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Review

This classic could possibly be used in a dictionary definition of the word "camp". If you enter a gay bar and there is a video monitor on the wall, you are more than likely to be treated to an excerpt from Mommie Dearest. The big question is which scene; the big wire hanger scene, the tear filled confrontational climax or the bathroom cleaning scene. The filmmakers and actors all claim the film was not meant to be campy, but really! Faye Dunaway brought a new level to over-acting in her portrayal of the viciously mean Joan Crawford. Everything about this film is over the top - the costumes, the sets and the acting. This wondrous film is ostensibly a filmed version of Christine Crawford's tell-all novel detailing her abused childhood as the adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford. (Ironically, Crawford herself remarked that if her life story were ever filmed, she wanted Dunaway to play her.)

 -- Scott Cranin