Polyester

Right now you can watch Polyester on streaming — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Divine leads a cast with real comic timing. Put it on tonight and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Polyester is worth clearing space for. The jokes in Polyester land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Blessed with a keen sense of smell and cursed with a philandering pornographer husband, a parasitic mother, and a pair of delinquent children, the long-suffering Francine Fishpaw turns to the bottle as her life falls apart -- until deliverance appears in the form of a hunk named Todd Tomorrow. Originally screened with "Odorama" scratch and sniff cards so the audience could (at their own risk) smell along with the film. Divine and Tab Hunter lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1981. What keeps Polyester from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, Polyester is a strong candidate. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Divine anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.