I Am Divine

I first saw Polyester when it came out and was lucky enough to see it with Odorama, for which I still have the scent card which is where you scratch the circle when the movie tells you to do so. It was my first experience with Divine.

I learned so much more about Divine through this documentary. I was aware of him and his cult following but didn't know much about him.

What an amazing movie. It far exceeded my expectations and didn't descend into sentimentality.

Find me a documentary that better explores an under rated actor and I will be amazed. This was perfection in every way.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I watched this movie. Being from Baltimore, I knew vaguely about John Water and Divine, and really almost nothing about drag queens, so I viewed I Am Divine as a complete outsider.

Now, I would never, ever say that Harris Glenn Milstead (aka. Divine) was my kind of people - But after watching this bio-documentary, I was relieved to find out that there was more to this particular character besides being an outrageous, 350 lb.

16 FEB 1988, Baltimore Maryland, at the Senator theatre, was the premiere of "Hairspray" and a simultaneous AIDS benefit. John Waters and Harris, Glen, Milstead sans his alter ego, "Divine," were the star attendees supported by many A-list celebs as well.

This documentary seems to be more about how John Waters supposedly shaped the career of Divine, than about Divine herself. We see lots of talking heads from the Waters camp and their anecdotes about working and living with Divine.

I remember, in the early 2000's, perusing through my uncle's eclectic, medium-sized DVD collection, looking at the fronts and backs of covers of films I probably shouldn't have been let within a foot of, wrapping my mind around films about slashers, serial killers, necrophiliacs, bum-fights, and, finally, barbaric cross-dressers. The cover that wound up burning itself in my retina was the one for the anniversary edition of John Waters' Pink Flamingos, showing what appeared to be a very homely woman dressed up in a red-colored dress, holding a pistol at arm's length with a load of makeup on, with Daily Variety quoting it as "one of the most vile, stupid, and repulsive films ever made.