Serial Mom

January 29, 1999

After the relatively tame Hairspray and Cry-Baby, it’s good to see John Waters get back to his roots – killin’, killin’ and more killin’! In a world where over 60% of road rage is perpetrated by women, it’s good to see it on the big screen in context of the homemaker instead of the homebreaker, ie. Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct or Disclosure. (Not to mention Beverly’s courtroom parody of Basic Instinct.)

Beverly (Kathleen Turner) is the perfect Leave it to Beaver mom, or so it seems…She cooks her family a nutritious breakfast every morning, she recycles, she watches birds – but she also has a signed picture of Richard Speck and likes to have loud sex just to freak her kids out. She makes obscene phone calls to her neighbor because of a stolen parking space. When her daughter (Ricki Lake) is dumped for Traci Lords, you better believe that boy is toast.

I am incapable of thinking of Sam Waterston as anyone other than Nick Caraway, after being forced to watch The Great Gatsby in 11th grade, but he’s not that bad as the confused husband. Is it me or does Matthew Lillard play the same character in Serial Mom as he does in Scream? Justin Whalin (forever to be known as ‘The Masturbator’ to me and my roommate) jerks off to Chesty Morgan – is that possible? L7 cameos as Camel Lips…The Prince of Puke has certainly redeemed himself with Serial Mom.