Mommie Dearest & Female Trouble

Frank Perry’s MOMMIE DEAREST (R, 1981, 129 min)  

“No wire hangers!” Faye Dunaway delivers a performance for the ages as Hollywood legend Joan Crawford in this controversial and operatic biographical drama. Based on the scathing memoir by Crawford’s adoptive daughter, Christina, the film explores the dark side of Tinseltown glamour through a lens of domestic obsession and psychological warfare. From pristine rose gardens to terrifying midnight cleaning binges, the film is a tour-de-force of camp intensity and melodrama. It remains a cult sensation, celebrated for its flamboyant style and the unhinged, “jaw-hitting-the-floor” energy that redefined the Hollywood biopic. 

Followed by: 

John Waters’ FEMALE TROUBLE (NR, 1974, 89 min)  

“Crime is beauty!” Legendary drag icon Divine stars as Dawn Davenport, a bratty teenager who descends into a life of crime and modeling after her parents refuse to buy her cha-cha heels for Christmas. This cult classic is a shocking, hilarious, and utterly unhinged satire of celebrity culture and societal norms. As Dawn navigates a world of “beauty professionals” who encourage her criminal acts to enhance her fame, the film builds to a spectacular, over-the-top finale that only John Waters could dream up. Visceral, irreverent, and gleefully offensive, it is a definitive piece of underground cinema that celebrates the “outrageous” in its purest form.  

Viewer’s Guide: Graphic violence, sexual assault, drug use, and extreme social taboos.