Mommie Dearest
Directed by Frank Perry
Written by Frank Yablans, Frank Perry, etc. from a book by Christina Crawford
1981/US
IMDb page
First viewing/YouTube rental
Joan Crawford: Why can’t you give me the respect that I’m entitled to? Why can’t you treat me like I would be treated by any stranger on the street?
Christina: Because I am NOT one of your FANS.
This film might have been saved by a better script and a different leading lady.
Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) has it all and fights constantly to keep it. One thing the much-divorced actress lacks is a family. She can’t have children of her own or convince an adoption agency she is a fit mother so she essentially buys two, Christina and Christopher. They make great props for her press events. She shows them much affection until they demonstrate that they have wills and needs of their own.
Joan gets into a running battle with the strong-willed Christina. She must resort to harsher and harsher punishments but they just terrify the little girl. It doesn’t help that Joan becomes a belligerent drunk and loses her mind as her career goes down the tubes.
This movie destroyed Faye Dunaway’s career and with good reason. She was horribly miscast. She was a good actress but not one who could disappear into a character. So her Joan Crawford just seems like Faye Dunaway on a rampage. In addition, she reportedly was extremely difficult to work with and thought she was turning in an Oscar-winning performance. The script is pure sensationalism and exploitation. The film does have some camp delights but not enough to recommend watching it.
