Mommie Dearest (film)
| Mommie Dearest | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Frank Perry |
| Produced by | Frank Yablans |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on |
Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
| Cinematography | Paul Lohmann |
| Edited by | Peter E. Berger |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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129 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million |
| Box office | $39 million |
Mommie Dearest is a 1981 American biographical melodrama film which depicts the childhood of Christina Crawford and how she was abused as a little girl by her adoptive mother, actress Joan Crawford. Starring Faye Dunaway, Mara Hobel, and Diana Scarwid, the film was directed by Frank Perry. The story was adapted for the screen by Robert Getchell, Tracy Hotchner, Frank Perry, and Frank Yablans, based on the 1978 autobiography of the same name by Christina Crawford. The executive producers were Christina's husband, David Koontz, and Terrence O'Neill, Dunaway's then-boyfriend and soon-to-be husband. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures, the only one of the "Big 8" film studios for which Crawford had never appeared in a feature film.
The film was a commercial success, grossing $39 million worldwide from a $5 million budget. Despite negative reviews from film critics for its over-the-top performances and poor dialogue, it has since become a cult classic.
Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) is a driven actress and compulsively clean housekeeper who tries to control the lives of those around her as tightly as she controls herself. To prepare for a work day at MGM Studios, she rises at 4:00 a.m. and engages in a strict morning ritual: scrubbing her face and arms with soap and boiling hot water, then plunging her face into a bowl of rubbing alcohol and ice to close the pores. When Helga (Alice Nunn), a new maid, thinks she has Joan's living room in spotless condition, Joan finds one minor detail that she overlooked and loses her temper.
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