Faye Pride – Book Review: With Love, Mommie Dearest – The Making Of An Unintentional Camp Classic ★★★★

In July, to paraphrase a famous number from the musical theatre songbook, “The name on everybody’s lips is gonna be Faye!” Her highly anticipated documentary, Faye, debuts on Max July 13th, but any fans can get through that agonizing waiting period by picking up a copy of With Love, Mommie Dearest: The Making Of An Unintentional Camp Classic by A. Ashley Hoff. The author of Match Game 101: A Backstage History Of Match Game has followed up that granular look at the classic game show with an extensively researched, page-turning history of the much-maligned, career-ruining adaptation of Christina Crawford’s memoir, Mommie Dearest, the 1981 film detailing the abuse film legend Joan Crawford inflicted on her children.

Hoff combines previously reported tellings with interviews he conducted with key people associated with the film. He covers everything from the sale of the book to Paramount Pictures all the way through to the aftermath of the film’s release. Interviews with co-stars and film historians provide a comprehensive oral history for anyone interested in the details surrounding a serious subject turned into an over-the-top yet intensely watchable camp fest. Sure, it would have been nice if the director, the late Frank Perry, had asked the legendary, Oscar-winning Faye Dunaway to dial it back in some scenes, but then we’d likely not be talking about the movie 43 years later. Besides, take away some of those cringey scenes and it’s easy to appreciate her magnificent, highly committed performance. So many films and television shows now have “Tone Meetings” in pre-production just to make sure they don’t repeat the mistakes Perry made.

I saw the film on its opening weekend, and sure enough, the audience at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood erupted in gales of laughter. In response, the studio changed its advertising campaign from a serious photograph of Faye as Joan to that of its infamous quote, “No wire hangers…EVER!” and the tagline, “The biggest mother of them all”. They eventually reverted back to their original ad when the producers expressed their horror with it, but the damage had been done. Since then, Mommie Dearest has joined the pantheon of other camp classics such as Valley Of The Dolls and Showgirls, among others.

Although Dunaway didn’t contribute to Hoff’s book, he provides a balanced portrayal of her through such actors as Rutanya Alda, who played Crawford’s long-suffering housekeeper Carol Ann, to Mara Hobel as young Christina. While Alda didn’t have the nicest things to say about Faye, Hobel’s experiences tell of a generous scene partner who looked after her beautifully, especially during some of the intensely physical scenes. Hoff, however, doesn’t shy away from depicting Dunaway as an obsessive perfectionist who didn’t win over many others on the production.

I personally worked on a film Dunaway co-starred in quite some time ago, and from my point of view, she was gracious and professional, but others thought the complete opposite. There’s a lesson in Hoff’s acute telling that reminds us that a person can be viewed in a myriad of ways, all of the observations having some validity. I found myself truly moved by Hobel’s accounting and those who understood what it took for an actor to take care of themself when making a film likely to run off the rails.

Hoff keeps things moving throughout at a brisk clip, many chapters only being a few pages long. I honestly couldn’t put it down. Your mileage may vary depending on your relationship to the film, but I sopped up the juice like a Bounty towel. The LGBTQ+ community have long ago adopted Mommie Dearest as a cultural touchstone, turning its excesses into classic drag performance art and noisily treating revival screenings as if the film was The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Yes, it’s a fun way to release tension and collectively have a ball, but what Hoff, with the astute words of Christina Crawford does is remind us that this was still the story of child abuse. We can all shout along to the “No wire hangers!” scene, the Pepsi Cola boardroom moment, or the delicious “Tina! Bring me the axe!” bit, but we should all recognize the lessons learned from the moments of cruelty as well. It allows for Christina Crawford to reclaim the credibility of her writing while also providing insight into a challenging, flawed adaptation.

Faye Dunaway, like the person she portrayed, has demons for sure, but she also has passion and talent to spare. Yes, some portions of the book may be common knowledge already, while certain stories feel repetitive, but I love that this fun, gossipy, sweeping record of a key moment in film history, especially for its LGBTQ+ fans, also has a true beating heart.

By Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic

With Love, Mommie Dearest: The Making of an Unintentional Camp Classic by by A. Hoff with a foreword Bruce Vilanch is available now wherever books are sold.