Pecker (film)

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Pecker
Promotional poster for the US theatrical release of Pecker
Directed by	John Waters
Produced by	John Fiedler, Mark A. Baker
Written by	John Waters
Starring	Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Bess Armstrong, Lili Taylor
Distributed by	Fine Line Features
Release date(s)	16 September 1998 (USA)
Running time	87 min
Language	English
Budget	~ US$6,000,000
IMDb profile

Pecker is a 1998 motion picture 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.

[edit] Synopsis

Pecker is a comedy from film director John Waters. Waters, best known for the cult classic Pink Flamingos, the delightfully irreverent Hairspray and the black-comedy Serial Mom, chronicles America's most unlikely superstar photographer in Pecker, a witty send-up on the contrast between the New York art world and blue-collar Baltimore. - - Set amidst the colorful landscape of the director's beloved home town, Pecker tells the story of a goofy 18-year-old who works in a Baltimore 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 - sometimes grainy, sometimes out of focus - are far from professional, but they somehow 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. The unassuming teenager finds that his best friend Matt (Brendan Sexton, III) can't even artfully shoplift anymore now that Pecker's photographs have increased his profile. Poor Shelly (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, Pecker really begins to feel the uncomfortable glare of stardom. And he's not the only one - Pecker's mom (Mary Kay Place) is no longer free to dispense fashion tips to the homeless clientele at her thrift shop and his grandmother, Memama (Jean Schertler), the pit beef queen of Baltimore, is held up to public ridicule when her peculiar religious experience with a talking statue of Mary is exposed on the cover of a national art magazine. - - As if that is not bad enough, Tina (Martha Plimpton), Pecker's gay-friendly older sister, is fired from her job hiring go-go boys to dance at the Fudge Palace because Pecker's edgy photographs chronicle the secret sex practices of the clubs patrons. Even Little Chrissy, his six year old sister, is feeling the pressure of celebrity when her eating disorder is exposed to the world bringing unwanted attention from nosy child welfare agencies. - - In desperation, Pecker finds that he must choose between his new found fame and protecting his life and family in Baltimore. Can Pecker resist becoming a jerk? Will he have an affair with Rorey, his rich and exciting art dealer, or will he stick with his girlfriend, Shelly, who loves him for who he really is? Will he sell out or take back his career on his own terms? Can Pecker ever be truly "artless" once again?