I first saw the cover of mommy on a horror ten pack DVD only for 10 dollars. I thought it was some cheap rip off of Friday The 13th. When I turned it on it seemed hilarious at the start when she killed her daughters teacher by snapping her neck. Through out the movie mommy kills and eliminates anyone who gets in her daughters way. The acting is superb and is filmed nicely. The daughter notice's what her mother is doing isn't normal and tries to escape mommy's evil lair of murders. A good movie with an unexpected twist. My review is ** 6.3/10 Acting ** 7.8/10 Story ** 5.9/10 Gore ** Overall 6.2/10. The Acting is hilarious with a good result in the end. The story line is original and excellent. There isn't much gore although the death scenes are excellent for a low budget film.
19 Reviews
Pretty damn decent for the extremely low budget
callanvass20 October 2013
This is not really a follow-up to Bad Seed. Patty McCormick does reprise her role in a way, but it's a different character. If you wanna use your imagination, and interpret things your own way, here's some food for thought. I like to imagine that this is Rhoda all grown up, with a name and identity change. Anyway, Patty McCormick is obsessed with her 12 year old daughter. She will kill anyone, or anything that gets in her way. When she finds out her daughter didn't win Student of the Year Award, she offs her teacher. An investigator goes undercover to get to the truth of the story. The meat of this story is Mommy & the daughter Jessica. They are both riveting to watch, and I enjoyed the creepy interactions. Rachel Lemuix does a heck of a job as the daughter, and puts many kid actors to shame with her excellent performance. Not only is she sympathetic, but very talented. I wonder where she is now? Patty McCormick is fantastic in her role. Her galvanizing presence and her creepy obsession chilled me to the bone. Brinke Stevens has a bit of a pivotal part as McCormick's sister, and lends good support. The low budget can't be ignored. It looks extremely cheap, but the effort is there, and I have to give it credit. The ending sets up a sequel, and a sequel did commence, called Mommy's Day. I've not been able to find it, though
Final Thoughts: If you can find it, you may enjoy yourself more than you thought you would.
6.3/10
Final Thoughts: If you can find it, you may enjoy yourself more than you thought you would.
6.3/10
No, Mommy! No! (Indeed!)
boyinflares7 May 2006
Thinking this low-budget "horror / thriller" to be along the lines of the chilling "Stepfather" films, I decided to watch it, but instead, I felt like I was prying on someone's personal life! The quality of the film was so unbelievably low, it was as if the film was made on someone's handi-cam - you could almost reach out and touch the bad upholstery at "Mommy's" house.
With the exception of the esteemed Majel Barrett I had never heard of any of the cast in this film, which is somewhat surprising, as there were a couple of good actors, while the rest just seemed like locals the director / writer had somehow managed to rope into being in his film. What Majet was doing in this film is beyond me. Patty McCormack was a little bit OTT, but she certainly showed off her character's malign temperament. Rachel Lemieux was harmless, but it's easy to see why she never amounted to anything in the film industry (which I feel rather sorry for her). Brinke Stevens was the surprise, as she was rather good as "Mommy's" kind sister. Jason Miller (R.I.P.) was good as the detective investigating the strange goings-ons surrounding "Mommy", and Sarah Jane Miller was a riot as the janitor.
If you are going to watch this film, be warned, and don't expect too much - because overall, it doesn't amount to much, though that is not for lack of trying.
With the exception of the esteemed Majel Barrett I had never heard of any of the cast in this film, which is somewhat surprising, as there were a couple of good actors, while the rest just seemed like locals the director / writer had somehow managed to rope into being in his film. What Majet was doing in this film is beyond me. Patty McCormack was a little bit OTT, but she certainly showed off her character's malign temperament. Rachel Lemieux was harmless, but it's easy to see why she never amounted to anything in the film industry (which I feel rather sorry for her). Brinke Stevens was the surprise, as she was rather good as "Mommy's" kind sister. Jason Miller (R.I.P.) was good as the detective investigating the strange goings-ons surrounding "Mommy", and Sarah Jane Miller was a riot as the janitor.
If you are going to watch this film, be warned, and don't expect too much - because overall, it doesn't amount to much, though that is not for lack of trying.
Well, what did you expect?
