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Big Bad Mama

Play trailer Poster for Big Bad Mama R Released Sep 19, 1974 1h 23m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
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.
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Big Bad Mama

Critics Reviews

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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

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Director Steve Carver makes a story about a mom that breaks the law but for the right reasons starring Angie Dickinson, Dick Miller, Tom Skerritt, and William Shatner It’s 1932 Texas and Wilma is a mother recently-turned widow She has two daughters and takes over her bootlegging business after her lover is killed by FBI agents Once she gets caught though she loses her wedding ring and earnings therefore beginning her crime spree of robbing banks along with her daughters along with two men; a gambler and another bank robber The film is quickly paced, full of car chases and shootouts, and some funny moments too Dickinson gives a very believable performance as a woman who wants her daughters to thrive and not starve being up there with the most infamous of well-known outlaws, she flaunts her brains, body, and ambitions The ending is victorious yet also tragic at the same time and it’s rather light on character Overall it’s almost an exploitation-meets-gangster movie taking a jab at the patriarchal society as well as the high society taking the income from the less fortunate Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/20/24 Full Review Horror fan 4 A hilarious crime action movie packed with gun fights and TaTas. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/15/24 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Steve Carver

Director

Angie Dickinson

Wilma McClatchie

William Shatner

William J. Baxter

Tom Skerritt

Fred Diller

Robbie Lee

Polly

Susan Sennett

Billy Jean

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Big Bad Mama

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Movie Info

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
Producer
Roger Corman
Screenwriter
Frances Doel, William W. Norton
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
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