PECKER

Edward Furlong ("Terminator 2: Judgment Day) is Pecker, a young Baltimore photographer with a heart of gold and an eye for the somewhat obscene.

Pecker's world simultaneously expands and implodes when overnight-success tears him away from Baltimore and lands him in Manhattan.

Christina Ricci gives great facial expressions as Shelly, Pecker's loyal-to-Baltimore working class girlfriend. When Shelley gets off a Greyhound Bus upon returning to Baltimore and kisses the asphalt, it's an American catharsis.

Of course there are many other odd John Waters treats, like seeing former SLA hostage Patty Hearst dancing on a bar in a low-cut slip and getting a crash course in "teabagging." Watching "Pecker" automatically makes you a better person even with its beautiful flaws.

Rated R. 87 mins. (B-) (Three stars — out of five / no halves)

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