Big Bad Mama II (1987)
*** (out of 4)
This "sequel" to the 1974 cult classic is more of a remake since the events in the first film are overlooked and the characters are pretty much starting from scratch. This time out after her husband is murdered, Wilma McClatchie (Dickinson) takes her daughters Billie Jean (Danielle Brisebois) and Polly (Julie McCullough) on a crime spree so that they won't have to go to bed hungry at night. Mama decides to get even with a crooked politician (Bruce Glover) by kidnapping his son (Jeff Yagher) but things don't go as planned. BIG BAD MAMA II was shot in about two weeks for an extremely small amount of money so one should keep that in mind. What's so funny is that director Wynorski knows that this isn't going to be an Oscar-winner so instead of trying something fancy he just keeps the film moving at a nice pace and throws in as much action as he can. The movie certainly isn't high quality and there's no question that it's not nearly as good as the first movie but I think the characters are so memorable and the cast do such a good job with them that you can't help but have fun as long as you don't mind this type of "B" film. Dickinson does a fine job in her role as she has no problem playing tough and she's still quite believable in the part. Robert Culp plays a reporter/love interest and he too does a fine job. I've read some reviews that said he looked embarrassed but I don't agree at all as it seems he's having a wonderful time and he has some nice chemistry with Dickinson. Brisebois is fine playing the tough daughter while McCullough is awfully cute as the good girl. Even Yagher is enjoyable in his part and fans of HALLOWEEN will enjoy seeing Charles Cyphers in a quick bit. Glover really steals the film as the sleazy bad guy as you can't help but get a real kick because he's certainly a no-good snake that you love to hate. The director keeps the film moving at an incredibly fast pace and we're treated to all sorts of action with non-stop bullets going around and we even get several explosions. In true Roger Corman fashion we even get a sequence where some new footage is mixed in with mostly scenes from the original movie. The nudity on display, especially that of McCullough, just adds to the fun. One strange thing is that in 1987 just about anything could go in the direct to video market (this did hit a few theaters) but this film is actually a lot tamer than the original with much of the sleaze cut out.
