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PLOT: "HATCHET JOB" (lol) ON her Mother JOAN CRAWFORD~ by Christina Crawford ....BIO that shows the dark side of Screen actress Joan~ JOAN CRAWFORD LOVES MEN and they love her~ having many different affairs with many men we see this interesting and yet CAMPY bio of her~ Joan was as screen idol and legend. But Joan decides she will adopt children~ she USES THEM AS A PROP FOR PUBLICITY~ Faye Dunaway IS JOAN~ from the El Marko black eyes to ruby red lipstick to the brittle LOOKS and voice~ she is so good we are scared of her~ Joan adopts cute little blonde Christina aka TINA~ and Christopher where she IS a harsh mean mother~but Tina has a mind of her own! excellent acting by Mara Hobel as the child JOAN cannot bend~ from making the children clean obsessively~ to posing for "staged" photos Joan uses everyone~ the legendary coat hanger abuse scene is shocking but WE believe it happened~ AS Joan ages her movie rolls decrease and she is released from her contract but takes up a role and wins an OSCAR for Mildred Pierce~ we feel just about every scene is a performance for JOAN~ this is camp and hokey~ but the over all gem is that Joan was Hollywood Royalty but was a horrible person and parent. As Christine grows up Joan required the kids to say "Mommy Dearest" especially in front of the camera~ the best scene is where JOAN looses it in front of a reporter~ excellent ~ when Joan finally dies she leaves Christopher and Tina NO inheritance for "reasons they know .' even in death she has cheated her children of love let alone what they should have inherited~ but TINA got the last laugh the shocking BIO was a best seller and is the plot for this DETAILED "HATCHET JOB" ON JOAN~ I LIKED THIS MOVIE~ it maybe camp but it has a disturbing message~ Joan was a VERY unbalance DISTURBED person and everyone covered for her~ sad her children has to live her "staged" Mother Performances. I GIVE THIS ONE 7 OUT OF 10 FOR SHOCKING REALITY BIO~ FAYE NAILS JOAN~ TOO BAD people did not realize how hard it is to play MEAN~ let alone NUTS~ IF YOU FOUND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE~Read full review
Mommie Dearest is and had Alon of potential in the film and it should have been and is a cult classic. The sad thing is that DIVA her self Joan Crawford once said if there were to be someone to play my part it would be Faye Dunaway!! Faye herself said In the 1980s, although her performances did not waver, the parts grew less compelling. Dunaway would later blame Mommie Dearest (1981) for ruining her career as a leading lady. As wonderful as fay pro-trade the legend Crawford yet disrespects the woman who said if it were to be someone to play me it be Faye and yet she is making a nasty grind on a scarlet. Now don't get me wrong the film is great and the flawless of Faye is still there from Bonnie and Clyde. I guess being a ex bomb shell attitude forgetting the skills in fact is whats more importing is what this world is about in the business. I hope Crawford never gets word of Faye's statement along with saying she played her to well, cause a diva like Crawford shames a ex 70's bomb shell. so the movie is sad but good cause its based on truth something Faye need's to work on besides face lifts and know she will never be another Bonnie. The movie 5 starts till you read what above is written http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faye_Dunaway After reading this fay's just a faded away Bonnie. God bless Diva Joan Crawford...... Dont let this stop you watching it its great then read what was said....Faye face lifts or not you looked wonderful in Mommie Dearest so please come around and know it is a cult classic still living on, with out you in the film no other could be a image of the fine Crawford. Your just old honey, face it with Joan Rivers she'll tell ya just face it with a face lift and you might get a gig besides TV. MUAHHHHH kisses darling.Read full review
John Waters is surprisingly sensitive and sympathetic to all participants in this movie, which was somewhat controversial when it first came out. Of course, the provocative nature of the story--a monstrous Joan Crawford abusing her adopted children--was the original tease which drew audiences in healthy numbers although the critics despised the entire premise. Audiences laughed during 'inappropriate' moments, such as Crawford bellowing for an ax to cut down a rose tree, beating the daughter nearly senseless because of an cheap wire coathanger, and the impulsive attempt to strangle her in the presence of a reporter--the audiences shrieked with hilarity at the sight of teen-aged Christina's panties as she rolled on the floor, struggling to fend off her mother's crazed assault. Crawford, herself, does a noteworthy roll on the floor during the same incident, as she wrests for control of rage that has grown too toxic to go back in the bottle. But enough glimpses. "Mommie Dearest" was designed as a serious movie, intended by the real daughter to follow her expose book, which Christina considered an innovative and valuable examination of child abuse. Many fans of Joan Crawford rejected that view and considered Christina's efforts to be acts of revenge against her mother for cutting her out of any inheritance. So, like an new-wave crystal, this gem of a rainy-day flick (as John Waters describes it) has many facets; it glitters with beautiful costumes, impressive sets, and big-budget swagger; it casts sparks of light on the stress of being a movie star; and it fairly vibrates with the power of Fay Dunaway's uncompromising performance as Joan Crawford. All of the actors and actresses are excellent, but Dunaway clearly perceives her role as a calling, a tribute perhaps, to the survival instincts of a long-lived superstar, and shows her dark side with the same tenacity that Crawford devoted to preserving her career. The claws, glamorous and red, if pointed, are in constant view of the audience. There is humor, perhaps