Overview: An account of the life and times of one of our greatest actresses as seen through the eyes of an adopted darling daughter. The huge burden of following in the footsteps of Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) by a daughter Christina (Diana Scarwid) desiring to please her mother, brings an almost insurmountable load of pressure to bear on her.

DVD Verdict: Some of us have guilty pleasures. We'll channel surf and stop at "Flowers in the Attic", "Grease 2", or "Xanadu". We don't really understand why. This is the notorious over the top movie from 1981 based on an autobiographical book by Christina Crawford, painting her adoptive mother as a psychotic perfectionist. Faye Dunaway seems like a tired drag queen. This movie takes itself too seriously. The real Joan Crawford slowly became more and more mannish over the years until she developed a swagger and voice that made John Wayne seem like Betty Boop. Dunaway's character quickly becomes a frightening monster, each scene of anger more disturbing than the last. It's surprising that Christina didn't kill this woman or run far, far away. It's like some awful car accident that you try to avoid looking at. The film has become a pathetic dark comedy, a true horror film. You cannot help but laugh at this load of tripe. And then wince. The designs and the cinematography also clash in an incredibly bizarre way. There is absolutely no doubt that everything about the film is exactingly accurate: that is indeed the look of the period, right down to the very last detail. But the photography is extremely flat, and you are constantly aware that the sets are indeed movie sets, the costumes are movie costumes, and so on. Yes, it is all beautifully rendered, but you can't buy into it as anything real. The Hollywood Royalty Edition DVD edition offers a good but by no means flawless print of the film and several bonuses. It is unfortunate that they are not particularly illuminating. While director John Water's commentary is enjoyable, he approaches the film only as a fan. Even so, Water does make several telling points: many of the things that Crawford does which seem so odd (bathing the face in ice, for example) are actually commonplace cosmetic necessities for movie stars; many of the things the film treats as abuse were, although carried to wild extremes in the story, typical of child-rearing practices of the 1940s and 1950s. If you want to see the real Joan at her scary best, check out Strait Jacket (William Castle's psycho-with-a-hatchet flick), Johnny Guitar (colorful western with palpable lesbian tension), and Queen Bee (nasty soap melodrama). Just remember, darlings: Life will be fine as long as you keep an immaculately clean home, get your Christmas cards out on time, and smile for the reporters. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Commentary by filmmaker John Waters
Three featurettes: "The Revival of Joan" (the biography and its adaptation to screen), "Life with Joan" (the making of the film with exclusive behind-the-scenes stories) and "Joan Lives On" (the film's release and cult following)
Photo Gallery
Original Theatrical Trailer