Cry-Baby

media release: PG-13, 1990, 85 min. 

Director: John Waters

Cast: Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Ricki Lake

1950s Baltimore gets torn apart when preppy Allison (Locane) falls hard for juvenile delinquent Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker (Depp, already subverting his heartthrob image in his first major film role). A tongue-in-cheek musical delivered at the hopped-up pitch of its rockabilly soundtrack, this wildly entertaining romp both satirizes and embraces teen movie tropes. Featuring a supporting cast stacked with enough showbiz weirdos to rival Marty Supreme, Waters’ first movie for a major Hollywood studio is a perfect fusion of his outsider attitude and pure pop cinema.