Mommie Dearest 1981 Faye Dunaway/Joan Crawford Bluray! *Paramount*

[Starman22]

Originally Posted by travisbickle

Does Warner still have this? Where is the Warner Archive Blu?!!!

And port over that Waters commentary!

This is Paramount now but no longer with Warner. I own this in "Hollywood Royalty Edition" DVD and hopefully probably Criterion will get this.

"No wire hanger"

[OneWayFilms]

If seeing it in glorious 1080 HD is what you're after, VUDU has it available in HD. I have it and watch it every so often, and it's WAAAAY better than the DVD. This is AMAZING until they get around to releasing it on physical media.

[BluCollector13]

Originally Posted by Starman22

This is Paramount now but no longer with Warner. I own this in "Hollywood Royalty Edition" DVD and hopefully probably Criterion will get this.

"No wire hanger"

I'd love for Criterion to get it.

[murphywmm]

This is such a huge cult favourite I'm shocked that it STILL hasn't been released to BD.

[Jlouisbarrett]

Originally Posted by murphywmm

This is such a huge cult favourite I'm shocked that it STILL hasn't been released to BD.

One word: Paramount.

[oilers73]

The most unintentionally funny movie ever made, and a camp classic. The first time I saw it was Child Development class in high school, and my teacher was very upset by my laughter. Oh, how I love Mommie Dearest!

[James762]

Actually, it's not "campy" or "unintentionally funny."
Yes, Faye Dunaway is over-the-top as Joan Crawford, but Joan Crawford herself was over-the-top in real life. Many people forget that.
People laugh at it because it has scenes that come off as being "full of Narm" when interpreted out of context. In context, they're terrifying and well-performed. And anyone who laughs at this movie or finds it "campy" must love child abuse (because there's a lot of that in it) and needs therapy.
Also, there's a scene that people laugh at which actually happened - Joan Crawford's daughter becoming sick and Joan herself replacing her on an episode of a certain show she was on.
Go watch the Cinema Snob's review of the movie. He said in his review that the movie didn't deserve the hate it got (especially from the Golden Raspberry Awards) and that Faye Dunaway gives one of the greatest performances in cinematic history. Period.

[EricAD]

Originally Posted by James762

Actually, it's not "campy" or "unintentionally funny."
Yes, Faye Dunaway is over-the-top as Joan Crawford, but Joan Crawford herself was over-the-top in real life. Many people forget that.
People laugh at it because it has scenes that come off as being "full of Narm" when interpreted out of context. In context, they're terrifying and well-performed. And anyone who laughs at this movie or finds it "campy" must love child abuse (because there's a lot of that in it) and needs therapy.
Also, there's a scene that people laugh at which actually happened - Joan Crawford's daughter becoming sick and Joan herself replacing her on an episode of a certain show she was on.
Go watch the Cinema Snob's review of the movie. He said in his review that the movie didn't deserve the hate it got (especially from the Golden Raspberry Awards, which don't even see or hear anything they nominate - like all entertainment awards shows - and they nominated Stanley Kubrick a "Worst Director" Golden Raspberry Award for The Shining. Nominating him was one of their biggest mistakes, just like CRASH winning "Best Picture" is one of the Oscars' biggest mistakes and CRASH being rated "Fresh" on the Tomato Meter is one of Rotten Tomatoes' biggest mistakes, since RT sometimes rates bad movies (such as Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland 2010) "Fresh" and good movies (such as Mommie Dearest and the 90's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie) "Rotten") and that Faye Dunaway gives one of the greatest performances in cinematic history. Period.

[Rockercub]

Anyone who thinks it's not camp hasn't been to a screening with a theater full of gay men.

[Leslie Dame]

Originally Posted by James762

Actually, it's not "campy" or "unintentionally funny."
Yes, Faye Dunaway is over-the-top as Joan Crawford, but Joan Crawford herself was over-the-top in real life. Many people forget that.
People laugh at it because it has scenes that come off as being "full of Narm" when interpreted out of context. In context, they're terrifying and well-performed. And anyone who laughs at this movie or finds it "campy" must love child abuse (because there's a lot of that in it) and needs therapy.
Also, there's a scene that people laugh at which actually happened - Joan Crawford's daughter becoming sick and Joan herself replacing her on an episode of a certain show she was on.
Go watch the Cinema Snob's review of the movie. He said in his review that the movie didn't deserve the hate it got (especially from the Golden Raspberry Awards, which don't even see or hear anything they nominate - like all entertainment awards shows - and they nominated Stanley Kubrick a "Worst Director" Golden Raspberry Award for The Shining. Nominating him was one of their biggest mistakes, just like CRASH winning "Best Picture" is one of the Oscars' biggest mistakes and CRASH being rated "Fresh" on the Tomato Meter is one of Rotten Tomatoes' biggest mistakes, since RT sometimes rates bad movies (such as Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland 2010) "Fresh" and good movies (such as Mommie Dearest and the 90's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie) "Rotten") and that Faye Dunaway gives one of the greatest performances in cinematic history. Period.

