Product Details

• Actors: Angie Dickinson, William Shatner, Tom Skerritt, Robert Culp
• Directors: Steve Carver
• Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Shout! Factory
• DVD Release Date: December 7, 2010
• Run Time: 166 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0042FUHUM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,209 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Big Bad Mama / Big Bad Mama II (Roger Corman's Cult Classics)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Angie Dickinson stars as a bank-robbing matriarch in this 1974 Roger Corman production, often described as a knock-off of Bonnie and Clyde. (As if that makes any difference regarding the worth of the film--which is pretty good.) Set in Great Depression-era Texas, the story finds Dickinson's desirable and poor character driven to crime, along with her two daughters (Susan Sennett, Robbie Lee), all of whom use sex to distract or drive men into culpability. The film, directed by Steve Carver, is pure Corman formula: fast-moving, violent, gritty, adorned with nudity, and yet solidly true to its own sense of high drama and texture. Veteran Angie Dickinson brings solid acting chops (and a great bod on display) to the enterprise--and speaking of Enterprise, William Shatner is quite memorable (as is Tom Skerritt) as one of the gentlemen who fall under the antiheroine's sway. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

Big Bad Mama: When Wilma (Angie Dickinson) finds there is no money to be made in the bootlegging business, a chance meeting with bank robber Fred Diller (Tom Skerritt) leads to a new career. Along with her daughters, Wilma joins Fred on his next big heist. After meeting slick gambler William J. Baxter (William Shatner), Wilma recruits him and the rest of her gang to kidnap the daughter of a millionaire in the hopes of collecting a big pay day.


Big Bad Mama II: Angie Dickinson returns to her role as Wilma Big Bad Mama McClatchie. She is out to steal a better life for her two teenage daughters. The sexy trio sets their gun sites on revenge against a crooked politician by taking down his banks and kidnapping his son. Also starring Danielle Brisebois and Playboy Playmate Julie McCullough.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than it ought to be September 1, 2004

By Jeffrey Leach HALL OF FAMEVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

I consider myself well schooled in low budget schlock from various film genres. Watching cheesy films is an acquired taste, one not easily cultivated overnight. Even with some knowledge about who makes these types of films under my belt, I still stumble over major contributors to the clunker movie catalogue and wonder why I haven't spent time with these delicacies before now. Roger Corman is my latest discovery. I admit I have heard of Corman before in reference to the spate of Vincent Price horror classics that emerged in the 1960s, along with a few other films he made over the course of his career, but until now I never saw many of them. This guy is a giant of the low budget film, producing or directing some 500 plus movies in the last forty years. He's still going strong as far as I know, and never limits his output to one particular genre; he's made westerns, horror, action, drama, and science fiction films with seeming ease. Moreover, according to the bio on this DVD, Corman helped launch the careers of numerous Hollywood bigwigs. If "Big Bad Mama" is any indication, I will continue to spend a lot of time with this filmmaker's projects in the near future.

"Big Bad Mama" is a sort of feminist reinterpretation of those movies about Depression era highway outlaws; it's "Bonny and Clyde" with lipstick and long tresses. Angie Dickinson plays Wilma McClatchie, a mule headed, dirt poor Texas woman with a temper and a desire to better her conditions. Life hasn't been easy for Wilma, not with two young daughters to raise in a ramshackle cabin out in the sticks. What's a woman to do during these tough times? Why, strike up a relationship with local bootlegger Barney (Noble Willingham), of course! But when the wedding ceremony of one of Wilma's daughters goes horribly awry, and Barney perishes in a shootout, Wilma is left holding several unpleasant bags. The Feds involved in bringing down Barney, led by Bonney (Richard Smith), now set their sights on Wilma and her kids. Unfortunately, McClatchie plays right into their hands by taking over Barney's illicit liquor operation. At some point, Wilma decides she's had enough of being poor and decides to hit the road in search of ill-gotten gains. She takes her two lascivious daughters, Polly (Robbie Lee) and Billy Jean (Susan Sennett), along for the ride. And why not? If you're going to embark on a crime spree, you may as well make it a family affair.

