It all adds up to zany, wide-eyed, quintessential Waters havoc -- the "kinder, gentler" 1990s brand, perhaps. But the genuine article, nonetheless.
– Michael Upchurch,
Seattle Times,
21 Jan 2015
fresh:
The wizard of odd still runs amok.
– Peter Travers,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan 2015
rotten:
If Cry-Baby has a message, it's that Cry-Baby and Allison deserve each other because they're young and they're beautiful, which certainly runs counter to Waters' affection for the grotesque, the bad and the ugly.
– Carrie Rickey,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
21 Jan 2015
rotten:
Cry-Baby is often sweet-spirited even when its crummy, but there's also something fetid in its foolery.
– Peter Rainer,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan 2015
fresh:
For a while the actors seem intimidated by the '50s references, but the film eventually develops a musical energy that carries the day.