The name John Waters was once dangerous in Hollywood. This is the man who gave us Pink Flamingos, a film of startling depravity. It seems as though Waters is trying to change his image and I'm not so sure that's a good thing.

Actually, thinking back on some of the images in Pink Flamingos, let me alter that to changing his image may not be "entirely" a good thing.

Hairspray originally came out in 1988 and though it featured a very tame title and an almost lighthearted comedic approach, it dealt with some fairly strong themes. Primarily, it looked at the nearly fanatical desire teenagers have to be accepted and how those who are popular seem almost just as fanatical about making those who aren't seem like useless trash. The film also tries to deal with issues such as segregation/integration, yet it handles all of the material with such fluff that its deeper points can easily be missed.

That isn't to say this is a bad film. It works very well as a comedy and the characterization and acting is more than adequate for the material.

The plot centers on "The Corny Collins Show," which is Baltimore's version of American Bandstand. Kids dream of teasing their hair up just right and making an appearance on the show. The Council, a group of the most popular teens, has final approval of who can be on the show, however, and kids who fail to meet certain physical standards aren't likely to get on.

Tracy (Ricki Lake) is an obese girl who can dance circles around most other kids and desires to prove it on the show. She also wants a spot on the Council. This is so she can work to champion the cause of the black people who create the music all of the kids on the show are clamoring to dance to. As I said, this is all handled with a very light touch and the lack of a heavy-handed approach is what allows this movie to work.

In short, it's charming and fun.

Pecker, a more recent Waters endeavor, on the other hand, doesn't seem content with maintaining a lighthearted nature, yet is unwilling to dive off the deep end. Its very title (which is the nickname of the main character) seems designed to shock, not unlike the content of early Waters' films. Yet, Waters backs off from the jugular and even goes so far as to invent a tame explanation for the title character's nickname.

That seems to be the theme of the entire film. Waters is continually reigning himself in as though suffering from an onset of conscience. Perhaps instead it's a case of wanting to make the film more commercial. Either way, rather than creating a film of biting satire, much of the humor comes across as flat, awkward or just plain unfunny.

It's possible that much of the problem with the film is in the choice of Edward Furlong in the title role. I wasn't a fan of his uncharismatic performance as young John Connor in Terminator 2, but was willing to forgive it in the face of the action. Here, he has no action to mask his blandness. There are plenty of quirky characters on the sidelines, but rather than save the film, they only accentuate how inappropriate Furlong is in the role.

He plays a young man obsessed with taking pictures. After managing to talk his boss into displaying his work on the walls of the sub shop in which he works, Pecker is discovered, heralded a genius and promptly whisked off to his 15 minutes of fame. Naturally, fame has a price and Pecker's world is turned upside down.

Ultimately, this film needed two things to be more entertaining: More edge and a more interesting actor for the title character.