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Normal Tickets
9:30pm - Sunday, Dec 21, 2025
Female Trouble
"I hate you, I hate this house, and I hate Christmas!"
In celebration of filmmaker and legendary raconteur John Waters' recent live performances at the Rio Theatre, we thought it was only fitting to filth up our seasonal programming with the second film in the "Pope of Trash's" so-called "Trash Trilogy," 1974's FEMALE TROUBLE, his singularly hilarious and campy counter-Christmas-culture cult-classic comedy.
Water's longtime muse Divine (Harris Glenn Milstead) stars as the unforgettable delinquent Dawn Davennport, an obese "holy terror" who goes ballistic and suffers a major meltdown that sets her off on a depraved, lifelong path of crime and chaos after her parents fail to supply her with the Christmas present highest on her list, a pair of coveted Cha-Cha heels (because they think they're "ugly" and for "bad girls"). A staple for any fan of the renowned auteur, FEMALE TROUBLE features Waters' singular wit as it celebrates rebellion and the grotesque over traditional (or as he might say, "nauseating") sentimentality while simultaneously satirizing notions of the "American family," consumerism, and beauty standards. Also starring Mink Stole, Edith Massey, David Lochary, and Mary Vivian Pearce.
"The resulting feast of sex, violence, cruelty, and frivolity mocks sentimental notions of family, work, and love, and turns the egomaniacal furies of pop culture inside out." (The New Yorker)
"One of John Waters' best and most notorious movies." (Dallas Morning News)
Sunday, December 21
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
FEMALE TROUBLE (John Waters, 1974 / 98 mins / R) A spoiled schoolgirl runs away from home, gets pregnant while hitch-hiking, and ends up as a fashion model for a pair of beauticians who like to photograph women committing crimes.
