roger ebert was wrong
he complained about mommie dearest 1981 "What's the point of watching this "
same critic loved at close range (1986) and sin city (2005)
I suppose the point of watching it is to laugh at a silly caricature of Joan Crawford that bears little resemblance to the actual person.
shareWas that observation made by people that knew her well?
I'm not doubting you, but I remember watching the movie, and thinking, 'Well, she is an actress, which means she's probably a vicious narcissist or worse, so I can see her carrying her dramatic and histrionic antics deep into her personal life.'.
Thinking it plausible, it is reasonable to me that Faye wasn't over-acting.
A lot of people who knew Joan Crawford say the character didn't resemble her much. Apparently Christina wrote the book as revenge for being cut out of the will, Which unlike in the movie, she was fully aware of before her mother died.
shareIt is a shame. This movie came out a year before I was born so my mom was all for this film. We quote it ALL the time, watch it every mother's day and even call her Mommie Dearest. Today is her birthday and that's what made me think to come check out this page. ANYWAY...as a kid it was 'funny' to watch, we were never scared of it. And today, as a 38yr old adult who now looks at the film objectively, it's really REALLY a shame they decided to go for the campy 'crazy Joan' angle because I think the parts where she is in Hollywood are spectacular. Even as a kid, I never saw her as evil because I always felt bad about they way she was treated in Hollywood (according to this movie). But all that 'she's getting too old stuff' and how she got her oscar and the pepsi company...those are actually my favorite scenes in the film and I am sorry the movie didn't focus more on those kind of moments.
share"Revenge for being cut out of the will" sounds plausible. I saw the 'E Mysteries & Scandals' episode on Joan Crawford recently. It did suggest that she used her adopted children for photo shoots so she would be seen in a good light by the industry and public. But that's hardly evil.
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