Bon appétit maman

Rarely on IMDb do you see such divergent reviews--lots of HATED ITs and LOVED ITs but not so many scores in between. I think this is because to love it, you MUST be the sort of person that can appreciate sick, over-the-top comedy--like I do! This is similar to the movie EATING RAOUL, but it seems to be better written and acted.

The film begins with Ed limping through life well after the death of his beloved mother. He's obviously in a funk and can't seem to get her early death out of his mind. Then, completely out of the blue, a guy dressed in a white suit walks into Ed's hardware store and offers to bring Ed's mom back from the dead! All this only in the first few minutes of the movie! Yes, it does have some mildly gross moments (though most is described, not shown) and some VERY kooky moments (such as the newly revived Mom chasing dogs and cats up and down the street with a riding mower after she gets a taste for BLOOD). Not everyone's cup of tea, to be sure, but if you like 'em wild and irreverent and off-color, you MUST give this movie a try--if you can find it! This was not released to the theaters (wimps!) and is hard to find on tape--you'll probably need to order it, like I did.

One reviewer compared this movie, unfavorably, to DEAD ALIVE. I saw both films and thought ED AND HIS DEAD MOTHER was a much funnier and less disgusting film. I also didn't think the plot was stolen, though there are a few similarities, I grant you. DEAD ALIVE is more like an EVIL DEAD/NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD film (complete with ALL the gore) while ED AND HIS DEAD MOTHER has almost no gore and is more funny to me (though I am sure opinions will vary).

UPDATE: This film has been shown a lot on Showtime recently, so if you have the channel keep an eye out for it.

Good one-liners and great deadpan performances by Steve Buscemi and Ned Beatty highlight this irreverent romantic comedy about death and hardware...? If you can find this little off-beat gem to watch, you shouldn't be disappointed.

Ed Chilton (Steve Buscemi) is a hardware store owner / operator still mourning the death of his mother Mabel (Miriam Margolyes) one year later. Therefore he is easy prey for a smarmy, super slick salesman, A.J. Pattle (John Glover), who's hawking the reanimation of the deceased. Ed soon agrees, and after some setbacks and price haggling, Mabel is brought by Pattle to Eds' doorstep. Naturally, as Ed and his uncle Benny (Ned Beatty) quickly realize, she's not the woman she used to be. For one thing, her new diet should come as a shock to no-one.

"Ed and His Dead Mother" is a pretty predictable black comedy, with no real inspired moments or fireworks. That said, it's still easy enough to take, and enjoy, but that itself may pose a problem for some viewers: it's NOT all that dark, or insane. One might think of it as a much milder version of Peter Jacksons' "Braindead", minus the over the top gore. What makes it as entertaining as it is is this excellent cast of familiar faces. Buscemi is endearing in the lead, the often priceless Glover is a hoot as usual, Beatty is quite funny (his character is a shameless, horny voyeur), and the under rated Margolyes has fun as the re-animated mother. The supporting cast can boast a couple of other recognizable people: Eric Christmas as a defense attorney, Gary Farmer as hardware store employee "Big Lar", Jon Gries as an ex- convict, and Rance Howard (very funny himself) as a crazed reverend. Sam Jenkins (a.k.a. Mrs. Kevin Sorbo) offers up lots of sex appeal as a new neighbor. Dawn Hudson, who has a bit as a telemarketer, became Chief Executive Officer of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences years later.

The movie is decently directed by Jonathan Wacks, who'd produced the cult classic "Repo Man" about a decade previous, and whose other directorial credits include "Powwow Highway" and "Mystery Date". It's also noteworthy for its stylistic choice of black & white wrap around segments, and Mason Darings' fine score.

"Ed and His Dead Mother" isn't anything great, but it does offer some fun for a well paced 91 minutes.

Six out of 10.

I don't know why, but I liked this movie. It's one of Steve Buscemi's few leading roles in a movie and I like him as an actor, but my enjoyment of this film went beyond that. I've only seen it on TV a few times (was this ever actually released in theaters?) but I enjoyed it. It has a quirky humor to it and a rather odd storyline. If you ever see this on TV on a Sunday afternoon, watch it.

Don't care what anyone says.. I love this movie! Twas the movie that got me hooked on Steve Buscemi many the year ago... Its odd, quirky, and cheesy-on-purpose. If you go into it expecting that.. You'll probably like it more. I dunno.. This is an all time fave of mine, and a lot of it has to do with the quirkiness of it (I like 'out-of-the-norm' movies.. especially comedies). If yer a Steve fan or not.. Check this movie out for some fun laughs :-)