[yhzmr]

Originally Posted by AaronSCH

Are you serious? It's high camp—without any intention to be so! Faye Dunaway"s performance is over-the-top and hysterical. There is nothing award-worthy about that film. But it's definitely a fun film to watch, no doubt. It would be a terrific double bill with "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"

Ms. Dunaway's performance was fearless. I'm sad to hear she is embarrassed by it. Much of the "blame" goes to the director who neglected to restrain her in any way. When she is on top of Christina with elbows flying the actress playing the maid trying to restrain her actually falls down. This performance among others is why I have such a high regard for Faye Dunaway as an actress.

[Rockercub]

Originally Posted by yhzmr

Ms. Dunaway's performance was fearless. I'm sad to hear she is embarrassed by it. Much of the "blame" goes to the director who neglected to restrain her in any way. When she is on top of Christina with elbows flying the actress playing the maid trying to restrain her actually falls down. This performance among others is why I have such a high regard for Faye Dunaway as an actress.

I agree. I think it's an Oscar-worthy performance. She's chewing the scenery, but she's playing an actress who very likely chewed a bit of scenery in her home life.

As to the movie, I kind of get the push-back on the camp angle. It reminds me of Showgirls in that it's a movie I can appreciate on two levels, serious movie and camp/cult classic. Showgirls failed in its serious intentions, but I can see what Verhoeven was trying to do with it, and I can watch it with that in mind. Same thing with Mommie Dearest, only I think it was actually much more successful at what it was going for. The problem is that melodrama lends itself to a camp reading. So, yeah, I can see how someone would take the movie seriously, but what is unintentionally humorous is in the eye of the beholder.

[James762]

Originally Posted by Rockercub

Anyone who thinks it's not camp hasn't been to a screening with a theater full of gay men.

Anyone who thinks it's camp hasn't experienced real abuse as a child by a horrible parent and doesn't know a single thing about Joan Crawford or how much of a b***h she was in real life. Also, Faye Dunaway, like Joan Crawford in her movies, was hard to get along with on set. The movie is less "hilarious" if you know what happened on set of it.
Go watch the Cinema Snob's review of Mommie Dearest.

[James762]

Originally Posted by EricAD

I'm not kidding, I'm serious. You need therapy.

[James762]

Originally Posted by Leslie Dame

You seriously think my forum post is something you can make a joke about? Screw you.

My point still stands: you need therapy.

[EricAD]

Originally Posted by James762

I'm not kidding, I'm serious. You need therapy.

"Barbara, please!" I posted a Jan Brady gif. I don't think that's a "you need therapy" kinda thing dude. Chill.

And if I DO need therapy, then it ain't just me buddy....this movie is considered a camp classic since way before I ever was aware of it. It's not just a couple people on this forum. My friend runs a revival movie theater, and you know what packs 'em in every Mother's Day for the Rocky Horror-esque talk back screening? Take a guess.

And twenty years ago, I saw a screening of Mommie Dearest at the Castro in SF with Christina Crawford herself in attendance...if she can laugh at the over-the-top depiction of her own traumatic childhood....I think we can safely do the same.

I'm not saying you have to feel the same way, but you don't need to get aggro on everyone who doesn't see it like you do.

[Rockercub]

Originally Posted by James762

Anyone who thinks it's camp hasn't experienced real abuse as a child by a horrible parent and doesn't know a single thing about Joan Crawford or how much of a b***h she was in real life. Also, Faye Dunaway, like Joan Crawford in her movies, was hard to get along with on set. The movie is less "hilarious" if you know what happened on set of it.
Go watch the Cinema Snob's review of Mommie Dearest.

Look, you can be mad that it's camp and that some people find a subject that disturbs you to be funny, but you can't dispute that it's funny to them. The movie is camp. You don't get to define how others experience it.

[Jlouisbarrett]

Originally Posted by James762

Anyone who thinks it's camp hasn't experienced real abuse as a child by a horrible parent and doesn't know a single thing about Joan Crawford or how much of a b***h she was in real life. Also, Faye Dunaway, like Joan Crawford in her movies, was hard to get along with on set. The movie is less "hilarious" if you know what happened on set of it.
Go watch the Cinema Snob's review of Mommie Dearest.

Also, I don’t think it helps your cause to punctuate your crusading rebuttal with a YouTube review by something called “Cinema Snobs.”

[Leslie Dame]

Also, Faye Dunaway, like Joan Crawford in her movies, was hard to get along with on set. The movie is less "hilarious" if you know what happened on set of it.

Rutanya Alda wrote all about it in her The Mommie Dearest Diary: Carol Ann Tells All book. It makes it even more hilarious when you read all the details that happened on set. Just watch any of the videos with Rutanya reading excerpts from her book.

Mommie Dearest is a camp classic no matter what went on behind the scenes. You defending the movie won't change anybody's mind. The more upset you get the more people won't take you serious. Just chill and take a breather because its only a movie.

[oilers73]

Child abuse is never funny. This movie is. I abhor animal abuse, too. Doesn't stop me from laughing my ass off when Baxter gets punted in Anchorman.

The performances and dialogue in Mommie Dearest are melodramatic to a fault. The direction is heavy-handed. It's a movie that is so eye-rollingly bad, it becomes a comedy. Sometimes, you gotta laugh so you don't cry. Or vomit.

By the way, I know I probably need therapy, but it has nothing to do with my reaction to a bad movie.