Crazy Mama Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Crazy Mama Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 3, 2021

After making a strong impression with his quickie work on 1974’s “Caged Heat,” director Jonathan Demme stuck with producer Roger Corman for 1975’s “Crazy Mama.” A tale of a dire financial straits temporary alleviated by old-fashioned robbery, “Crazy Mama” is a wild burst of screen energy, dealing with criminal interests, family business, and road trip activity, with Demme aiming to ride the picture as hard as possible before the production eventually tries to find a resolution. It’s a chaotic endeavor, but this Demme’s happy place, working to generate as much commotion as possible before viewers catch on to the thinness of the material.

In 1958, Melba (Cloris Leachman) has lost her beauty parlor due to growing debt, electing to abandon the business and escape from California. She’s joined by her mother, Sheba (Ann Southern), and her daughter, Cheryl (Linda Purl), with the trio hitting the road, aiming to return to family land in Arkansas stolen by others. Along the way, the women elect to rob various businesses to collect a fortune, also finding male companionship, with Melba falling for gambler Jim Bob (Stuart Whitman), and Cheryl claims both Shawn (Donny Most) and Snake (Bryan Englund) as boyfriends.

“Crazy Mama” hits the ground running and doesn’t really stop for just over an hour, initially detailing Melba’s burst of rage with a financial system she can’t keep up with, losing everything but a vision to take back family land across the country. A road trip ensues, with three generations of frustrated women setting out to make a mess of things, determined to collect cash with hasty robberies, including a race track, a grocery store, and a small-town bank. “Crazy Mama” isn’t a polished effort with slick crime sequences. Demme prefers bedlam, keeping his actors on the move, often yelling at one another as the race to Arkansas begins, trusting the restless energy of the endeavor will be enough to cover low-budget production limitations.

Demme’s madness works for the most part, inviting viewers to get caught up in emotional stress and strange criminal efforts, with the screenplay juggling various subplots and supporting characters. It’s a big tornado of problems with comedic intentions, and Demme allows the cast to explore hysterics to their heart’s content, finding Southern enjoying to a chance to do some hellraising. Helping the cause are period touches, with Demme trying to create 1958 on a Corman budget and schedule, often turning to soundtrack selections to do the heavy lifting, giving “Crazy Mama” a nice rhythm to go with its anarchy.

Crazy Mama Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Crazy Mama" is sourced from an older scan of the feature. Detail is generally softer, with a mild sense of skin particulars and room decoration. Exteriors are also passable, with hazier distances. Colors are acceptable with some fatigue, finding pink bikinis and red outfits memorable, while various paint jobs on classic cars are distinct. Skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable. Source has some wear and tear, with speckling especially heavy throughout the viewing experience.

Crazy Mama Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA provides a basic understanding of dialogue exchanges, making sense of sustained argumentative behavior and screaming matches. Intelligibility remains, though age and lackluster technical achievements are noticeable. Soundtrack selections aren't powerful, but they stay atmospheric, with decent instrumentation.

Crazy Mama Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Packaging lists an "Interview with Jonathan Demme and Roger Corman" and "T.V. Spots," but these are not included on the disc.

• Commentary features director Jonathan Demme and producer Roger Corman.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:53, HD) is included.

Crazy Mama Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's all fun and games until somebody gets killed, and "Crazy Mama" eventually finds a level of reality to interrupt the criminal fantasy. Demme doesn't exactly ride the endeavor into the sun, noticeably struggling to fill the last 20 minutes of the picture, which involves gunplay and car chases. The severity of Melba's actions aren't properly addressed, but the never-ending cycle of struggle remains, bringing "Crazy Mama" to a satisfying close after an iffy climax.