Serial Mom (1994)

A sweet mother takes a little too much at heart for the defence of her family.

Director:

John Waters

Writer:

John Waters

Stars:

Kathleen Turner, Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kathleen Turner	...	Beverly R. Sutphin
Sam Waterston	...	Eugene Sutphin, D.D.S.
Ricki Lake	...	Misty
Matthew Lillard	...	Chip
Scott Morgan	...	Detective Pike (as Scott Wesley Morgan)
Walt MacPherson	...	Detective Gracey
Justin Whalin	...	Scotty
Patricia Dunnock	...	Birdie
Lonnie Horsey	...	Carl
Mink Stole	...	Dottie Hinkle
Mary Jo Catlett	...	Rosemary Ackerman
John Badila	...	Mr. Stubbins
Kathy Fannon	...	Mrs. Sterner
Doug Roberts	...	Mr. Sterner
Traci Lords	...	Carl's Date

Storyline

A picture perfect middle class family is shocked when they find out that one of their neighbors is receiving obscene phone calls. The mom takes slights against her family very personally, and it turns out she is indeed the one harassing the neighbor. As other slights befall her beloved family, the body count begins to increase, and the police get closer to the truth, threatening the family's picture perfect world.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | housewife | perfection | dentist | threat | 

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Taglines:

Every Mom Wants to Be Wanted, But Not For Murder One!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for satirical presentation of strong violence, vulgar language, and sexual episodes

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 April 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Belali anne

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$7,881,335 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Polar Entertainment Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Body Count: 7.

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Goofs

The date for the trial is October and the establishing shot of the courthouse shows fallen leaves on the grass. In the next shot, the Sutphin family arrives and there are green leafy trees behind them.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Eugene Sutphin: That's a nice dress you're wearing this morning, Misty.
Misty Sutphin: Thanks.

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Crazy Credits

No flies were injured or killed in the making of this motion picture.

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Connections

References The Vanishing (1988)

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Soundtracks

"DAYBREAK"
Written by Barry Manilow and Adrienne Anderson
Performed by Barry Manilow
Courtesy of Arista Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Sick, twisted, bizarre, depraved...and a damn good time!

I saw Serial Mom for the first time as a fairly young kid, and thought it was pretty good. I've just seen it for the first time as an adult, and it turns out that I'd forgotten just how good this film really is! It's certainly not to everyone's taste, and if you can't handle high camp, you definitely don't want to see this; but if you like your films wild and wicked, Serial Mom is a treat indeed! The film follows a slasher plot line, but it's clear that director John Waters didn't want to merely make a slash flick. The film is a parody of life as a housewife, the media and modern society in general; with a heavy dosage of sick humour and a very unique mean streak running throughout. Serial Mom is the sort of film that puts a smile on your face, and it follows the story of a not quite so normal American mother. While her fellow housewives are cooking dinner and cleaning the house, Beverly R. Sutphin is out dispatching people that have got on hers and her family's nerves in a variety of nasty, yet hilarious, ways. Her kids think it's cool, and her husband is duly worried...

Kathleen Turner takes the lead role, and does an excellent job of performing in a serious, yet jokey way; which does the film no end of favours on the parody front. She looks the part, acts the part...and really, I cant think of a better middle-aged actress to take the lead in this film. The support cast, which includes Matthew Lillard and Ricki Lake, is good; but it's the director that's the real star of the show. John Waters has made a name for himself by creating odd and twisted films, and although I haven't seen a great deal of them; Serial Mom is his best as far as I'm concerned. It's one of those films that constantly make you laugh (providing you've got a sick sense of humour), while poking fun at society and offending all the right people all at once! I love originality in movies, and this really is one unique film. The nineties saw the release of lots of obscure social commentaries that were lost under films like Schindler's List and Fight Club, and Serial Mom, along with Francois Ozon's 'Sitcom', is one of the best 'under the radar' films of the decade. It's not a film that everyone will like, but everyone should see it just in case!