SunnyHello Nice effects though.

ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Woodyanders Flighty'n'spunky Melba Stokes (a wonderfully zesty performance by Cloris Leachman), several members of her kooky family, and a couple of wacky misfits join forces to embark on a colorful crime spree in the 50's. Director Jonathan Demme, working from a sharp and witty script by Robert Thom, ably crafts a spirited and affectionate tribute to the gloriously kitschy 50's: Sparked by a nonstop zippy pace, a first-rate soundtrack of choice golden oldies, engagingly quirky characters, a very funny sense of off-the-wall humor, and a few exciting and well-staged action set pieces, this movie crackles with a certain infectiously bubbly energy that's a total treat to behold. Moreover, the cast play the campy material with tremendous joy and gusto: Ann Southern as Melba's feisty mother Sheba, Stuart Whitman as amiable cowboy Jim Bob, Linda Purl as Melba's sweet, pregnant daughter Cheryl, Don Most as Cheryl's dippy surfer boyfriend Shawn, Bryan England as tough greaser biker Snake, Merie Earle as spry nursing home escapee Bertha, Sally Kirkland as Jim Bob's ditsy wife Ella Mae, Jim Backus as ruthless businessman Mr. Albertson, and Dick Miller as bumbling cop Wilbur Janeway. Popping up in quick bits are Dennis Quaid, Bill Paxton, and Will Sampson. Bruce Logan's sunny cinematography gives the picture a nice bright look and makes cool use of wipes. Snotty Scotty and the Hankies supply a twangy and flavorsome score. An immensely fun flick.

gpeevers A mid-seventies drive-in flick from producer Roger Corman that wouldn't likely warrant much notice but for the fact it's the second feature from director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs).Typical story of the exploitation genre, begins decades earlier with family patriarch shot while being evicted from his farm in Arkansas. Flash forward to the 50's and Melba (Cloris Leachman) the farmer's daughter along with her mother (Ann Sothern) and daughter (Linda Purl) are evicted from their beauty parlor in California. Melba with family and hangers on (Stuart Whitman, Don Most) in tow decides they will return to the family farm and buy it back by initiating a cross country crime spree more in keeping with the 30's than the 50's.There are elements here that hint at a talented director in the making but the budget and the material with which the film is saddled really keep this from being any more than a cheap exploitation flick intended for the drive- in's.The film manages some of the sex and violence that one would associate with this kind of film but strangely they are both somewhat subdued by the odd decision to make this film for a PG rating. The laughs were not forth coming for me, perhaps the low brow approach would be more effective in an accommodating theater or drive-in. Either that or its directed to a different audience than I represent or its just outdated.

Lee Eisenberg Apparently, Roger Corman likes it when "Happy Days" cast members hot rod across the country (he was involved in "Grand Theft Auto", directed by and starring Ron Howard, and co-starring Marion Ross). In "Crazy Mama", Cloris Leachman plays Melba, a woman who runs a beauty parlor in Long Beach with her mother Sheba (Ann Sothern) and daughter Cheryl (Linda Purl) in 1958. Their Arkansas farm was repossessed by the banks in 1932. When slimy banker Mr. Albertson (Jim Backus) tries to repossess their beauty parlor, they decide to return to Arkansas with Cheryl's boyfriend Shawn (Don Most). So begins a crazy car chase across America. In Las Vegas, Melba falsely marries a man (Stuart Whitman) to make it look like she's married, and they also get greaser Snake (Bryan Englund, Leachman's real-life son) to go along. In the process of everything, a lot of cars get wrecked and some people get killed.I will admit that this is a pretty silly movie, but it is so fun! I never would have guessed that Ralph Malph and Thurston Howell III had ever co-starred in a movie (by the way, Linda Purl also starred on "Happy Days"). And the fact that they all co-starred with Frau Blucher just adds to the wacky factor. Oh, and by the way, B-movie character actor Dick Miller plays a cop. Jonathan Demme just always seems to have something good up his sleeve.

funkyfry Entertaining 1950s era ganster mama movie emulates the best points of Corman's previous depression-era genre films. Demme does a solid job, succeeding particularly well in creating a feeling of casual cameraderie among the bandit women and the men they drag along with them as they go on a spree enroute to the family farm in Arkansas. Creates reasonably good characters who are often not used to their full potential, but a good time film (good 6 pack film) is the result. Leachman and Sothern make an effective pairing, and castaway Jim Backus makes a brief appearance as the first of many men the trio of Southern beauties will take advantage of along the way to their broken down dreamland.