Review of Serial Mom (1994) by Mike T — 05 Nov 2018

Serial Mom is an often under-appreciated and re-watchable jet black comedy. Extremely tame and quite mainstream for John Waters it nonetheless follows Water's general theme of poking fun at suburban middle class life in Baltimore.

Turner proved the perfect choice for the title role and she seems to delight in playing such a conflicted and enigmatic psychopathic character. Mink Stole has a small but memorable part in one of the extremely few rolls where she plays a normal person.

In her second role in a Waters film, a somewhat slimmed (from the first and far better "Hairspray") is excellent as Beverly's pie-eyed and lovestruck adolescent daughter. Had she not died well before the film, I suspect Waters would have used the bizarre Edith Massey in the roll given to Patricia Hearst.

For someone who wants to explore Waters' subversive work, Serial Mom is an excellent introduction before being exposed to the likes of Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble.