One of the weirder musicals of its day, "Cry-Baby," starring Johnny Depp and Amy Locane, plays out like a spoof of "Grease" while performing satire on the 1950's, high school and everything else that needed to be done to squirt out the movie.

Depp stars as Cry-Baby, the baddest of the bad in his school. Despite being considered an outcast, he has the ability to cry a single tear that drives the girls crazy. Amidst a social genocide by the right-wing "squares" who would like nothing more than to rid the world of the evil drapes (juvenile delinquents) running around, one "square" named Allison (Locane) falls in love with Cry-Baby and starts to experiment with the darker side of humanity - like French kissing.

"Cry-Baby" is a weird one, a high school romantic comedy, a social satire and strange musical all thrown into one. The characters are right out of the rogue gallery; a couple, like Hatchet-face, make you feel like you'll turn to stone by looking directly at them. It's hard to describe exactly what the movie is like, but it's safe to say that if you don't like weird characters or musicals, you better stay away from "Cry-Baby."

Ultimately, not all the jokes hit home, but "Cry-Baby" is worth a gander if you're a fan of odd musicals. The movie has just been released as a Director's Cut on DVD, with added footage as well as additional deleted scenes. Having never seen the movie before, I don't know what was added, but the running time remains consistent and few parts really lag. Also included is a feature commentary by director John Waters and a featurette that interviews Waters and others on the purpose of the film.

Fans will want to pick up this DVD as it adds some new scenes, but the movie is too odd to warrant a purchase without watching it first.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.