Mommie Dearest

Starring: Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest, Howard Da Silva, Mara Hobel, Rutanya Alda, Michael Edwards
Directed by: Frank Perry
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
1981

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Acting legend Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) raises her adoptive daughter in an abusive manner while presenting a perfect family to the outside world.

Review:

Tim: I finally got around to seeing Mommie Dearest because the famous line, "No wire hangers, ever!" randomly popped in my head. I realized I'd never seen the movie that spawned that line. Deciding not to google it, I tried to remember the movie. Dolores Claiborne was the first film that popped in my head. I watched it- it was a good movie, but it wasn't the right one. On my second guess, I got Mommie Dearest. With the notoriety from the line, I expected this to be a fairly excellent movie. It was not. This film felt unfair and quickly spiraled into camp territory. This over-the-top movie is a bit of a mess.

My first issue is that this movie exists at all. I did a little research and this was based on a book by Crawford's daughter. That seems legitimate, but it was written after Crawford left her out of her will. That was a little more troubling. The author obviously had an axe to grind and could seek revenge by ruining the reputation of a deceased woman. Now, I'm not suggesting Joan Crawford was innocent. In my (admittedly light) research, there is probably a lot of truth to how Crawford treated her children. However, it feels like this movie took that to an extreme. A lot of this movie felt unfair and biased. Crawford was no angel, but I wish she was treated more like a flawed human being than this movie portrayed. It often feels like Crawford is a monster in this film. I didn't care for such a biased, one-sided view. I believe that hurts the entire movie by not telling both sides of the issue.

I also need to mention Faye Dunaway. Dunaway is a legitimately talented actress, but something went amiss here. It felt like she showed up thinking this was another Oscar moment and proceeds to give a bizarre, unrestrained performance that becomes so campy I cringed continually watching her. It felt like she was playing a monster, a psychopath- rather than anything close to what Crawford actually was. This may be an unfair comparison, but she looked ridiculous in this movie. The makeup department made some odd choices. Maybe it was designed to be an authentic representation of Crawford, but Dunaway looks bizarre and just acts way too over-the-top. And, besides the children actors, this movie is completely about Dunaway's character. Her odd performance hurts the movie immensely. Mara Hobel did a good job as the young Christina and Diana Scarwid was solid as the adult Christina, although she doesn't have a whole lot to do.

The infamous "No wire hangers!" scene was something to behold. It was campy, ridiculous, and laughable. But, there was something deeper, too. It was uncomfortable. It portrayed a woman who has completely lost control. In that aspect, it's a fascinating scene. It's so extreme that it does stick in your memory. Dunaway shows no restraint in the scene, but you also have to give her credit for fully investing in the insanity of that sequence. It's the highlight of an okay movie.

I honestly sat down expecting to love Mommie Dearest. I was pretty disappointed to see a one-sided film happy to tarnish a woman's legacy for the sake of entertainment. It desperately needed some restraint and at least somewhat of an attempt to show more than one side of the woman. I'm thankful we got that nutso wire hangers scene, but there's surprisingly little to feel good about here.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Dolores Claiborne