It's All About Moms

It's Mother's Day and I want to congratulate all of the great Moms out there, each any very one.
However, it struck me that sometimes Moms aren't so great. And what about bad Moms in the cinema.

Let's start with the first Mom, Eve. Hmmmm not so great.  Ate the forbidden fruit and condemned us all to hell. Plus one of her sons killed the other. Not too nurturing, Eve.  But let's talk bad cinema Moms. Here are some of my favorites:

Ramsey in 'Throw Mama'

Throw Mama From The Train (1987) - starring Danny Devito, Billy Crystal, and Rob Reiner with Anne Ramsey playing Devito's cruel and domineering mother who he plots to kill.  This is a black comedy that is well worth the view, bad Ma aside.

Dunaway with wire hanger

Mommie Dearest (1981) Semi-bio memoir and expose' of actress Joan Crawford. Played by Faye Dunaway, the story goes that Crawford, the mother of four children (two of which were orphans), becomes abusive due to a series of career and romantic frustrations, coupled with alcoholism. "I told you never to use a wire hanger" Crawford screams at her daughter.

Ma Barker's Killer Brood (1960) depicts the life of Arizona Donnie Barker, better known as Ma Barker - the ring-leader of a notorious gang (which included her four sons).  The Barker gang robbed, kidnapped, and murdered throughout the mid-western U.S. in the early 1930s.  Ma was a great role model and taught her sons the tricks of the criminal trade. The real Ma Barker was killed in a shoot-out with FBI agents in 1935.  Although the movie was highly dramatized it nonetheless showed Ma in her glory days.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Eleanor Iselin (played to perfection by Angela Lansbury) takes pleasure in brainwashing her son into becoming an assassin in the hopes of using him to further her (and her new husband's) political fortunes.  The movie, which was controversial had its release postponed due to the Kennedy assassination.  The film also starred Frank Sinatra and Lawrence Harvey and ends well, as the son kills the not-so-good nurturing Mom.

Well, what can I say. Yes, there are bad Moms, just ask Oedipus.

Just saying,
Jim