Tura2329 May 2007
Yes, it is low budget, and yes it is shot on video for the direct to DVD market but I've seen much, much, worse. I can only imagine that the critics of this movie went into it with the wrong expectations.
Patty McCormack is great as the deranged Mommy, her performance is definitely over the top, just as it should be in this kind of movie. She's acting as hard as she can and it is not a role which calls for subtlety. Rachel Lemieux may not be the most accomplished actress in the world - but she's less annoying than most children in low budget films. It's also nice to see Brinke Stevens in a (more or less) dramatic role.
If you are looking for a high quality movie with lots of drama, gore, and topless Brinke Stevens, this is definitely not it. However, if you're looking for something kind of campy which you can enjoy making fun of (in an MST3K kind of way) then you could do a lot worse than this.
Patty McCormack is great as the deranged Mommy, her performance is definitely over the top, just as it should be in this kind of movie. She's acting as hard as she can and it is not a role which calls for subtlety. Rachel Lemieux may not be the most accomplished actress in the world - but she's less annoying than most children in low budget films. It's also nice to see Brinke Stevens in a (more or less) dramatic role.
If you are looking for a high quality movie with lots of drama, gore, and topless Brinke Stevens, this is definitely not it. However, if you're looking for something kind of campy which you can enjoy making fun of (in an MST3K kind of way) then you could do a lot worse than this.
A killer mother wants nothing but the best for her daughter
ColonelHetzer21715 April 2019
Pros: A thriller that is somewhat suitable for family viewing.
Cons: Really amateurish in both concept & execution.
Perfect Audience: Fans of cheapjack crime thrillers & Patty McCormack.
The Story: After her teacher is found dead in her classroom after having an argument with her tightly-wound & highly ambitious mother, Jessica Ann Sterling begins to believe that her mother could be a serial killer.
Max Allan Collins is a writer who specialises in true-life crime novels, TV shows & even trading cards. In the early 1990s he decided to become a filmmaker, taking the decision to adapt one of his short stories into a feature film. For the title role, he picked none other than Patty McCormack, the actress who as a young girl played eleven-year-old serial killer Rhoda Penmark in the 1956 classic The Bad Seed. Thirty-four years later & McCormack is back doing what she does best - playing somebody who is nice on the outside but a mean & ruthless mother on the inside.
Despite the amateurish nature of the production (if this was left in the hands of a much more professional & seasoned director, it would have been a minor classic), McCormack pretty much rules the show as the ruthlessly determined Mommy Sterling, conquering all before her with her sociopathic performance & Brinke Stevens, one of the classic 1980s Scream Queens & a capable actress herself, plays the counterpoint as McCormack's plain-Jane sister. While I had some doubts about the decision by Collins to give young Rachel Lemieux dialogue that is too advanced for somebody her age to handle (it makes her sound like a teenager or young adult) without losing credibility, the story is a fairly serviceable one & Collins succeeds in making an interestingly average thriller that is somehow also suitable for family viewing... Who would imagine something like that?
Violence & Gore: Some killings that are basic - teacher falls off a ladder, a janitor electrocuted, a shooting - without any gore being displayed.
Sexuality & Nudity: Nothing like that here.
The Story: After her teacher is found dead in her classroom after having an argument with her tightly-wound & highly ambitious mother, Jessica Ann Sterling begins to believe that her mother could be a serial killer.
Max Allan Collins is a writer who specialises in true-life crime novels, TV shows & even trading cards. In the early 1990s he decided to become a filmmaker, taking the decision to adapt one of his short stories into a feature film. For the title role, he picked none other than Patty McCormack, the actress who as a young girl played eleven-year-old serial killer Rhoda Penmark in the 1956 classic The Bad Seed. Thirty-four years later & McCormack is back doing what she does best - playing somebody who is nice on the outside but a mean & ruthless mother on the inside.
Despite the amateurish nature of the production (if this was left in the hands of a much more professional & seasoned director, it would have been a minor classic), McCormack pretty much rules the show as the ruthlessly determined Mommy Sterling, conquering all before her with her sociopathic performance & Brinke Stevens, one of the classic 1980s Scream Queens & a capable actress herself, plays the counterpoint as McCormack's plain-Jane sister. While I had some doubts about the decision by Collins to give young Rachel Lemieux dialogue that is too advanced for somebody her age to handle (it makes her sound like a teenager or young adult) without losing credibility, the story is a fairly serviceable one & Collins succeeds in making an interestingly average thriller that is somehow also suitable for family viewing... Who would imagine something like that?
