Mommie Dearest 6 Ways It Still Holds Up Today
Mommie Dearest: 6 Ways It Still Holds Up Today
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From the riveting story to Faye Dunaway’s blistering performance, Frank Perry’s cult-classic Mommie Dearest withstands the test of time.
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One of the most controversially polarizing films ever made, Frank Perry’s cult-classic Mommie Dearest turns 40 years old on Sept. 25, 2021. Earning Razzie Awards for worst actress as well as multiple critics’ award nods for best actress, the film stars Faye Dunaway in a histrionic turn as Hollywood luminary Joan Crawford and depicts the horrifying ways she allegedly abused her adopted daughter, Christina (Diana Scarwid and Mara Hobel).
As the film nears its 4oth anniversary, it’s worth taking a look back and assessing the lasting merits that Mommie Dearest still has to offer to audiences in a new generation.
6 The Veracity Of Its Story
In a grand example of cinematic “she said, she said,” one of the things that make Mommie Dearest so durable is the unknowable veracity of the story. Based on the autobiography by Joan Crawford’s adopted daughter Christina, many felt the book was a scathing hit-job by someone who wanted to vindictively smear her mother’s name for leaving her out of her will. Others felt that Christina was telling the truth with 100% authenticity and that the events depicted in the actor biopic were genuine.
It’s that very question mark that makes the movie so interesting to watch in 2021. Knowing that there are three sides to every story — Joan’s, Christina’s, and the truth somewhere in the middle — there are no definitive answers provided in the film, no clean resolutions, and no real way of telling how much is fact versus fiction. The mystery of what really happened necessitates repeat viewings to cull as many clues as possible.
5 Faye Dunaway’s Performance
While it was harshly lambasted by most critics for its dramatically over-the-top acting performance by Faye Dunaway, those who defended it at the time look quite brilliant today. One such person was the revered film critic Paulene Kael, who rightly labeled Dunaway’s performance as transcendent. Dunaway’s remarkable turn is the No. 1 reason to revisit the film.
Dunaway’s fearless performance surpasses mere imitation of a Hollywood screen legend set to volume 10. Between the ferocious and frightening outbursts she gives in her manic performance, there are incredibly subtle, nuanced, and quiet scenes of her visiting Christina in her apartment to offer encouragement, or breaking down in Louis B. Mayer’s office after being rejected as “box office poison” that create well-rounded humanity most critics overlooked at the time. The performance did not deserve its Razzie for worst actress, and in retrospect, it is clear that Dunaway did deserve to win the National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award that she was nominated for.
4 Its Eminent Quotability
Thanks to Dunaway’s electrifying performance and the colorful script penned by Frank Perry and Frank Yablans, Mommie Dearest remains one of the most quotable movies of all time. The most repeatable line in the film comes when Joan manically ululates “No… wire… hangers!” which prompted so much fanfare at the time that audiences would show up to screenings with cans of Ajax and coat-hangers to participate like a Rocky Horror Picture Show crowd (per Moviefone).
Other delicious quotes include Joan’s weepy, “Tina, bring me the ax,” “Discipline mixed with love is such a good recipe,” and, “Don’t f— with me, fellas, this ain’t my first time at the rodeo.” Other colorful quips add to the amusing level of camp and kitsch that makes the quasi-horror movie a must-see annual watch.
3 Its Costume Designs And Makeup
One aspect of the film that is beyond reproach, both in 1981 and in 2021, is the sumptuous makeup and costumes of 1940s and ’50s Hollywood and the gorgeous set decoration that really transports viewers to the specific time and place. Much of the credit goes to costume designer Irene Sharaff, the five-time Oscar winner who ended her career with Mommie Dearest as her final film.
Since so much of Joan’s life was defined by her glamourous beauty, the importance of the costumes become even greater. The impeccable costumes Dunaway wears with colorful draping silks, empowering shoulder pads, monogrammed robes, high-ankle strap heels, platinum sequins, and more bring the real-life Hollywood titan to life in the most realistic way imaginable. Lee Harman’s makeup (who worked with Dunaway on Chinatown) and Claud Diaz’s wig-making round the character out with terrifying blood-red lips, powdered facade, and various period hairstyles.
2 Its Commentary On Aging And Beauty
Coming into sharper focus with the benefit of hindsight is Mommie Dearest’s salient social commentary on aging and beauty, particularly as it relates to women in Hollywood. The biopic about a female Hollwyood icon holds up extremely well in terms of what it has to say about the unhealthy obsession with physical perfection, the pressures to do so as an actress, and the destructive ramifications failing to achieve such can have on one’s family.
Joan is introduced for the first time in the film only after she’s been fully made-up in her studio actor’s chair, indicating from the very start that Joan isn’t comfortable or complete until she’s been powdered and wigged. Much of her abusive behavior stems from the studio rejection due to her aging, which forces her to take her vengeful ire out on her innocent daughter. While many were blinded by Dunaway’s searing performance, they lost sight of the tragic downfall Perry was commenting on all along.
1 Its Criticisms Of Hollywood Celebrity
Aside from the cautionary commentary on Hollywood aging and beauty, Mommie Dearest also presents a trenchant statement on the nature of Hollywood celebrity itself. Joan’s biggest downfall in the film is prioritizing her career over her family, and when her career falls to pieces, so does her family. It’s an eye-opening critique of Hollywood that has only gained more traction and validity over the past four decades.
In the modern age of solipsistic reality TV shows based on superficial beauty, unhealthy narcissism, and fame-starved social media users looking to go viral on a daily basis, Mommie Dearest serves as a stark reminder that being a loving, compassionate family member is far more valuable than fleeting fame in Hollywood.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/mommie-dearest-film-still-holds-up-ways/
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