unintended, but no less enjoyable. The movie retains many die-hard fans who have seen it over and over and there is a reason for that. The basic story of a poor little rich girl, a movie star's daughter, who is tortured by her own mother has a fairy tale appeal. Then the mother is the evil queen in a Disney flick: elegant, terrifying, and all-powerful. And the Little Victim is the child in all of us, who can easily recall being served up with some of the identical punishments or put-downs. Who will win in the end, Mommy or Little Victim? We witness the pain of both, and are often torn by wanting to cheer for both; in spite of Crawford's cruelty, we sense it is born of desperation and side with her to the end. The special appeal of this DVD is the presence of John Waters, of course. His black humor, keen observation, and Hollywood experience add a fabulous richness to the viewing. What was unexpected to me was his compassion and down-home friendliness to us, the audience, and the movie itself. I can't think of a better companion to watch a movie with-- the version with the commentary is much the same as having him stretched on the sofa behind you, not at all snobby, chatty and comfortably engaged in eating cold pizza or whatever happens to be on the coffee table. Part of the family, in other words! What could be better? Just don't take the child abuse part too seriously and you'll have fun!Read full review
This was a movie that came out when I was a teenager but I never saw it until now. I never really knew anything about Joan Crawford and really didn't care about anything she ever did. I did read the book before I saw the movie. And I youtubed some interviews with Christina Crawford. Back in the day people were more harsh with their children sometimes and there were no social outcries regarding how a parent would discipline their own child. Having said that I think Joan Crawford was a very strict parent and possibly a narcissist. Apparently she wanted what all parents want which is to give their child more than what they had growing up and to have well disciplined and successful children. Joan Crawford probably went about some things in the wrong way but once again she was a single mom back before that was socially acceptable. So I think that all in all what was acceptable in her time would not be acceptable today. However when it comes to child abuse there are far worse accounts of child abuse than what was portrayed in this movie and also in the book. So I will give Joan Crawford the benefit of the doubt on some things. And also you have to consider that Christina Crawford was written out of Joan Crawford's will. And Christina Crawford did not publish her book until after Joan Crawford was dead. I'm still of the opinion if you're going to say something about somebody say it to their face. In summary I'm sure Christina Crawford was mistreated but not to the extent of the worst that it could have been. Joan Crawford didn't have a great childhood herself. We are all broken in some way.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Faye Dunaway plays Joan Crawford as a determined survivor of the Hollywood system of the 1940's and 1950's. Additionally, we see her take out her frustrations particularly on her adopted daughter Christina (Diana Scarwid), and that is what we remember most. We see Joan marry a Pepsi Cola executive for money when she hits a financial lowpoint and then challenges the Pepsi board of directors to keep her from becoming a major executive herself in the company when he dies. Finally, we see an obsessive-compulsive woman that cleans everthing to the hilt and expects everyone in the household to participate in her over-the-top behavior at home. Joan adopted Christina and her brother Christopher because she wanted children and couldn't have babies. She says in one scene that she miscarried many times while married to Franchot Tone. But deep down, the adoptions were a publicity stunt, which Joan played to the hilt. We see her in one scene giving a fabulous birthday party for Christina and in another hosting a radio program at Christmas with her little children waiting to open presents. When Christina started growing older and interfering in Joan's love life, Joan shipped her off to boarding school. At first, Christina resented being shipped away but then grew to love the freedom from all the violence. She was studying acting and always imitating her famous mother, but then she made the mistake of becoming involved with a boy. What we remember most about this movie is the violent behavior and abuse of Christina: the bathroom cleaning mess, the outrage at wire coat hangers in Christina's closet, the scissors devastating Christina's hair, the garden butchering of the roses and the tree ("Christina, BRING ME THE AX!), and most of all the strangling in the living room when a grown Christina delivers the absolute biggest blow of all: "I am not one of your fans!" Critics hated this movie, and Faye Dunaway refused to appear in any of the special feature documentaries that accompany the DVD. It is said that Faye thought that her portrayal of Joan Crawford ruined her Hollywood career. Ironically, it is stated in one of the features that Joan Crawford predicted that someday Faye Dunaway would play her in a movie. This movie shows how especially delicate was the studio relationship of all of our favorite old stars. Called "box office poison" one minute and "Hollywood royalty" the next, Joan rises from the dust after Warner Brothers terminated her contract. The very next year she won the Oscar for "Mildred Pierce." This movie is for anyone who is interested in Joan Crawford, the Hollywood star system, or in child abuse. Ironically, when Joan cuts Christina and Christopher out of her will, Christopher says that his mother always gets the last word. But Christina says "Maybe not this time." And her famous book and this movie are the result.Read full review
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