Yet the film makes it clear that Joan believed in self-made success because she felt it created character as opposed to everything being handed to the individual. The ending, however, put the final nail in the coffin (which I’m not going to reveal, even though it’s historically documented). Near the end of the story it’s clear that there was some genuine warmth and care in Christina’s relationship with Joan. Speaking of which, the flick is surprisingly evenhanded with the "Queen of the Movies.” It shows the good, the bad and the ugly, NOT just the ugly.
In other words, there’s WAY more to this movie than Joan being an abusive monster. Yes, the abusive episodes aren’t fun, but there are only two really bad ones, the wire hanger and the choking sequences. While Gene Siskel gave the movie a fair 2.5/4 rating, both he and Ebert complained that the picture was too depressing, but that is a one-dimensional perspective. The viewer becomes privy to Joan’s struggles with romance, maintaining success in a challenging career, aging, finances, male chauvinism and… childrearing. It’s a great behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood of that period. The movie is neither campy nor an “unintentional comedy.” This is a dramatic biopic of the final 38 years of Joan’s life with concentration on the 40s-50s. Another thing to consider is that Joan learned a few lessons on parenting in raising the two older kids and therefore was wiser with her treatment of Cindy & Cathy. Sure, the younger twin sisters, Cindy & Cathy, dispute the claims of gross abuse (while admitting Joan was strict), but they were only 3 years-old when Christina was 11 and so weren’t present or were simply too young to know what went down with Christina & Christopher. “Mommie Dearest” (1981) is a ‘controversial’ drama because it dares to reveal the hidden truth about a member of Hollywood royalty, at least according to her first two adopted kids, Christina and Christopher, who have stuck to their guns in the decades since. The life of Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) is detailed from 1939, when her career was on a downswing, to her death in 1977, focusing on her rivalrous relationship with her adopted daughter Christina (Mara Hobel & Diana Scarwid).
_**Surprisingly good, sometimes great, and more balanced than its reputation**_