Violence & Gore: Some killings that are basic - teacher falls off a ladder, a janitor electrocuted, a shooting - without any gore being displayed.
Sexuality & Nudity: Nothing like that here.
It's the pits!
lost-in-limbo8 February 2006
An over-obsessive mom wants the best for her daughter and for herself, but when she learns that this year her daughter isn't winning the award that she has won for the last couple times. She marches straight to the teacher's classroom to make her change her mind and reward in to her daughter. The teacher doesn't budge from her decision; so the mother kills the teacher and makes it look like it was an accident. When the police are called in, one of the detectives don't believe the mother's story and goes out of his way to trying to convict her too it.
Whoa! I didn't expect it to have that much of a high rating. After a friend told me that 'Mommy' wasn't too bad, maybe my hopes were a little too high because when I finally got around to watching it, I found it to be incoherently boring. I know this is a limited-budget indie production that went straight-to-video, but it's executed without any real conviction and a lack of inventiveness shows. Yeah, like others have said it tries to be atmospheric and psychologically gripping. But the thing is it TRIES, but fails miserably. Half of the film was spent in very poor lit scenes that it was plain unbearable. Sometimes you're squinting to see what's actually going on and that's quite frustrating. Lighting people! With such a restrained budget obviously the results didn't work out so great in the long run.
The plot is a muddle of ridiculous plot details and twists. Patty McCormick's character is named only mom and is kind of hinted, but I don't think officially as if this is a sequel to 'The Bad Seed'. That doesn't make it essential viewing though far from it actually. There's no real background or insight about why she acts like the way she does. Though some minor stuff is brought about her past, but it never clearly explains anything. She definitely most interesting but its never brought out and most of the attention centres around the kid. The child provides some narration that adds a more caring approach to the material, but everything about it moves at a snails pace with many irrelevant padding. Starts off interesting enough, but not too long it falls by the wayside with a formulaic pattern of most thrillers. The plot tries to drive itself with the characters, but they aren't that enticing or fleshed out to really care. Gradually further the film went along the more I was trying to keep my eyes open and if not that I found myself easily being distracted. Those many dark sequences where it was hard to work out what was happening attributed a lot to those factors.
What's quite surprising is to see the likes of Patty McCormick, Jason Miller and Brinke Stevens appear in this junk. They're pretty much shadows of their old selves here. Patty McCormick intentionally hams it up as the whacked up Mom. She's one antsy b!tch. Jason Millar as the snooping Lt. March and Brinke Stevens as kind aunty Beth give dispirited performances. The rest of the support cast were bystanders, but Rachael Lemieux as Jessica Ann showed up the big names as the little girl caught up in her mother's mess. She was actually pretty good and definitely gave the best and most well rounded performance. The dialog is pure fluff and emotionally strained. Really, that's not much of a surprise.
The film looks okay, if even a bit stale and amateurish. Although the bad lighting really did get on my nerves and lack of imagination showed up in the filming techniques. That can be blamed to budget restrictions. Like a fellow user had mentioned, it was shot on video, but it's incredibly grainy and shows up like a doco. The whole set-up kind of reminded of one of those enactments you see in missing person's shows and documentaries. While sometimes everything felt like it was in slow motion and the conversations were just laughably trite and unbelievable. The score is often misplaced and when so it's rather overstated beyond belief. The awful tune 'Mommy's Day' that opens and closes proceedings is a real headache inducer. I don't know why this film is rated MA (Australian) because the context is quite tame in retrospect and sometimes it came across rather childish. The violence was more often cutaway and rather unappetising. When it comes to the finale its wraps off with an unconvincing payoff and fades away in a puff of smoke. Maybe I'm the wrong target audience, but in my eyes this was one lacklustre effort. I notice after a short while I was continuously checking how long it has been running for. When you're doing that you know it's not much of a good sign.
"Can we watch Seinfield " Now that's better time spent! Seriously. Maybe if you're fan of the stars, go right ahead.
