Mommy

I've seen a lot of people mostly bash Mommy because of the way it looks. It definitely has that cheap, shot on video feel that many films of this time had and, yes, I suppose that does hurt it to a certain extent, but when you have a script this amusing and a performance as campy as Patty McCormack's, you should be grateful.

Mommy is about, well, a mommy (McCormack) and her young daughter who are alone in the world after all of Mommy's husband have died under mysterious circumstances. That's not actually true. Mommy does have a sister played by b-movie scream queen Brinke Stevens who seems to know her sister isn't all there, but she doesn't appear to believe her insane behavior is anything to get too concerned about.

Things begin to escalate when Mommy kills a teacher who wouldn't give her daughter a student of the year award. Pretty soon, she's on a war path, taking out anyone who gets in her way.

Mommy is worth seeing for McCormack's performance alone. While there are, of course, shades of her iconic performance from The Bad Seed, there's also a little Kathleen Turner in Serial Mom by way of Jessica Walter in Arrested Development. It's truly something to see.

Thinking this low-budget "horror / thriller" to be along the lines of the chilling "Stepfather" films, I decided to watch it, but instead, I felt like I was prying on someone's personal life! The quality of the film was so unbelievably low, it was as if the film was made on someone's handi-cam - you could almost reach out and touch the bad upholstery at "Mommy's" house.

With the exception of the esteemed Majel Barrett I had never heard of any of the cast in this film, which is somewhat surprising, as there were a couple of good actors, while the rest just seemed like locals the director / writer had somehow managed to rope into being in his film. What Majet was doing in this film is beyond me. Patty McCormack was a little bit OTT, but she certainly showed off her character's malign temperament. Rachel Lemieux was harmless, but it's easy to see why she never amounted to anything in the film industry (which I feel rather sorry for her). Brinke Stevens was the surprise, as she was rather good as "Mommy's" kind sister. Jason Miller (R.I.P.) was good as the detective investigating the strange goings-ons surrounding "Mommy", and Sarah Jane Miller was a riot as the janitor.

If you are going to watch this film, be warned, and don't expect too much - because overall, it doesn't amount to much, though that is not for lack of trying.

Pros: A thriller that is somewhat suitable for family viewing. Cons: Really amateurish in both concept & execution. Perfect Audience: Fans of cheapjack crime thrillers & Patty McCormack.

The Story: After her teacher is found dead in her classroom after having an argument with her tightly-wound & highly ambitious mother, Jessica Ann Sterling begins to believe that her mother could be a serial killer.

Max Allan Collins is a writer who specialises in true-life crime novels, TV shows & even trading cards. In the early 1990s he decided to become a filmmaker, taking the decision to adapt one of his short stories into a feature film. For the title role, he picked none other than Patty McCormack, the actress who as a young girl played eleven-year-old serial killer Rhoda Penmark in the 1956 classic The Bad Seed. Thirty-four years later & McCormack is back doing what she does best - playing somebody who is nice on the outside but a mean & ruthless mother on the inside.

Despite the amateurish nature of the production (if this was left in the hands of a much more professional & seasoned director, it would have been a minor classic), McCormack pretty much rules the show as the ruthlessly determined Mommy Sterling, conquering all before her with her sociopathic performance & Brinke Stevens, one of the classic 1980s Scream Queens & a capable actress herself, plays the counterpoint as McCormack's plain-Jane sister. While I had some doubts about the decision by Collins to give young Rachel Lemieux dialogue that is too advanced for somebody her age to handle (it makes her sound like a teenager or young adult) without losing credibility, the story is a fairly serviceable one & Collins succeeds in making an interestingly average thriller that is somehow also suitable for family viewing... Who would imagine something like that?

Violence & Gore: Some killings that are basic - teacher falls off a ladder, a janitor electrocuted, a shooting - without any gore being displayed.

Sexuality & Nudity: Nothing like that here.

This is not really a follow-up to Bad Seed. Patty McCormick does reprise her role in a way, but it's a different character. If you wanna use your imagination, and interpret things your own way, here's some food for thought. I like to imagine that this is Rhoda all grown up, with a name and identity change. Anyway, Patty McCormick is obsessed with her 12 year old daughter. She will kill anyone, or anything that gets in her way. When she finds out her daughter didn't win Student of the Year Award, she offs her teacher. An investigator goes undercover to get to the truth of the story. The meat of this story is Mommy & the daughter Jessica. They are both riveting to watch, and I enjoyed the creepy interactions. Rachel Lemuix does a heck of a job as the daughter, and puts many kid actors to shame with her excellent performance. Not only is she sympathetic, but very talented. I wonder where she is now? Patty McCormick is fantastic in her role. Her galvanizing presence and her creepy obsession chilled me to the bone. Brinke Stevens has a bit of a pivotal part as McCormick's sister, and lends good support. The low budget can't be ignored. It looks extremely cheap, but the effort is there, and I have to give it credit. The ending sets up a sequel, and a sequel did commence, called Mommy's Day. I've not been able to find it, though

Final Thoughts: If you can find it, you may enjoy yourself more than you thought you would.

6.3/10

Forget Blair Witch or the flavor of the month at the nearest artsy film festival. This is the definition of Independent. Shot on a shoestring in Muscatine, IA, this semi-sequel to The Bad Seed (Mommy is never named, but the parallel is obvious) is a character-driven study of a young girl discovering her perfect mother is just plain evil. The casting is clever, especially scream queen Brinke Stevens doing an about face as Mommy's "Plain-Jane" sister Beth. I highly recommend Max's novelisation, which fleshes out the back story. Also look for Max and his band playing at the dance.