Mommy (1995 film)

Mommy
Directed by	Max Allan Collins
Written by	Max Allan Collins
Produced by	James K. Hoffman
Starring	Patty McCormack Sarah Jane Miller Rachel Lemieux Jason Miller Brinke Stevens Michael Cornelison Mark Spellman
Cinematography	Phillip W. Dingeldein
Edited by	Phillip W. Dingeldein
Music by	Richard Lowry
Distributed by	M.A.C. Productions
Release date	1995 (1995)
Running time	89 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Mommy is a 1995 American low budget thriller starring Patty McCormack as a mother who is psychotically obsessed with her 12-year-old daughter Jessica Ann (Rachel Lemieux). McCormack is best known for her role as Rhoda Penmark in the 1956 film The Bad Seed. The film also stars Sarah Jane Miller, Rachel Lemieux, Jason Miller, Brinke Stevens, Michael Cornelison, Mark Spellman, Majel Barrett Mickey Spillane, Marian Wald, Janelle Vanerstrom, Judith Meyers, Nathan Collins, Tom Castillo, and Tom Summit.

Plot

Mrs. Sterling (Patty McCormack) is psychotically obsessed with her 12-year-old daughter, Jessica Ann (Rachel Lemieux), so much so that when she finds out Jessica didn't get the "Student of the Year" award again, she solves the problem by murdering the teacher who didn't recommend her for it.

Mrs. Sterling dismisses the killing as inconsequential ("a minor accident"), but the homicide detective assigned to the case suspects her immediately, and an insurance investigator who also suspects her tries to get close to Jessica Ann to find out what really happened (it is later revealed that Mrs. Sterling likely killed her former husbands, one of whom was Jessica Ann's father and the other was extremely rich). During the course of the film, Mrs. Sterling is determined to protect her daughter at all costs. When Miss Jones, the janitor, attempts to blackmail Mrs. Sterling, she is electrocuted in the school basement. One night, after attending a party together, Mark Jeffries (the insurance investigator assigned to prove Mrs. Sterling's guilt) is overheard by Jessica Ann on the phone to his bosses who realizes that he is using her. When Mark tries to explain the situation in her bedroom, Mrs. Sterling shoots him in the forehead, pretending later to the police that she thought Mark was molesting Jessica Ann. Despite the suspicions of Beth, Mrs Sterling's sister who is worried about her mental health, the police are unable to directly prove that she intended to murder Mark and Jessica Ann is allowed to remain with her mother.

The film concludes with Mrs Sterling and her daughter fleeing their home and staying in a nearby motel. Realizing that her own daughter will eventually turn on her, she attempts to strangle her in her sleep but Jessica Ann escapes through the bathroom window and runs to a nearby junkyard where she is nearly savaged by a stray dog. Mrs Sterling saves her daughter from the dog, only to attempt to kill her again but Lt. March shows up and the killer is taken into custody.

Cast

• Patty McCormack as Mommy/Mrs. Sterling
• Sarah Jane Miller as Jolene Jones
• Rachel Lemieux as Jessica Ann
• Jason Miller as Lt. March
• Brinke Stevens as Beth
• Michael Cornelison as Mark Jeffries
• Mark Spellman as Detective
• Majel Barrett as Mrs. Withers
• Mickey Spillane as Attorney Neal Ekhardt
• Marian Wald as the Principal
• Janelle Vanerstrom as Substitute teacher
• Judith Meyers as Hallway teacher
• Nathan Collins as Gleeful kid
• Tom Castillo as Ambulance attendant #1
• Tom Summit as Ambulance attendant #2

Production

The film was the first to be directed by Max Allan Collins who had, prior to this, been primarily known as a writer of crime and mystery stories as well as a comic book writer. All of the film was shot primarily on location in Muscatine, Iowa (Collins' home town), which aided the casting of the killer's daughter. Then 11-year-old Rachel Lemieux had no prior professional acting experience; she was discovered at an open audition in an Iowa mall and beat out more than 200 girls for the role. A number of other finalists for the role ended up as extras in classroom scenes which were filmed on location at Muscatine Middle School.

Despite the relatively low budget, the cast had a large number of well-known actors including Patty McCormack as the lead, Mickey Spillane as her attorney, Jason Miller as the investigating lieutenant and Majel Barrett as Jessica's school teacher at the start of the picture. Director Collins' son Nate appears in this film and its sequel in a small role as the Gleeful Kid.

Former 'scream queen' Brinke Stevens was cast as the sister of Patty McCormack's character; she was an acquaintance of writer/director Max Allan Collins, whom he had met while the two were making personal appearances at comic book conventions. When asked about her involvement with the film, Collins commented, "Brinke was happy to have a chance to do something with her clothes on, I think."

Mickey Spillane was a personal friend of writer/director Max Allan Collins and appeared in the movie as a favor. When Spillane arrived to film his part, he was ill and running a dangerously high fever. Concerned for his health, crew members tried to talk him out of filming, but he insisted on going on with the show. Despite his illness, Spillane completed all his filming and returned in better health for the sequel.

Reception

Critics hailed McCormack's performance and deemed the film as an "unofficial sequel" to her 1956 film The Bad Seed.

Sequel

The film spawned a sequel in 1997, with McCormack reprising her role as Mrs. Sterling in Mommy 2: Mommy's Day.

References

Sources

• Knepper, Marty; Lawrence, John (2014). The Book of Iowa Films (1st ed.). Berkeley, California: The Book of Iowa Films Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0990428916.
• Shelley, Peter (2009). Grande Dame Guignol Cinema: A History of Hag Horror from Baby Jane to Mother. New York City: McFarland & Company. p. 294. ISBN 978-0786445691.
• Collins, Max Allan; Traylor, James L. (2012). Mickey Spillane on Screen: A Complete Study of the Television and Film Adaptations. New York City: McFarland & Company. p. 200. ISBN 978-0786465781.

External links

• Mommy at IMDb