Jul. 05, 2003 - 11:22 am
wow, this film won Worst Picture of the Decade at the Razzie Awards. i didn't think it was quite that bad. i sort of liked it just because of all the insanity, but it definitely was not the worst film of the 1980s. granted it didn't have a ton of redeeming qualities and it made you feel pretty terrible for the most part. anyway, i decided to watch Mommie Dearest because the Joan Crawford character was also featured on the villains list that's gotten so much publicity from me lately.
this is the true story of Christina Crawford, Joan Crawford's daughter. it is based on her own autobiographical account of her early life with her mother. Joan Crawford adopted her not only because she wanted a baby, but also to gain some publicity. basically they portray Joan Crawford as having been completely nuts. she did insane things to her daughter and it's amazing that she didn't come out completely insane along with her mother. at one point in the film she beats her daughter with a wire hanger, and then she throws ajax all over the bathroom floor and hits her daughter in the head with the box telling her to clean the floor. "But mommie, this floor is already clean!" her mom was obsessive compulsive and everything had to be perfect.
and i love this bit of trivia from the IMDb:
"A month after the film was released to bad reviews, audiences flocked to see the film armed with Ajax and wire hangers to actively 'participate' with the film in a manner similar to Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (1975). Paramount seized on this new found notoriety and began to bill the film as a camp classic, with ads and posters proclaiming, 'Meet the biggest MOTHER of them all!'"