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IMDbPro

Mommie Dearest

  • 19811981
  • RR
  • 2h 9m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
16K
YOUR RATING
Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest (1981)
The abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, screen queen Joan Crawford, is depicted.
Play trailer4:11
2 Videos
35 Photos
  • Biography
  • Drama
The abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, screen queen Joan Crawford, is depicted.The abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, screen queen Joan Crawford, is depicted.The abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, screen queen Joan Crawford, is depicted.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
16K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Frank Perry
  • Writers
    • Christina Crawford(book)
    • Frank Yablans(screenplay)
    • Frank Perry(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Faye Dunaway
    • Diana Scarwid
    • Steve Forrest
Top credits
  • Director
    • Frank Perry
  • Writers
    • Christina Crawford(book)
    • Frank Yablans(screenplay)
    • Frank Perry(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Faye Dunaway
    • Diana Scarwid
    • Steve Forrest
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 206User reviews
    • 81Critic reviews
    • 55Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins & 11 nominations

    Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 4:11
    Trailer
    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 1
    Video 29:23
    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 1

    Photos35

    Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Faye Dunaway and Mara Hobel in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Faye Dunaway and Mara Hobel in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Faye Dunaway, Mara Hobel, and Jeremy Scott Reinbolt in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Mara Hobel in Mommie Dearest (1981)
    Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Faye Dunaway
    Faye Dunaway
    • Joan Crawfordas Joan Crawford
    Diana Scarwid
    Diana Scarwid
    • Christina Crawford (Adult)as Christina Crawford (Adult)
    Steve Forrest
    Steve Forrest
    • Greg Savittas Greg Savitt
    Howard Da Silva
    Howard Da Silva
    • L.B. Mayeras L.B. Mayer
    Mara Hobel
    Mara Hobel
    • Christina Crawford (Child)as Christina Crawford (Child)
    Rutanya Alda
    Rutanya Alda
    • Carol Annas Carol Ann
    Harry Goz
    • Al Steeleas Al Steele
    Michael Edwards
    Michael Edwards
    • Ted Gelberas Ted Gelber
    Jocelyn Brando
    Jocelyn Brando
    • Barbara Bennettas Barbara Bennett
    Priscilla Pointer
    Priscilla Pointer
    • Mrs. Chadwickas Mrs. Chadwick
    Joe Abdullah
    • Captainas Captain
    Gary Allen
    • Jimmy (Photographer)as Jimmy (Photographer)
    Selma Archerd
    Selma Archerd
    • Connieas Connie
    Adrian Aron
    • Wedding Guestas Wedding Guest
    Xander Berkeley
    Xander Berkeley
    • Christopher Crawford (Adult)as Christopher Crawford (Adult)
    Matthew Campion
    • Actor in Soap (Bill)as Actor in Soap (Bill)
    Carolyn Coates
    • Mother Superioras Mother Superior
    Jerry Douglas
    Jerry Douglas
    • Radio Intervieweras Radio Interviewer
    • Director
      • Frank Perry
    • Writers
      • Christina Crawford(book)
      • Frank Yablans(screenplay)
      • Frank Perry(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Faye Dunaway mentions in her autobiography that she screamed herself hoarse during the filming for the notorious wire hanger tantrum scene in this movie. She called Frank Sinatra for help, and he gave her some pointers on how to get her voice back into shape.
    • Goofs
      During opening sequence set in late Thirties, a sightseeing tour bus drives past with an illustration of the famous Hollywood sign on its side. In reality, at that time the sign would have read "HOLLYWOODLAND" - the "LAND" portion of sign (which originally promoted a housing development called HOLLYWOODLAND) was not removed until the late 1940s.
    • Quotes

      Joan Crawford: Why can't you give me the respect that I'm entitled to? Why can't you treat me like I would be treated by any stranger on the street?

      Christina: Because I am NOT one of your FANS.

    • Alternate versions
      Due to the damage on the film's master, all current video/television prints are missing the dramatic music as Joan destroys her rose garden.
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: Continental Divide, Mommie Dearest, Only When I Laugh, Body Heat, First Monday in October (1981)
    • Soundtracks
      I'm Sitting On Top Of The World
      by Sam Lewis, Joe Young (as Young) & Ray Henderson (as Henderson)

    User reviews206

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Words Can't Do Justice
    It seems almost pointless for me to add any comments here, since everyone else who's posted has done such a great job of summarizing this film's merits, but I can't resist. How do you rate a movie like this? On the one hand, it's one of the worst movies I've ever seen: completely lacking in coherence, shameful acting, writing so bad it seems to be making fun of itself. In fact, I'm still not convinced this movie isn't supposed to be a parody of Christina Crawford's book rather than a serious attempt to adapt it to the screen. On the other hand, it's such a rip-roarin' good time of a show that I'm tempted to give it 10 stars on the strength of its sheer entertainment value alone.

    Faye Dunaway gives the most jaw-droppingly mesmerizing freak out ever captured on screen, whose bizarreness cannot even be topped by Halle Berry's Oscar acceptance speech. Dunaway must have realized early on that she was a rat in a sinking ship, but instead of deserting, she decides instead to devour the crew. I don't know if her performance comes anywhere close to capturing the real Joan Crawford, but if Crawford was even a tenth of a percent as loony as Dunaway portrays her here, I would have been high-tailing it to Canada if I were either of her children. The fabulous lines, many of which are quoted on this site, can't really be done justice when removed from the context in which they appear, and you really have to see the faces of the actors as they're delivering them to get the full effect. The wire hanger scene is of course a classic, but it's really the floor scrubbing scene immediately following, with Dunaway in kabuki makeup squatting on the floor like a Sumo wrestler, that remains more memorable. Watching Joanie jog is a sight to behold, especially when she starts talking to herself and scrunching her face up as if she's imitating Alvin or one of his chipmunks. There's the "I can handle the socks" moment, one of the most seductive moments (hee, hee) in film history, and of course the coup de grace comes when Joanie tackles Christina across the coffee table and begins banging her head into the floor like she's in a women's prison movie.

    The editing in this film is atrocious. There's no sense of time; events follow each other in a loosely chronological fashion, but they don't make dramatic or narrative sense. Frank Perry, the director, must have been dozing off through much of this production; either that or his film crew carried out a mutiny, tied him up, threw him in a shed, and went ahead without him. But it seems churlish to criticize a film like this for its poor film making. It's like kicking a dead horse.

    All I can say is, if you watch this movie with the right people in the right frame of mind (i.e. with alcohol), you will be howling. I watched this with a group in college, and we had to periodically pause the movie in order to allow everyone to recover before continuing. Thank you, Ms. Dunaway, for giving us "Mommie Dearest." The world will never be able to repay you for your kindness.

    Grade: F or A+ (depending on your perspective and level of sobriety)
    helpful•128
    45
    • evanston_dad
    • Sep 1, 2005

    FAQ2

    • How faithful is this movie to the book, and is it an accurate portrayal of real events?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 25, 1981 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Meine liebe Rabenmutter
    • Filming locations
      • 355 S. Mapleton Drive, Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $19,032,261
    • Gross worldwide
      • $19,032,261
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 9 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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