A Dirty Shame

Sylvia Stickles is a strait-laced middle-aged woman in Baltimore who helps run the family's convenience store, disapproves of her exhibitionist daughter Caprice, and shows little interest in her husband Vaughn. After a knock on the head during a traffic accident, her inhibitions vanish and she becomes fixated on sex. She falls in with Ray Ray Perkins, a tow-truck driver who leads a local group devoted to the ultimate sexual experience. Their involvement turns the neighbourhood into a battleground between its respectable residents and those who have given in to desire.

John Waters wrote and directed the film, the eleventh in his filmography, following Pecker and Cecil B. Demented. Tracey Ullman plays Sylvia, Johnny Knoxville plays Ray Ray, and Selma Blair appears as Caprice, with Chris Isaak as Vaughn and Suzanne Shepherd and Mink Stole in supporting roles. It was produced by Christine Vachon and Ted Hope, among others.

Made for about 15 million dollars, the comedy took in roughly 2 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.9/10 from 23 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.4/10 from 310 votes, a wider and much cooler audience response. A critics' rating of 5.7/10 from 113 reviews places professional opinion closer to the middle, above the TMDB figure but below the small IMDb sample.