Whoa! I didn't expect it to have that much of a high rating. After a friend told me that 'Mommy' wasn't too bad, maybe my hopes were a little too high because when I finally got around to watching it, I found it to be incoherently boring. I know this is a limited-budget indie production that went straight-to-video, but it's executed without any real conviction and a lack of inventiveness shows. Yeah, like others have said it tries to be atmospheric and psychologically gripping. But the thing is it TRIES, but fails miserably. Half of the film was spent in very poor lit scenes that it was plain unbearable. Sometimes you're squinting to see what's actually going on and that's quite frustrating. Lighting people! With such a restrained budget obviously the results didn't work out so great in the long run.
The plot is a muddle of ridiculous plot details and twists. Patty McCormick's character is named only mom and is kind of hinted, but I don't think officially as if this is a sequel to 'The Bad Seed'. That doesn't make it essential viewing though far from it actually. There's no real background or insight about why she acts like the way she does. Though some minor stuff is brought about her past, but it never clearly explains anything. She definitely most interesting but its never brought out and most of the attention centres around the kid. The child provides some narration that adds a more caring approach to the material, but everything about it moves at a snails pace with many irrelevant padding. Starts off interesting enough, but not too long it falls by the wayside with a formulaic pattern of most thrillers. The plot tries to drive itself with the characters, but they aren't that enticing or fleshed out to really care. Gradually further the film went along the more I was trying to keep my eyes open and if not that I found myself easily being distracted. Those many dark sequences where it was hard to work out what was happening attributed a lot to those factors.
What's quite surprising is to see the likes of Patty McCormick, Jason Miller and Brinke Stevens appear in this junk. They're pretty much shadows of their old selves here. Patty McCormick intentionally hams it up as the whacked up Mom. She's one antsy b!tch. Jason Millar as the snooping Lt. March and Brinke Stevens as kind aunty Beth give dispirited performances. The rest of the support cast were bystanders, but Rachael Lemieux as Jessica Ann showed up the big names as the little girl caught up in her mother's mess. She was actually pretty good and definitely gave the best and most well rounded performance. The dialog is pure fluff and emotionally strained. Really, that's not much of a surprise.
The film looks okay, if even a bit stale and amateurish. Although the bad lighting really did get on my nerves and lack of imagination showed up in the filming techniques. That can be blamed to budget restrictions. Like a fellow user had mentioned, it was shot on video, but it's incredibly grainy and shows up like a doco. The whole set-up kind of reminded of one of those enactments you see in missing person's shows and documentaries. While sometimes everything felt like it was in slow motion and the conversations were just laughably trite and unbelievable. The score is often misplaced and when so it's rather overstated beyond belief. The awful tune 'Mommy's Day' that opens and closes proceedings is a real headache inducer. I don't know why this film is rated MA (Australian) because the context is quite tame in retrospect and sometimes it came across rather childish. The violence was more often cutaway and rather unappetising. When it comes to the finale its wraps off with an unconvincing payoff and fades away in a puff of smoke. Maybe I'm the wrong target audience, but in my eyes this was one lacklustre effort. I notice after a short while I was continuously checking how long it has been running for. When you're doing that you know it's not much of a good sign.
"Can we watch Seinfield " Now that's better time spent! Seriously. Maybe if you're fan of the stars, go right ahead.
This one was really bad
atinder23 January 2014
This sounded A bit like the stepfather movies but much lower budget, which dose effect some parts of the movie.
I found plot so-what in-trusting but I found to be bit bland, it started off not bad but the movie never really picked up.
I don't think acting helped as I found everyone to be really wooden in this movie and other thing that I didn't like was the fact some of the scenes in this movie were so dark, you could not make out what the hell was going on.
There was one think I did like, was one of death scenes with I thought was decent for this movie and another thing was that the ending was far to rushed.
2 out of 10 I won't be watching the sequel any time soon
I found plot so-what in-trusting but I found to be bit bland, it started off not bad but the movie never really picked up.
I don't think acting helped as I found everyone to be really wooden in this movie and other thing that I didn't like was the fact some of the scenes in this movie were so dark, you could not make out what the hell was going on.
There was one think I did like, was one of death scenes with I thought was decent for this movie and another thing was that the ending was far to rushed.
