Rating: 
Summary: "Die" is Right
Review: *1/2 Screenwriter Charles Busch has adapted "Die Mommie Die" from his own stage play. A transvestite, Busch also plays the lead role of Angela Arden, a washed-up torch singer in the late 1960's who murders her movie producer husband by giving him an arsenic-laced suppository. Other characters include her incest-oriented virgin daughter, her gay teen son and her bisexual stud boyfriend who manages to run through her, her son and her daughter before he`s through with the family.
"Die Mommie Die" has all the makings of a nifty little satire in the style of John Waters. Alas, Busch, who is clearly in the bush leagues when it comes to filmmaking, spends so much time trying to be arch that he forgets to be funny. The story, which is a cross between "Mommie Dearest" and "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?," is rife with campy possibilities, but the film never catches fire, maintaining far too subdued and restrained a tone for this kind of material. Under Mark Rucker`s lagging direction, the pacing turns deadly, with the jokes coming a full beat and a half behind where they ought to. Moreover, the deliberately stilted writing and acting are too cute by half, calling so much attention to themselves that they wind up diluting their effectiveness in the process.
It's a shame that what should have been a rollicking, manic good time at the movies turns instead into a funereal misfire. Rarely have ninety minutes passed so slowly.
Rating: 
Summary: An Homage to the Original Movie Divas
Review: Angela Arden, a one-time singing sensation, is fed up with her overpowering, Hollywood-producer husband Sol Sussman. Unable to continue with his abuse, she kills him and makes it appear to be a heart attack. The children -- Edith and Lance -- suspect foul play in their father's death and are determined to prove that Angela played a major role in it.This is a witty, campy tribute to the melodramas of the 1950's and 60's that starred such actresses as Bette Davis, Susan Hayward, and Joan Crawford. The style and glamour of those films is captured marvellously with smart dialogue, glamourous costumes, and spot-on acting. They show a genuine regard for the genre, instead of making a joke of it. Charles Busch wrote the screenplay, which includes many memorable lines, very reminiscent of those old melodramas, and wonderful plot twists. He also stars in the film as Angela Arden and gives one of the best performances I've seen in quite a while, full of dignity and respect for the actresses who played such roles in the past. In fact, the movie is filled with fine performances: Philip Baker Hall as Sol Sussman; Jason Priestly as Tony Parker, a giggolo who will sleep with anyone to get to the truth; Frances Conroy as Bootsie, the maid who is loyal to Sol; Natasha Lyonne as Daddy's Little Girl Edith Sussman; and Stark Sands as Lance Sussman, who hides a shameful secret. A fine movie and a loving tribute to the original movie divas.
Rating: 
Summary: Charles Busch is a genius.
Review: Campy tale of twin sisters, one good one bad. Played very convincingly by renouned female impersonator Charles Busch. He has a love for classic film noir and it shows through during this movie. Somehow I got the feeling that this could have been a bigger masterpiece than it was, but I am sure that budget and time constraints on the stars played into some of the holes in the plot. All in all a wonderful trip to yesteryear when films were suspensful and delightfully full of surprizes. I highly recommend this film, it is a wonderful trip down memory lane.
Rating:
Summary: A Camp Classic....Charles Busch does it again! His best yet!
Review: Charles Busch has created a camp classic with "Die, Mommie, Die." Its a tribute and spoof of the early 70's cheesy b-films like "What Ever Happened to Auntie Alice" and "Valley of the Dolls" and even "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" and many, many more. The story is fun.
The filmmaking...just right! Charles Busch gives one of his best performances in the lead role. Great supporting cast too! I have watched this film over and over and enjoy it every time. See it! Rent it! Buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Too long
Review: Charles Busch is not nearly as witty, funny, or passable as a drag queen as he thinks he is. I've seen every day men that make a better drag queen than Busch does in this film. Did he mean to have 5 o'clock shadow throughout 75% of the film? The movie had about six laugh out loud moments. The rest were forced groans at best. That opening sequence? Way too long. The cheesy motorcycle scenes. Chuckled the first time...(...)
Rating:
Summary: Did Hitchcock watch this movie?????
Review: Charles Busch runs away with the role of Angela and Barbara or which ever he is at that point of time. The combination of flamboyant wit with gender tweaking makes the movie hilarious and at some point little unreal. But in any case who wants it to be real - this is just a caricature and a melodrama with a dangerous gay tilt.
Busch's original play, ''Die Mommie Die!'' is quite entertaining but we expected a little bit of better direction from Mark Rucker's. Sometimes it is off-limits and slips away.
A
ngela Arden (Busch), her movie-producer husband, Sol Sussman (Philip Baker Hall), daughter Edith (Natasha Lyonne), son Lance (Stark Sands) are all in the stage with some story which are far from normal. Even the housekeeper (Frances Conroy), along with a failed actor named Tony (Jason Priestley) is out of bounds from the real world.
