Mommy Movie Review

What you notice first about Mommy is how good an actress Patty McCormack was and still is. Since McCormack never relied on the tricks of most kiddie stars (baby talk, cuteness, innocence, OR sweetness), she didn't miss them when she moved into adult roles. As the title character, McCormack projects skin-deep politeness, but we all know what's underneath her mask: a sociopathic murderer! This time, it's her daughter (Rachel Lemieux) who's at her wit's end, trying first to protect Mommy from herself and eventually, to protect herself from Mommy! Mommy appears to have been shot on high-definition video (the sequel will be on film, rather than tape), but lit for film. One has to admire the ingenuity of Max Allan Collins: his script is great, his directing style pushes all the right buttons, and he's assembled an astonishingly fine cast, considering the fact that he probably had to stretch every dollar into doing the job of five.

1995 89m/C Patty McCormack, Majel Barrett, Jason Miller, Brinke Stevens, Rachel Lemieux, Mickey Spillane, Michael Cornelison, Sarah Jane Miller; D: Max Allan Collins; W: Max Allan Collins; C: Phillip W. Dingeldein; M: Richard Lowry. VHS