Review: Sean Hayes gives so-so ‘Lazy Susan’ a John Waters-inspired spin

The essence of John Waters — albeit watered-down Waters — is all over “Lazy Susan,” a badly-behaving satire starring Sean Hayes as a highly unmotivated cisgender woman mired in her self-centered ways.

Trudging through existence with a distinct lack of effort, single, serially unemployed, skort-wearing Susan finds herself facing a midlife crisis after her put-upon Wisconsin family (headed by marvelous Margo Martindale) announces there will be no more free rides.

Things start looking up when she embarks on a relationship with Phil (Jim Rash), a fawning Jumpoline Fun Center proprietor, but Susan discovers it’ll take more than a fling to ultimately bounce back to reality.

It’s the sort of role that Waters’ favorite femme fatale, Divine, could have played to the hilt, and it’s to co-writer Hayes’ credit that Susan retains a core sympathy despite constantly nudging the character to the edge of tolerance.

The same goes for the supporting cast, also including Allison Janney as Velvet, a Kmart manager and Susan’s bitter rival, and Carrie Aizley as BFF Corrin, with whom Susan performs an inspired flute-and-ukulele rendition of the Violent Femmes punk anthem “Blister in the Sun.”

But while the Nick Peet-directed film has its cheerfully outrageous moments, not the least of which is one depicting Susan using her belly button as a ketchup receptacle for dipping French fries, even mild shock value in the time of an epidemic might not be just what the doctor ordered.