Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane), a sheltered high school girl, starts the movie locking eyes with bad boy Cry-Baby Walker (Johnny Depp) during a mandatory polio vaccination at their stereotypical 1950s high school. When Allison comes down the front steps of the school later, she sees Cry Baby and his friends listening to hip music, smoking and acting like they just love being bad. Allison sighs and says, “I'm so tired of being good.” Soon, we meet her grandmother and stuck up boyfriend, who tell her that socializing with people like Cry-Baby would be a disgrace. Allison responds, “Drapes are people too.” Drapes, being what they call the rough and tumble kids like Cry-Baby, his sister, Pepper (Ricki Lake), Wanda (Traci Lords), Milton (Darren E. Burrows) and Hatchet-Face (Kim McGuire). “We're squares, Allison,” her boyfriend Baldwin reminds her. Meanwhile, Cry-Baby's friends tease him about having a crush on Allison, which he obviously does.
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Later that day, Cry-Baby and his gang roll up to Allison's grandmother's country club, where the local squares are having a talent show. Much to the shock of everyone, Cry-Baby asks Allison to come hear him sing on their side of town. Without question, Allison hops on the back of Cry-Baby's motorcycle. Her grandmother, Baldwin and the rest of the squares have a fit. Cry-Baby and his crew take Allison to Turkey Point, his grandmother, Ramona's place of business - complete with lake swimming, barbecuing, and entertainment - redneck style.
As evening falls, Allison's wardrobe goes from square to drape with a little help from Cry-Baby's friends, and before long, Allison falls even more in love with Cry-Baby as she watches him sing in his element, “King Cry-Baby.” Soon, Cry-Baby gets Allison on the stage to sing. She starts out timidly then by the end of the song, she's grooving with Cry-Baby as if she's find her true place. Later, everyone is coupled up on picnic blankets under the night sky. Cry-Baby and Allison make out heatedly. She even licks one of his tears. Allison laments about being an orphan just before Cry-Baby tells her how his father died – electric chair. Apparently, Cry-Baby's father was a serial killer known as the Alphabet Bomber. Soon, the Turkey Point party is interrupted by a riot. The squares have come to attack in Allison's honor. After the riot, the drapes and Allison are taken to jail. When Cry-Baby is falsely accused, everyone stands up for him, even Allison's grandmother. But they still take him to jail. Allison breaks down with a blood-curdling scream of "Cry Baby!"
As Cry-Baby cries the blues in jail, his friends and half of the town protest to get him out. Meanwhile, Cry-Baby gets a tattoo of a tear drop on his cheek and Allison during one lonely night drinks a glass of her own tears. Allison's grandmother is an active protester at this point. She sees how much he loves Allison. When Cry-Baby is finally released, Cry-Baby and Baldwin challenge each other to a drag race for Allison's honor, and because Baldwin reveals that his grandfather is the one who fried Cry-Baby's daddy in the electric chair. Angrily, the teens race toward the end of a ravine. The first to cry turn the wheel will be a chicken and lose. Cry-Baby beats Baldwin, and the crew watch fireworks explode above them, tear falling. Cry-Baby and Allison look up, snuggled in his car, tears flowing down both cheeks, fully in love and at peace.
Best part of story, including ending:
It's an extremely campy movie with a lot of funny scenes. It's not award-winning. It's just fun. Johnny Depp sings in this one too, which is extremely adorable.
Best scene in story:
I like all of the dance sequences in the film, including a scene when the kids arrive at Turkey Point for the first time and we see a group of kids dancing in sync. No song is sung, but it just shows the flow and beat of the movie is fun and full of the 1950s.
Opinion about the main character:
There are really two main characters in this film. Allison and Cry-Baby. Allison is the primary one as she goes through the biggest change. That being said, I like Allison because she defies what's comfortable for her to go for what she wants. She's a bit too whiny sometimes, but I suppose they did that because of the title of the film. Cry-Baby is amazing, but maybe with his character they should have taken a bit more time to develop him. He's more of a caricature than a character, really, but he's great to watch on screen.
Johnny Depp portrays Cry-baby, a rebellious, rockabilly dreamboat in 1950's Baltimore. Cry-baby falls in love with Allison Vernon-Williams, a wealthy, goody-goody classmate. Allison likes Cry-baby, but her strict grandmother won't allow her to see him. This wild comedy features over-the-top musical numbers, scuffles between hoodlums and squares, and, in the end, the triumph of dumb, teen puppy love.
The review of this Movie prepared by Judy Berman
