Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Wicked Stepmother (1989)

How bad is it? Worst film of both director and star.
Should you see it? No - it's too depressing for a comedy.

Bette Davis agreed to be in a film by Larry Cohen (had she never seen one of his films?), but abandoned the project after shooting some scenes because she wanted some script changes. Cohen then replaced her with Barbara Carrera, some 40 years younger, but wanted to use the footage with his star; this required a script change that made both the same character (the other takes on the body of a cat when they switch). Colleen Camp, Lionel Stander, David Rasche, Tom Bosley and Richard Moll are in the cast, giving a decidedly TV sitcom feel. The special effects are often terrible - simple jump cuts. There are some intentional laughs (nice dig at Joan Crawford), but also some unintended ones. Mostly, though, you feel sorry for Bette, visibly ailing from cancer.


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