2 out of 10 I won't be watching the sequel any time soon
God Awful: Avoid like the Plague, or a nasty STD
kieransingh3 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I do not understand how this managed to get 5.3 stars. Firstly, the cast just plain suck, no decent actors in there at all. Second, the plot is ridiculous. The TV guide said it was rated 18, but I don't think there was any blood, swearing, sex or anything else you would find in an 18 movie in it. It's just a stupid movie. The plot about the psychotic mother is stupid, it's not suspenseful or thrilling. It just made me laugh at the sheer badness of it. The basic plot is that this little girl Jessica Ann lives in her house with her mum. Her mother always told her to do her best blahhdy blahhdy blah. Anyway, the girl doesn't win a prize at school, so the mother kills the teacher. This leads to a load of stupid deaths, boring dialogue and basically a bland, horrible film. If this film came out in the cinema, I would've killed someone it's that bad. If I were ever to see this movie again, I would take my eyes, douse them in a lethal acid so I couldn't see this poor excuse for a movie. Then, I would take two Q-Tips and insert them so far into my ears that they block out any sound so I would not have to listen to the poor acting of a plain bad script. Then, maybe if I had time, I would change the channel and watch Fairly Odd Parents.
If this ever comes on TV, put something else on. Seriously, change the channel, don't waste your precious time on this hunk of garbage. End Of. x
If this ever comes on TV, put something else on. Seriously, change the channel, don't waste your precious time on this hunk of garbage. End Of. x
So stupid.
Pigalina12 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Oh my goodness. I bought this film as a part of a 10 horror movies for $10 deal. I can now see why this one was included in the deal. Nobody would pay more than a dollar for this would they? Well some people obviously would else the votes would be on 1 not 5. The little girl was a good actress but the "Mommy"? Wooden. It was so lame. There was not much tension at all until the very end when she tried to kill her daughter. That was about the only time I cared what was going to happen. The story was OK but the whole film could have been so much better. What was with that janitor lady? We almost turned it off but as "Mommy 2" came with the movie pack we carried on watching so that we would not get lost in what will be a very complex plot in "Mommy 2". Avoid this film, it's not worth your time.
It's McCormack's Movie
brianparker-559236 March 2020
I've seen a lot of people mostly bash Mommy because of the way it looks. It definitely has that cheap, shot on video feel that many films of this time had and, yes, I suppose that does hurt it to a certain extent, but when you have a script this amusing and a performance as campy as Patty McCormack's, you should be grateful.
Mommy is about, well, a mommy (McCormack) and her young daughter who are alone in the world after all of Mommy's husband have died under mysterious circumstances. That's not actually true. Mommy does have a sister played by b-movie scream queen Brinke Stevens who seems to know her sister isn't all there, but she doesn't appear to believe her insane behavior is anything to get too concerned about.
Things begin to escalate when Mommy kills a teacher who wouldn't give her daughter a student of the year award. Pretty soon, she's on a war path, taking out anyone who gets in her way.
Mommy is worth seeing for McCormack's performance alone. While there are, of course, shades of her iconic performance from The Bad Seed, there's also a little Kathleen Turner in Serial Mom by way of Jessica Walter in Arrested Development. It's truly something to see.
Mommy is about, well, a mommy (McCormack) and her young daughter who are alone in the world after all of Mommy's husband have died under mysterious circumstances. That's not actually true. Mommy does have a sister played by b-movie scream queen Brinke Stevens who seems to know her sister isn't all there, but she doesn't appear to believe her insane behavior is anything to get too concerned about.
Things begin to escalate when Mommy kills a teacher who wouldn't give her daughter a student of the year award. Pretty soon, she's on a war path, taking out anyone who gets in her way.
Mommy is worth seeing for McCormack's performance alone. While there are, of course, shades of her iconic performance from The Bad Seed, there's also a little Kathleen Turner in Serial Mom by way of Jessica Walter in Arrested Development. It's truly something to see.
Now this is an independent!
GregO-211 October 2000
Forget Blair Witch or the flavor of the month at the nearest artsy film festival. This is the definition of Independent. Shot on a shoestring in Muscatine, IA, this semi-sequel to The Bad Seed (Mommy is never named, but the parallel is obvious) is a character-driven study of a young girl discovering her perfect mother is just plain evil. The casting is clever, especially scream queen Brinke Stevens doing an about face as Mommy's "Plain-Jane" sister Beth. I highly recommend Max's novelisation, which fleshes out the back story. Also look for Max and his band playing at the dance.
