Big Bad Mama

R

Released Sep 19, 1974

1h 23m

Crime

Drama

List

75%

16 Reviews

Tomatometer

41%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

When Wilma McClatchie's (Angie Dickinson) lover is killed by FBI agents, she takes over his moonshine business, but it's not enough to support her and her daughters, Polly (Robbie Lee) and Billy Jean (Susan Sennett). With few options, the family leaves Texas for California, indulging in a reckless life of crime along the way. Between holdups and kidnappings, they run afoul of a con artist (William Shatner) and an unctuous bank robber (Tom Skerritt), who effectively seduces all three women.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Jun 20

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent Big Bad Mama on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

deke p

I won't begin to list the decidedly NOT FUNNY things about this. Well maybe i will... just BEGIN to: murder while robbing, child sex molestation, mocking Herbert Hoover, mocking American free enterprise, mocking Christianity, that's enough. That's why 1/2 star. But Angie was still glookin.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's a Roger Corman movie haha

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie seemed light years ahead of its time. But I don't know enough about the 70's to be right.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's a cheap popcorn flik with plenty of skin. There are little pieces of a relevant message here, mostly about the greed of "The Man", but really it's just a guilty pleasure and it is better than most of its kind.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This one could have been left on the cutting room floor. Although Dickinson and Skerritt sold the story... when they had their clothes on.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"Never trust a girl giving her donuts away for free" - Mama

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Steve Carver

Director

Angie Dickinson

Wilma McClatchie

William Shatner

William J. Baxter

Tom Skerritt

Fred Diller

Robbie Lee

Polly

Susan Sennett

Billy Jean

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

100%

50%

The Big Doll House

83%

72%

Thieves Like Us

64%

66%

Foxy Brown

98%

93%

Chinatown

78%

85%

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

"Big Bad Mama" is really Dickinson's big show, and she delivers a wonderfully enthusiastic performance as the titular criminal.

Rated: B

Aug 2, 2021

Full Review

Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

Less a gritty crime drama a la Bonnie and Clyde and more scampy sexploitation, Big Bad Mama is the tale of a singularly determined woman who flaunts her brains, body and ambitions.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 28, 2021

Full Review

John Beifuss

Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Corman's 'lady gangster' movies exposed more than skin: They essentially pantsed Uncle Sam, organized religion, law enforcement, big business and patriarchal society in general. These were exploitation movies about exploitation...

Rated: 3/4

Jan 18, 2011

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Parallax View

This is a classic Corman drive-in picture combining crime-movie spectacle, period color and sexploitation diversions between the capers...

Dec 7, 2010

Full Review

R.L. Shaffer

IGN DVD

Big Bad Mama strikes the perfect balance between exploitative raunchiness, and great low-key action and excitement.

Rated: 7/10

Dec 4, 2010

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Not bad enough to be either bad or good.

Rated: B-

Mar 7, 2010

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

When Wilma McClatchie's (Angie Dickinson) lover is killed by FBI agents, she takes over his moonshine business, but it's not enough to support her and her daughters, Polly (Robbie Lee) and Billy Jean (Susan Sennett). With few options, the family leaves Texas for California, indulging in a reckless life of crime along the way. Between holdups and kidnappings, they run afoul of a con artist (William Shatner) and an unctuous bank robber (Tom Skerritt), who effectively seduces all three women.

Director: Steve Carver
Production Co: New World Pictures, Santa Cruz Productions Inc.
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 1974, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 21, 2018
Runtime: 1h 23m

Most Popular at Home Now