Movies based on autobiographies seem a bit like Chinese Whispers to me. You know the sort, by the time it gets to you; it�s so different from what it was supposed to be when it started out. This is true, I found, with Mommie Dearest.
Based on the autobiography of Christina Crawford, 50�s soap star and adopted daughter of film legend Joan Crawford, and under Frank Perry�s direction, it tells of the turbulent and at times downright frightening lives of the Crawford family. Mentally and physically abused by her mother, (she could only keep one birthday and Christmas present, the others being sent to the local orphanages) Christina rebels, playing up to the reporters outside her home on Oscar Night, ultimately being sent to a convent boarding school for her troubles. The movie plays tit-for-tat throughout its entirety between the two female's strong wills, each determined to beat the other.
Faye Dunaway does (to her credit) act her bobbysox off as Joan Crawford, but she�s the only one who does. For a drama however, I found myself laughing at some of Ms Dunaway's more, how can I put it, laudable, visual interpretations of Joan, (please note her cross-eyes at the end of the �No wire hangars� scene). Mara Hobel�s portrayal of a younger Christina was quite good and Diana Scarwid does her best as the adult Christina but comes across as too sickly sweet in my opinion.
As this movie was made 20 odd years ago, you may have to blow the dust off the cover in the �50p per night� bin of the local video store, or better still, scour the more obscure cable channels and watch it on TV for free. |