Works very good as sequel to The Bad Seed (1956)
Johan_Wondering_on_Waves9 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
If I wasn't such a fan of The Bad Seed I probably wouldn't have cared much for this movie or even never heard of it. Patty McCormack was awesome as the devilish Rhoda Penmark in the 1956 movie so I was curious what she would be like as mother in this unofficial sequel. Yes if we ignore the very last scene of the original Bad Seed movie, "Mommy" is believable as a sequel in which Rhoda has grown up into a mother with a daughter named Jessica Ann. It's nice to see how this movie refers to The Bad Seed in several ways. Mommy (she is never called by name) can't accept if her daughter doesn't win in a contest much like she little Rhoda couldn't deal with defeat. The penmanship medal from the Bad Seed is here replaced by a golden plaque. And yes mommy much like Rhoda eliminates anyone who is an obstacle in her (and her daughter's) way to fortune. That she probably killed her two previous husbands for their money is exactly how you expect Rhoda would have become as adult. The story is told mostly from the point of view of Jessica Ann telling us her feelings about her mother. She fears her yet loves her much like Christine in the Bad Seed felt towards her daughter. That Jessica Ann is a real sweet kid makes sense since this bad seed always skips a generation. Really enjoyable movie except for the ending that was a bit over the top.
A classic thriller
bfan8311 December 2003
This movie had the whole Alfred Hitchcock feel to it! Usually I prefer the extremely gory, offensive horror movies. The reason I bought this movie was because I am a huge fan of Brinke Stevens. I actually ended up liking this. Also, brinke did a good job as the goody-goody Aunt Beth. Although, it was weird seeing brinke playing a goody-goody role. It was quite a change of pace for her. Also, they had alot of foreshadowing in this film which I liked. I also liked the way they shot it. It was shot on video, but still a bit of professionalism that you don't see in a lot of shot on video movies these days. All in all, I give it a 8. It's suspenseful and atmospheric. Quite enjoyable.
The Bad Seed grown up
BandSAboutMovies29 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Patty McCormack was the original bad kid after The Bad Seed. What if she survived the end of that movie and had kids of her own?
Well, maybe. McCormack is Mrs. Sterling, the single mother of 12-year-old Jessica Ann. She sets the tone of the film by visiting her daughter's school to ask why she hasn't won student of the year again. When she doesn't get the answer she likes, she shoves a teacher off a stepladder like she stole her penmanship medal.
This movie boasts a great cast as it tells its story, with Jason Miller (The Exorcist) as the cop on the case of the murder, Brinke Stevens as Sterling's sister, Majel Barrett as the teacher who dies early and Mickey Spillane - yes, the writer! - as an attorney.
Both Stevens and Spillane signed on because they knew writer and director Max Allan Collins, who is a mystery writer of some renown as well as the comic book writer of Dick Tracy, Ms. Tree, Wild Dog, Batman and more. He's also written several C. S. I., NYPD Blue and Criminal Minds books*. Probably his most famous book would be Road to Perdition, which was made into a movie starring Tom Hanks.
After an entire movie consisting of McCormack killing everyone that may implicate her in the murder and stealing that Student of the Year trophy for her daughter. Despite nearly killing her daughter, she does defend her from a vicious dog who mauls her, with the scene only ending when the police take her away.
Mommy isn't a perfect film, but it's a lot of fun. As always, McCormack is at her best when she's obsessing about perfect things in an imperfect universe.
*He also wrote novelizations of In the Line of Fire, Maverick, I Love Trouble, Waterworld, Air Force One, U. S. Marshalls, Saving Private Ryan, The Mummy, U-571, The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King, Windtalkers, I-Spy, The Pink Panther, American Gangster, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The X-Files: I Want to Believe and G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
Well, maybe. McCormack is Mrs. Sterling, the single mother of 12-year-old Jessica Ann. She sets the tone of the film by visiting her daughter's school to ask why she hasn't won student of the year again. When she doesn't get the answer she likes, she shoves a teacher off a stepladder like she stole her penmanship medal.