Problem is, Wilma cannot escape the lure of sleazy, good for nothing men. She first hooks up with wanted criminal Fred Diller (Tom Skerritt), and quickly consummates their partnership the old fashioned way. Then conman extraordinaire William Baxter (William Shatner) enters the picture, and Wilma brings him into the fold as well. The resulting jealousy between Diller and Baxter, along with a most unusual relationship struck up between Diller and Wilma's daughters, will certainly lead to dangerous tensions within the gang. Despite these internal stresses, Wilma continues to plot the next big score. The gang finally stumbles upon the perfect scheme; they will infiltrate a soiree thrown by a bunch of rich folks and kidnap one of them. McClatchie and her compatriots succeed in abducting Jane Kingston (Joan Prather), but the plan fouls up when Diller decides to get up close and personal with the hapless heiress. Then Baxter pulls a fast one. Then the cops and the G-men close in. Cue gunfire and crashing cars. Roll credits. Who will live and who will perish? Surprisingly, you'll actually care about the answer to that question while watching "Big Bad Mama."

I've seen several Corman classics now, and "Big Bad Mama" ranks as one of the better ones. First, you've got a solid cast filling all the main roles. Dickinson not only looks fantastic, but she believably portrays a poor woman looking out for her own with nothing to lose. Tom Skerritt, an actor I've never liked in anything, actually manages to avoid annoying me as the murderous and jealous Fred Diller. As for Shatner, well, he's probably at his most restrained here in a role requiring him to talk softly in oily tones. I got a kick out of the daughters. Both of them are so far over the top that you can't help but laugh at their antics. Be sure and keep an eye open for their dancing routine at the local veteran's get together. Is anyone as dense as these two airheads? Guess so. Thankfully, the performances unfold against the second important element that makes "Big Bad Mama" a lot of fun, namely the film's great atmosphere. While I imagine plenty of anachronisms plague the movie, I thought the 1930s props looked way better than I expected to see in a low budget picture. Finally, you really do get an opportunity to see Angie Dickinson take a few risks, so to speak, but you'll miss it if you blink. Considering what the actress had to do in the role, I'm surprised she took the part when she was still a player in Hollywood.

The DVD is standard a standard Roger Corman release. You get the obligatory short interview with Leonard Maltin, and a bunch of trailers. A sequel to "Big Bad Mama," unoriginally entitled "Big Bad Mama II," came out roughly ten years later. While I haven't seen the sequel, which apparently once again stars Angie Dickinson, I can say that the first film is a lot of fun. Great performances, bountiful skin, a sleazy attitude, and wonderfully realistic atmosphere makes this Corman classic a must see for B movie fans.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Bad Mama 1 & 2 review December 5, 2011

By Paul Kao

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Not everyone likes Angie Dickenson, but if you do and you want to see her naked, get Big Bad Mama. She's naked with both Tom Skerrit and with William Shatner in this film. Several other actresses are nude, too.

Angie uses a body double in Big Bad Mama 2, but there are flashbacks of her nude scene with William Shatner in it. What makes 2 worthwhile is the nude Danielle Brisbois, who played a young girl in Archie Bunker's Place on a TV series. Both movies come on the same disk with several extras, so if you want both movies and are tight on shelf space, this is the DVD to get.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Campy Fun December 29, 2005

By David Baldwin

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

From the retrospective included on the disc you get the impression that star Angie Dickinson thought she was making high art. I'm not so sure Roger Corman thought so. The film seems to have a split personality. Stars Dickinson, Tom Skerritt, and William Shatner play their characters pretty straight to the vest. The script, however, suggests a parody of "Bonnie and Clyde" with alot of comic violence and gunplay and humorously gratuitous nudity. I did enjoy the contributions of the young actresses playing Dickinson's daughters, Susan Sennett and Robbie Lee. I purchased this film expecting some trashy fun and it did deliver the goods.