: John Waters
Distributor: Wizard Video
Production Co: Dreamland
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 4, 1975, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 17, 2014
Runtime: 1h 35m

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