This movie boasts a great cast as it tells its story, with Jason Miller (The Exorcist) as the cop on the case of the murder, Brinke Stevens as Sterling's sister, Majel Barrett as the teacher who dies early and Mickey Spillane - yes, the writer! - as an attorney.
Both Stevens and Spillane signed on because they knew writer and director Max Allan Collins, who is a mystery writer of some renown as well as the comic book writer of Dick Tracy, Ms. Tree, Wild Dog, Batman and more. He's also written several C. S. I., NYPD Blue and Criminal Minds books*. Probably his most famous book would be Road to Perdition, which was made into a movie starring Tom Hanks.
After an entire movie consisting of McCormack killing everyone that may implicate her in the murder and stealing that Student of the Year trophy for her daughter. Despite nearly killing her daughter, she does defend her from a vicious dog who mauls her, with the scene only ending when the police take her away.
Mommy isn't a perfect film, but it's a lot of fun. As always, McCormack is at her best when she's obsessing about perfect things in an imperfect universe.
*He also wrote novelizations of In the Line of Fire, Maverick, I Love Trouble, Waterworld, Air Force One, U. S. Marshalls, Saving Private Ryan, The Mummy, U-571, The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King, Windtalkers, I-Spy, The Pink Panther, American Gangster, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The X-Files: I Want to Believe and G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
The Bad Seed has a seedling...
SusieSalmonLikeTheFish9 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I never expected Troma to make something like this; Trmoa has a reputation for its low-budget horror and personally I really enjoyed The Toxic Avenger, Redneck Zombies and The Children. This unofficial sequel to the 1956 horror film The Bad Seed went way beyond my expectations, and it even stars Patty McCormack, who played Rhoda Penmark in The Bad Seed.
It's the 1990's, and Jessica Ann is a little girl doing exceptional in school, has a loving aunt... but there's one catch, her controlling and obsessive mother, known only as "Mommy", has come to visit Jessica Ann's favorite teacher because the top student award was given to a Hispanic kid rather than Jessica Ann. Jessica tries to convince Mommy that her classmate deserved the medal, but Mommy refuses to listen to reason, ultimately leading to the teacher's death. Soon Jessica recalls her "Daddy" who died, as well as kind old Mr. Sterling, who was her stepfather until he willed all his cash to Mommy... and then died. It isn't long before the school janitor is murdered and Jessica Ann realizes that Mommy might be more than just her mother.
At first I wasn't sure that this was a Troma movie, although the brief shot of a chemical factory shown towards the end when Jessica Ann and Mommy rent a motel room vaguely reminded me of Troma's reputation for making movies on the subject of pollution. The acting, not only from Patty McCormack but from everyone else, was really amazing for an independent film, it's obviously low-budget but has great soundtrack and I loved seeing The Bad Seed's legacy being continued in a new film. Not everything low-budget is bad, watch it with an open mind and you might be really surprised.
It's the 1990's, and Jessica Ann is a little girl doing exceptional in school, has a loving aunt... but there's one catch, her controlling and obsessive mother, known only as "Mommy", has come to visit Jessica Ann's favorite teacher because the top student award was given to a Hispanic kid rather than Jessica Ann. Jessica tries to convince Mommy that her classmate deserved the medal, but Mommy refuses to listen to reason, ultimately leading to the teacher's death. Soon Jessica recalls her "Daddy" who died, as well as kind old Mr. Sterling, who was her stepfather until he willed all his cash to Mommy... and then died. It isn't long before the school janitor is murdered and Jessica Ann realizes that Mommy might be more than just her mother.
At first I wasn't sure that this was a Troma movie, although the brief shot of a chemical factory shown towards the end when Jessica Ann and Mommy rent a motel room vaguely reminded me of Troma's reputation for making movies on the subject of pollution. The acting, not only from Patty McCormack but from everyone else, was really amazing for an independent film, it's obviously low-budget but has great soundtrack and I loved seeing The Bad Seed's legacy being continued in a new film. Not everything low-budget is bad, watch it with an open mind and you might be really surprised.
Mostly decent thriller is better than it's budget should allow...
rixrex21 July 2008
Okay, there's some who will not like the shot-on-video style that makes this aesthetically seem like a daytime soap, but having watched the similarly done BBC series Thriller, I actually like it for it gives the film a bit more down-to-earth quality and less Hollywood slickness.
