Cecil B. Demented: John Waters’ Middling Comedy, Starring Stephen Dorff and Melanie Griffith

John Waters’ Cecil B. Demented is a wannabe black comedy, a silly and pointless tale that fails to shock or elicit laughs.

The best thing about the movie is its title, though the comedy fails to cash in on its premise, while wasting the talents of a good acting ensemble.

Grade: C (* out of *****)

The film stars Melanie Griffith as a snobby A-list Hollywood actress who is kidnapped by a band of terrorist filmmakers; they force her to star in their underground film.

Stephen Dorff stars as the eponymous character and leader of the group, with Alicia Witt, Adrian Grenier, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Michael Shannon co-starring as the rest of his gang of filmmakers.

The film, whose title (also the name of Dorff’s character) alludes to director Cecil B. DeMille, is loosely based on the 1974 kidnapping of Patricia Hearst, who has a cameo role.

Like all of Waters’ films, it was shot in Baltimore, Maryland.

The film, released by Artisan Entertainment, is one of Waters’ worst films, and biggest commercial flops, vis a vis its considerable budget of $10 million.

Cast

Melanie Griffith as Honey Whitlock

Stephen Dorff as Sinclair/Cecil B. Demented, the director (Otto Preminger)

Alicia Witt as Cherish, the actress (Andy Warhol)

Adrian Grenier as Lyle, the actor (Herschell Gordon Lewis)

Mink Stole as Mrs. Sylvia Mallory

Ricki Lake as Libby, Honey’s publicist

Larry Gilliard, Jr. as Lewis, the art director (David Lynch)

Maggie Gyllenhaal as Raven, the makeup artist (Kenneth Anger)

Jack Noseworthy as Rodney, the hair stylist (Pedro Almodóvar)

Mike Shannon as Petie, the driver (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

Eric M. Barry as Fidget, the costume designer (William Castle)