Customer Reviews

Wicked Stepmother [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I found "Wicked Stepmother" to be a delightful and entertaining movie. The special effects are good and funny. I rate this movie with 5 stars because of its humor and lack of seriousness. The only negative is that the movie seems relatively short, but still deserves a 5 star rating because of its humor.

The best thing about this movie is 80-year-old Bette Davis' performance. But she's also the movie's biggest problem. When the producers refused to change the script after her demands, she left the set, after one week of filming. That forced director/screenwriter Larry Cohen to rewrite the script to explain her disappearance, which resulted in a very confusing plot (she transformed herself into her daughter or a cat or something like that, I didn't quite get it...). Well, at least it's a better solution than Edward D. Wood Jr.'s way of replacing Bela Lugosi in "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (using a stand-in that doesn't look the least like Lugosi, covering his face with a cape).

The first half-hour or so is quite entertaining. Davis is overacting in a good way as Jenny's (Colleen Camp) father's new creepy wife, Miranda. After she's out of the movie, it's quite confusing. Miranda left the family and her daughter, Priscilla (who is Miranda in another shape or something, eh...) is staying with the family instead.

There are some good humor in the movie. There's one funny scene in the beginning, at the police station, with the lineup with the angry old homeless ladies. Some scenes are just silly, like the beach sequence somewhere before the middle of the movie.

So, Bette Davis' performance is what makes this movie worth watching, but she's also the main reason it's so bad (I guess it wouldn't have been a great movie anyway, but less confusing). The other actors are quite mediocre. However, the movie isn't quite as bad as its reputation. If you're curious to see Davis play the wicked stepmother in her last film, rent it!

This film is nothing, except for BETTE DAVIS. You get to see her one last time. She's old now and looks weak, but she still SHINES! She steals every scene that she's in. Unfortunately, she's not in very much, she quit the movie after only one week of filming. Once she saw how she looked on film, she was very unhappy and did not want to go on with it, she just walked off the set and never returned. If you are a fan of Bette Davis, i would say, go ahead, buy this film, just to see and have it, because it is her last film and the little bit that she is in it, she still SHINES! After she turns into the cat, though, i would say, turn it off, the movie makes no sense. Just buy it to get to see BETTE DAVIS in her last film!

the previous review is so heartless that i have to write mine down. Bette left this movie because she was ill first of all. There is no need to be cruel and make fun of her, a little respect please! This movie is definitely bad. Of course, Bette wasn't at her best but while she's there, at least it manages to keep you interested, after she leaves it's totally another business. The movie isn't funny, and the acting is bad but at least after the credits have gone, you got introduced to the cast and miss Davis sitting on a chair, a cigarette in her hand says " just call me mom" with a devilish sparkle in her eyes. I knew this movie was bad but i bought it because i wanted to see the last minutes of footage with her on screen, i expected it to be longer and i didn't expect to see her in such a state of health. Wouldn't recommend it though, the fans will be only saddened to see this, and the rest can't be interested. Decency of the producers would have recquired them not to release this.

Okay let me just state, I'm not a negative person...I love Bette Davis...and was excited to see this finally on DVD. A half hour into the flick, my excitement quickly waned...it was so cheesy...it was badly edited and the storyline wasn't that great...I feel for Bette having her name associated with this...mind you it was filmed around her stroke so she's only in it for about half of it but still...I'm just thankful it was cheesy so I could have some wine to make the time pass better...sorry but it deserved that cheesy line!

Even though Bette Davis is only in a small part of this film ,she still shines.

Which Witch Is Which?

The legendary Bette Davis and sensuous Barbara Carrera ("Never Say Never Again", "I, The Jury", "Dallas") join forces as two present day witches who tackle their victims with seductive style, feline cunning and plenty of hocus pocus.

This intrigiuing supernatural "black comedy" will be remembered as Bette Davis's last performance and will undoubtedly become a "cult classic"

This boring, stupid comedy has nothing to offer except thelimited appearence of Bette Davis. The plot is very weak, and Bette Davis definitely showed good judgement by quitting this film. If you are a fan of Bette then you should by all means purchase or rent this film, as it was her last. It's the same deal with Joan Crawford fans buying Trog, as that was her last & definitely worst film. That's the only reason I bought that film & the only reason I bought this one too. . . How odd that the two actresses noted greatly for their excellent films & hatred towards eachother would both end their careers with very poor films. Incidentally this film is worse than Trog, at least that one has some campy value to it and is mildly entertaining. As I said before, this film has only one decent asset to offer: Bette Davis!

As many reviewers have said, the only reason to see this is for the last performance of Bette Davis. At 80 years old, she doesn't have what she used to (the film was made in 1989), but then, who would?

Aside from a hilarious lineup scene of very old women at a police station, and a nice bit (also at the beginning) about four shrunken people, this is truly unfunny (meant to be a supernatural comedy) and even sexy Barbara Carrera does not do much to save the day here. David Rasche underplays it completely, while Coleen Camp, as his wife, is here guilty of near-hysterical overacting. The kid who plays the husband's son (Mike) is only adequate.

The acting here is not at all good, but the script is worse. Lionel Stander is also in the film and turns in the most consistently good acting job through the film, but that's not saying much. Larry Cohen wrote and directed this, but he is nowhere near the top of his game. He's done much better films, among which are Q, The Stuff (my favorite), God Told Me To, and It's Alive.

This is a curiosity item, at best, and I would be surprised if it ever does get released on DVD. If so, it would be for the novelty of seeing Bette Davis one last time.

Not recommended.

I think Bette only made this movie to have a job. And then to top it off she was only in it in the beginning then Barbara Carrera takes over. In a sense it is really stupid. Bette is a witch who share the body of a cat with Barbara. Only one can be out at a time. Both of them are bad witches. As a old woman witch, Bette marries men to make them rich & then shrinks them to get the money. I had to buy it because Bette was in in, not for the movie itself.

This movie is hilarious! The laughs don't stop with this great movie! I highly recommend buying it! Especially, for such a low price!