The players are adequate, including Patty McCormick, but the real shining star is the young girl portraying Jessica Ann. The quality of her stellar performance reminds me of, say, Patty McC back in the original Bad Seed. All others are fine, with the exception of the fellow playing the rumpled detective, who really just is overboard.
Brinke Stevens is exceptionally lovely in her staid appearance and gives new meaning to the really hot 'plain jane'. Too bad she wasn't a librarian as well.
The story is pretty much what you'd expect and without surprises, well-paced however and still fun to watch. The budget limitations would have left a less resourceful cast and crew with a miserable effort, but they all come through here to present a pleasing diversion, yet that is all it is, an entertaining diversion. Don't make too much effort to get it, but if you find it and not for too much, then it's a good spend.
The players are adequate, including Patty McCormick, but the real shining star is the young girl portraying Jessica Ann. The quality of her stellar performance reminds me of, say, Patty McC back in the original Bad Seed. All others are fine, with the exception of the fellow playing the rumpled detective, who really just is overboard.
Brinke Stevens is exceptionally lovely in her staid appearance and gives new meaning to the really hot 'plain jane'. Too bad she wasn't a librarian as well.
The story is pretty much what you'd expect and without surprises, well-paced however and still fun to watch. The budget limitations would have left a less resourceful cast and crew with a miserable effort, but they all come through here to present a pleasing diversion, yet that is all it is, an entertaining diversion. Don't make too much effort to get it, but if you find it and not for too much, then it's a good spend.
I Loved, Loved, Loved this Movie!!!
foucaultmichele8 January 2022
Mommy follows all the same tropes from the original The Bad Seed. Known only as Mommy, Patty basically plays Rhonda all grown up, just as bad she ever was. Her daughter is neurotically nervous, much like her mom in the original film.
There's even a sequel to that, Mommy's Day, 1997. Since I have seen it, it's hard to think it can surpass the wonderfulness of Mommy. Who knows? I'm still trying to track it down.
There's even a sequel to that, Mommy's Day, 1997. Since I have seen it, it's hard to think it can surpass the wonderfulness of Mommy. Who knows? I'm still trying to track it down.
Painfully Bad
MovieMan-221 January 2001
I do realize this film was made on a limited budget, but they could have made it so much better. The shots were grainy, the lighting was bad, and the widescreen dvd version was hardly widescreen at all. Apparently Patty McCormack has forgotten how to act, because she was quite good in the Bad Seed. The supporting cast does the film no better. The apparent parallels to the original only act as an insult, especially since the modern counterparts pale in comparison to the characters in which they were based (ex. the janitor at school trying to play LeRoy) The effects were terrible, especially the gun shot scene, and the soundtrack was annoying. Why Patty McCormack passed up other offers before deciding to make this one is a mystery to me. It may have been a good idea on paper, but was executed poorly. This film can only be enjoyed for its camp quality, which in itself is hardly enough.
She's Taking Names And Wringing Necks...
azathothpwiggins4 October 2021
Not much was expected from this straight-to-video, shot-on-tape movie. However, it's surprisingly good. It's a well-realized effort, especially considering the obviously microscopic budget.
Patty McCormack is diabolically eeevil as MOMMY. She's finally found the perfect follow-up to her role as Rhoda in THE BAD SEED. She's a seething adult now, plotting and killing anyone foolish enough to cross her!
Jason Miller is the cop who believes he knows what she's up to. Majel Barrett is a doomed teacher, and Mickey Spillane is Mommy's attorney. Brinke Stevens plays one of her best roles as Mommy's sister.
MOMMY is a nice chiller-thriller with enough dark humor to raise a smile in spite of Mommy's homicidal ways...
Patty McCormack is diabolically eeevil as MOMMY. She's finally found the perfect follow-up to her role as Rhoda in THE BAD SEED. She's a seething adult now, plotting and killing anyone foolish enough to cross her!
Jason Miller is the cop who believes he knows what she's up to. Majel Barrett is a doomed teacher, and Mickey Spillane is Mommy's attorney. Brinke Stevens plays one of her best roles as Mommy's sister.
MOMMY is a nice chiller-thriller with enough dark humor to raise a smile in spite of Mommy's homicidal ways...
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