Director John Waters as Auteur

John Waters is a true auteur. He uses many of the same themes and images throughout his films. The John Waters' films that I viewed were Hairspray (1988), Cry-Baby (1990), Serial Mom (1994), and Cecil B. Demented (2000). Consistent themes in these films included the use of the same actors, Waters' love for scandal ridden celebrities, all were located in Baltimore, comedic portrayals of sex, outcasts, altercations with the police, and a shot of a mouse, rat or gerbil.
Hairspray is the story of Tracy Turnblatt, a chubby hair hopper in 1960s Baltimore. Waters uses many of his stock actors in this movie, drag queen, Divine in the dual role of Tracy's mother and the television station owner that runs The Corny Collins Show, Mink Stole as Tracy's best friend's mother, Alan J. Wendl as Hefty Hideaway shop owner, Mr. Pinky and starring as Tracy Turnblatt, Waters' muse, the incomparable Ricki Lake. With the exception of Divine who died shortly after this movie was made, all of these actors appear in all four of these films. …