Pink Flamingos

"An exercise in poor taste."

1972 1h 33m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🍅

83%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 591🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes●47Metacritic★6IMDB · 29,097

ComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".

“An exercise in poor taste.”

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Cast

Divine
Divine / Babs Johnson
David Lochary
Raymond Marble
Mary Vivian Pearce
Cotton
Mink Stole
Connie Marble
Danny Mills
Crackers
Edith Massey
Edie
Channing Wilroy
Channing
Cookie Mueller
Cookie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Waters
Writers: John Waters
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $6M — a 500.0× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Waters, shot by John Waters. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Waters shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Divine and David Lochary and Mary Vivian Pearce carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "An exercise in poor taste.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0069089 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Waters directs. John Waters behind the camera. John Waters cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $6M — a 500.0× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
354 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by John Waters, shot by John Waters. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor John Waters shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Divine and David Lochary and Mary Vivian Pearce carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "An exercise in poor taste.".
8IMDB entry: tt0069089 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 36 themes, including "drug dealer", "jealousy", "rape", "trailer park".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Waters
Editing: John Waters
Production design: Vincent Peranio
Costume design: Van Smith
Makeup / hair: David Lochary
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $12,000
Box office: $6,000,000
Return: 50000% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NC-17
IMDB: Pink Flamingos (1972)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 47/100
IMDB rating: 6/10 · 29,097 votes
MPAA: NC-17

Awards

1 win total

Also by

John Waters

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Critic2022-08-10
★ 1/10
The most filthiest films of all time even before South Park came into this world’s knowledge!!!
puregory2026-06-17
Pink Flamingos is a manifesto of bad taste raised to an art form. The plot revolves around a fierce battle for the title of "the filthiest person alive." The main character, played by the magnificent Divine, is ready to do absolutely anything to defend her crown.Waters created a film that systematically breaks every social taboo. It is packed with grotesque imagery, pitch-black humor, and scenes that will remain burned into your memory forever. This is not just a movie; it is a social experiment and a test of endurance. If you are ready for radical art without censorship, it is a must-watch. For mainstream viewers, however, it might be a total nightmare.

Production companies