Big Bad Mama 2

BIG BAD MAMA, the original, was essentially a remake of BLOODY MAMA, without Shelley Winters. Angie Dickenson played a mama out for money and revenge, and there was plenty of violence and nudity to satisfy the fans of BLOODY MAMA. However, since BLOODY MAMA is basically a rip-off of BONNIE AND CLYDE, BIG BAD MAMA can't help but to seem familiar.

BIG BAD MAMA II(which is more of an afterthought) is a very watered-down retread. The source material was over ten years old when they made this one, and the story lacks any surprises. In fact, besides the fairly solid cast(Dickenson, Robert Culp), the main attraction of BB MAMA II is in seeing TV star Danielle Brisebois in the buff. BIG BAD MAMA II recalls some past successes, but as it stands, it's no big bad deal. The Depression-era cars, sets, and costumes are all in place, but not much else.

My review was written in October 1987 after a screening in Parkchester, the Bronx.

"Big Bad Mama II" isw a very embarrassing followup to the 1974 Angie Dickinson drive-in hit. Currently in regional theatrical release, cheapie was advertised to open at three Manhattan sites but bumped to bookings in the other boroughs only.

As with producer Roger Corman's novel redoing of hsi "Jackson County Jail" as a "parallel world" sequel called "Outside Chance", "Mama II" is not a sequel to the original pi. Only Dickinson encores, as Wilma McClatchie, a gun-toting, tough-talking 1930s gangster in the mode of Ma Barker and Bonnie Parker. Her sexy daughters (Susan Sennett and Robbie Lee in the 1974 film; Danielle Brisebois and Julie McCullogh currently) are left fatherless in a prolog wherein villain Bruce Glover has their dad killed and the family evicted from their homestead.

Dickinson vows to get Glover, who is running for governor of Texas. She kidnaps his son (Jeff Yahger) and inducts him into her family band of bank robbers. Pic at this point becomes virtually plotless, with a hapless Robert Culp along for the ride as a Philadelphia reporter out to exploit the outlaws' story (and romance Dickinson). An action montage of footage from the first film is used to suggest scope and save money.l When not straining for idiotic "socially redeeming value" in having Dickinson show solidarity with striking miners and Hoovertown denizens, pic is one long rehash with endless machine gun fire, exploding squibs and period car chases.

Ita main thrust is to provide some skin for those successors to the drive-in: home video and paycable. Big surprise is that former tv child star of "Archie Bunker's Place", Danielle Brisebois, goes topless in a requisite frolic in a pond with sis McCullogh and in the process handily proves to have a better body than the former Playboy centerfold model. Dickinson has a nude bed scene with Culp, but is obviously subbed for b a body double this time.

The Peter Principle has former Corman publicis and writer for "Castle of Frankenstein" magazine Jim Wynorski directing this mess, which falls into the "no retakes" school of cinema. Actors' readings suffer accordingly and sense of ripoff is underscored by Chuck Cirino's music which draws heavily (and without credit) upon the work of Ennio Morricone, particularly his "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" score. Idiotic ending features Dickinson in a white wig in 1987 with great-granddaughter Willie (played by Kelli Maroney) to carry on the family tradition.

The first Big Bad Mama was a quickie Bonnie and Clyde wannabe on a much lower budget and a much shorter shooting schedule. Angie looked good and seemed to be enjoying herself in a rare bad girl role, and there were enough car chases and shoot-outs to keep the viewer from falling asleep.

Big Bad Mama II is more (and less) of the same. Mostly less, since writer- director Jim Wynorski aims for camp, but can't manage to get laughs with anything. (This was a career-long failing for him.) Angie is back, but she's now over 50, and the Depression gangster genre has put on a few years too. With nothing new in the way of story ideas or screen visuals, there seems to be no point too having made a sequel beyond cashing in on the original for its video notoriety. More car chases, more guns, but little point. The sequel is only for die hard Angie fans. Collectors of celebrity nude will be disappointed that Angie's nude scenes were doubled (by former Penthouse model Monique Gabrielle).

Angie Dickenson is back, and this time she's old. She does look good in a bubblebath, though, and her daughters have a skinny-dip.

This sequel to a film that ripped-off one film(BLOODY MAMA), which in turn was a rip-off of another flick(BONNIE AND CLYDE).

Needless to say, BIG BAD MAMA II is a watered-down affair. And Robert Culp looks embarrassed. It's a time-killer, with the emphasis on "kill".

When their home is repossessed, Wilma McClatchie's husband is killed and she and her two nubile young daughters set out to rob anything belonging to the owner of the bank concerned.

First of all, being a Jim Wynorski movie, you have to have low expectations. But even for him, this is rather a dud. Not his worst, but far from his best. Second, you have to wonder why Angie Dickinson would agree to this. Being in the first one was "slumming it", so this is practically an insult. Though surprisingly for a Wynorski film, this may have less nudity than the original.

And then there is the strange overt political message. Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall the talk about Hoover shanties and the rich against the poor in the first film. This time it is really blunt, not even cleverly worked in. What exactly is the point?