Polyester

In a Baltimore suburb, overweight housewife Francine Fishpaw watches her upper-middle-class family life crumble as her husband Elmer runs an adult movie theater. Anti-pornography protesters descend on their yard, signaling a crisis beyond ordinary domestic trouble. The siege of privacy foreshadows the chaos to come.

Francine's teenagers, Lu-Lu and Dexter, display reckless, rebellious behavior that clashes with her Catholic values. Lu-Lu is spoiled and promiscuous, while Dexter is a delinquent who delights in stomping on women's feet. The household atmosphere grows tenser as youthful defiance bubbles to the surface.

Francine's cocaine-addicted mother, La Rue, arrives with class-snobbery and derision, robbing Francine and belittling her obesity. She scorns Francine for befriending Cuddles Kovinsky, a kind but simple-minded housecleaner. Cuddles offers sympathetic bromides while trying to shield Francine from isolation.

Francine confronts Elmer and his secretary Sandra during a motel tryst, exposing their affair and demanding a divorce. The confrontation shatters any remaining illusion of a stable family life. Francine's faith and pride clash with marital scandal.

Francine descends into alcoholism and depression as the house devolves into chaos. The kids' behavior escalates, leaving her feeling betrayed and overwhelmed. Her coping dissolves into a fog of bottles and shattered expectations.

Lu-Lu reveals she is pregnant by Bo-Bo and intends to have an abortion. The news amplifies family tensions and draws anti-abortion protestors to the clinic. The fallout foreshadows the deepening cracks in the Fishpaw clan.

After the abortion clinic harassment, Francine places Lu-Lu in a Catholic unwed mothers' home to shield her from negative influences. The move isolates Lu-Lu further and sets up looming repercussions at home. The dynamics of control and rebellion intensify.

Bo-Bo and his friend come to trash the Fishpaw house on Halloween. La Rue, initially wounded by Bo-Bo's assault, retrieves a gun and shoots Bo-Bo dead. The celebration devolves into a murder scene, underscoring the film's brutal satirical edge.

Lu-Lu flees the unwed mothers' home and returns to find Bo-Bo's corpse. Distraught, she attempts suicide, and the family dog Bonkers dies by hanging as a suicide note is found nearby. The household spirals further into tragedy.

Dexter is released from jail and begins a new chapter as an artist focusing on feet paintings. His reentry into the family life marks a glimmer of redemption amid the chaos. The foot motif foreshadows the film's surreal turn.

Lu-Lu experiences a miscarriage from her suicide attempt and transforms into an artistic flower child who embraces macramé and countercultural aesthetics. The tragedy triggers a shift away from reckless rebellion toward creative expression. The family begins to witness growth amid destruction.

Francine quits drinking, confronts her mother, and begins a new romance with Todd Tomorrow, who runs an art-house drive-in theater. The change rekindles a sense of vitality and hope in the household. Todd's proposal signals a possible fresh start.

Francine discovers that Todd and La Rue are romantically involved and conspiring to embezzle her divorce settlement, intending to drive her insane and sell her children into prostitution. The betrayal compounds her fears and pushes her toward a final confrontation. The plot threads of greed tighten around the family.

Elmer and Sandra break into the Fishpaw house to murder Francine; Dexter stomps Sandra's foot, causing her to shoot Elmer by accident. Lu-Lu uses macramé to strangle Sandra, ending the attempted murder. The siblings defend their mother as chaos erupts.

Cuddles arrives with her German chauffeur Heintz, and their car runs over La Rue and Todd, killing them. Francine embraces her children as a family again, while Cuddles and Heintz kiss, signaling a dark but hopeful note of reunion.