Angela kills her husband with arsenic and the whole world knows it (reminds me of some recent cases in Hollywood, car chase and Italian restaurants) but the proof is yet to be found. You can see Busch as a female impersonator or suspend disbelief completely and accept her as a genuine femme fatale. Busch seems to want it both ways.
Watch this movie if you can and you will love it. This is not mainstream movie but who wants to watch Tom Cruise as a Samurai or Arnie save the world if you have such good movie to rent.
Rating:
Summary: Whatever Happened To Baby Barbara?
Review: I saw DIE, MOMMIE, DIE a second time today, and enjoyed it as much if not more than the first time two weeks ago! Charles Busch not only stars as Angela Arden, a once-great singer who's desperate for a comeback, he also wrote the screenplay which is based on his original stage play of the same name. Mr. Busch is supported with a terrific cast: Jason Priestley, who plays Angela Arden's gigolo; Frances Conroy who is Bootsey the busybody maid; Natasha Lyonne as the picture-perfect Daddy's girl; Philip Baker Hall as Sol P. Sussman, Angela Arden's long-suffering Hollywood husband; and Stark Sands who plays the son with a few secrets and hidden desires. The opening credits feature Angela Arden "in the studio" singing Why Me?, one of her golden greats from her days as a top-selling music star. The montage reminded me of the old-style videos from the 50s of singing legends like Kay Starr, Doris Day and Rosemary Clooney. Angela is swathed in yards and yards of taffeta with a beauty-parlor hairdo and working those hand gestures and facial expressions like any good drag queen! I was giggling the whole way through the "video." I'm not one to spoil the fun for moviegoers, so I won't go into much detail on the plot. Suffice to say it was inspired by the Hollywood melodrama tradition--movies starring Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Susan Hayward, Jane Wyman and on and on. If you've seen films like Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?, Mildred Pierce, All About Eve, Magnificent Obsession, Back Street or Peyton Place; you have a pretty good idea of what the movie will play like. Throw in some very campy and gay humor with the melodrama, and you've got Die, Mommie, Die! Not only does the storyline pay homage to the grand dames of old Hollywood, so does the set design, art direction, costuming and hair/makeup design. The look of the film is as important as the plot, and makes for 90 minutes of wonderful and oh-so-gay friendly entertainment. My partner and I really really enjoyed the film, and cannot wait for it to appear on DVD with many wonderful extras. Die, Mommie, Die is simply grand and funny!!
Rating:
Summary: Goin' Campin' Without the Tent...
Review: I used to believe a cult movie was completely accidental, it couldn't be made deliberately. I now stand corrected. This satire, very dark and disturbing at times, is as campy as any melodrama from the 60s, 70s, or 80s. Imagine if "Dynasty" were all gay and the lead females were really drag queens. Imagine if Joan Crawford was played by a drag queen in "Mommie Dearest." Or better yet, the lead female in "The People Under the Stairs" was a drag queen! Wait! The last one was a drag queen! This movie is all those things rolled into one. The only thing missing was John Waters, but you can feel his influences. A great deal of backstabbing, I think aimed at Debbie Renyolds, but could also be Crawford, Davis, et al. A lot of bitchyness and sly humor. The musical numbers are silly and funny. All in all, a very funny film not to be taken too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Ultra CAMP, Ultra GAY, Ultra LOUNGE......Ultra EVERYTHING!
Review: Like Brini Maxwell on a bad trip, Charles Busch manages to slink his way through this absolutely HILARIOUS send up of 60's soaps (and bad Italian-funded movies) with a palpable air of sultriness and fun that I just haven't seen in ages. If you like your humor with more than a bit of a "twisted edge", you'll HOWL at this flick. Naughty? YOU BETCHA! This thing is SOOOO tongue-in-cheek ....and it's got some GREAT lines that are DESTINED to be, well, infamous! Just WAIT for the line about the brat with mustard! You will ROLL!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Sex! Lies! And Gigolos! Oh My!!!
Review: Ready for a campy trip back to the movies of yesterday----where a diva like Bette Davis was a woman tormented by secrets, overcomes obstacles in her life and tries to keep her man or keep her family intact? Well, Angela Arden (played with good humor by Charles Busch) is in the same boat. She is an aging entertainer, a star who has lost her shine and must deal with a husband who despises her, a daughter who can't stand the sight of her and a son, who has a secret of his own.
Throw in a maid named Bootsie (played by the wonderful Francis Conroy of HBO's "Six Feet Under") who is a little to devoted to Angela's husband and Jason Priestly as a well endowed gigolo with too many questions and you have a handful of interesting characters who are bound to entertain. With incest, homosexuality, lies, murder, drug use and plenty of sex, "Die Mommie Die" pretty much covers all the vices you can think of!
This movie is a funny throwback to all of those meladramas of the 50s and is worth a look. Recently, I watched "Girls Will Be Girls" and I have to admit I enjoyed it more. But this film is still fun and will give you plenty of giggles at its over the top and naughty camp! Worth a look.
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