A Sinful Life (1989) User Reviews

My own personal cult classic!

[3_Beekman_Place · 8/10 · 24 September 2004]

Shame this is fading... it should get more respect than it does. It's very John Waters, yes... but these people can act. I channel surfed into this one night and couldn't believe it. It's become my own personal cult film. I spring it on the avg. John Waters fan and they like it a lot. The basic storyline revolves around an ex-dancer/present day drunk, Claire Vin Blanc, and her odd daughter "Baby". I say odd because the actress who plays he is at least 20 years old. But the movie is all flashback, so she's done up like a baby doll. Baby is constantly late for school and her teacher decides to visit the home. This leads to a disaster and the teacher threatens to have poor Baby removed from the abusive home. Not much of a plot. But along the way, Claire screws the janitor (come see me tomorrow.. i want you to "snake my tub"), dishes with her rather masculine neighbor, Theresa (the photographer said I look like a young Pam Dawber)... and, in an effort to get a new sofa to make her house more presentable for the teacher, she seduces another neighbor who is a religious nut and the head of the credit dept. at Sears (he has a preference for the grosser passages in the Bible).

It wraps up pretty neat and quick, but i love this movie. My favorite scene...When Claire first has sex with the janitor in her bedroom..

they are blurry "doing it" on the bed, and the camera pans over to 2 cockroaches on her dresser "doing it" also!!! If you can find this check it out!

Anita Morris in an outrageous John Waters-like comedy ............

[merklekranz · 7/10 · 10 February 2011]

If you loved Anita Morris in "Ruthless People", then "A Sinful Life" is a must see. She again plays a "Southern belle" surrounded by doofus men much like Bill Pullman's character in "Ruthless People". Morris's explanation of how her imbecilic daughter, "Baby", was conceived from an earthquake in a sperm bank is worth the price of admission alone. If you like "trailer trash" movies such as "Hold Me. Thrill Me, Kiss Me", or "Poor White Trash" (2001), then "A Sinful Life" is for you. The film is infinitely quotable (Morris to the janitor) "I hope you're available tomorrow morning, I'd like you to snake my tub". (Mark Rolston as a transsexual talks about his latest lover) "If immigration doesn't catch him, I'll live happily ever after". Seek this one out. Highly recommended of it's type. - MERK

A sinful life (1989)

[aneezanzaf · 6/10 · 19 December 2021]

Please I want watching this movie all people are telling this movie is wonderful and beautiful romance then Im very very excited this movie please I want watching this movie please.

Anita Morris Sizzles

[sarastrahan-61184 · 5/10 · 30 June 2019]

A Sinful Life wants desperately to be a lovable quirk fest like Female Trouble, Desperate Living, or any other John Waters film, but it's more shrill than witty or truly funny. Thankfully, it's anchored by a spirited performance by the impossibly sexy Anita Morris who gets about as many laughs out of the script as anyone could.

Morris plays an unwed mother to an overgrown daughter who speaks in baby voice (one can never understand if the daughter is actually an impaired teen/20-something or if they just cast an older actress instead of casting an actual child) who is currently in danger of being taken away by a bitchy teacher due to the less than stellar residence where she lives.

Dennis Christopher comes in as an over the top religious freak who wants Morris and Morris decides to use him as a way to make herself seem more respectable. There's also a drag queen neighbor, a rageaholic handyman, and other strange character who pop in and out at whim.

It's easy to tell that A Sinful Life was based on a stage play as the film rarely leaves Morris' apartment. It makes for a strangely claustrophobic experience and feels more like a depressing chamber drama like Night, Mother than a rip roaring farce like Boeing, Boeing or Noises Off.

There are a few light chuckles here and there and Morris is always a treat to watch. Still, A Sinful Life feels like it plays things too safe and almost feels like what would happen if your good Christian mother decided to send up John Waters movies. It's too respectable to ever go off into delicious, sleazy camp like his films do.

Not a glorious vehicle for Anita Morris

[vyto34 · 28 December 2002]

Prior to seeing A Sinful Life, I was not aware that John Waters had imitators...but he does! Unfortunately, Mr. Schreiner is nowhere near as creative and the movie gets quite tedious during the middle, although the finale is well done and funny. The theme is the same as Waters' perennial theme--poor white trash unemployed women, but set here in LA instead of in Baltimore. Morris is absolutely gorgeous, but she does not have much to work with. The other characters are very simplistic cardboard cutouts, and not too funny either.