A mother’s love is one of the strongest bonds on earth. There have been numerous accounts of mothers doing extraordinary feats of strength when their child was in danger. I have witnessed my own mom exerting super human skills to protect me. We were riding on a bus to the doctor’s office because I was ill. When we reached our stop we exited from the exit doors near the back of the bus. My mother got out first so she could help be manage the distance from the last step to the curb. I had to be around 5 or 6 years old. Just as my mom grabbed hold of my outstretched hands, the back door closed on my foot and the bus began to move. The look on my mother’s face was something I will never forget. With her one arm wrapping itself around me, she started pounding on the door as she screamed while running alongside the moving bus. Gratefully a passenger saw us and alerted the bus driver to stop. Taking the bond between mother and child to a whole different level, writer and director John Waters (A Dirty Shame, Pink Flamingos) created suburban housewife and mother Beverly R. Sutphin, played by Kathleen Turner (Romancing the Stone, Peggy Sue Got Married). To say Beverly was a protective mother would be an understatement. If anyone did or say something that she thought was impolite or wrong, she would dispense her own brand of justice. Beverly usually came to the same conclusion with each incident and it involved death. This dark comedy was a hoot to watch with crazy scenes of Beverly plotting and executing her devious plans. In fact, this was more than just a comedy film; it was a satire of suburban housewives and society in general. Kathleen was wickedly wonderful in this role. Making up her family was Sam Waterson (The Killing Fields, Law & Order-TV) as her husband Eugene, Ricki Lake (Hairspray, Cry-Baby) as her daughter Misty and Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo, Trouble With the Curve) as her son Chip. With John Waters one expects foul mouthed, sick, gross humor. This film will not be a disappointment, but maybe you should not show it to your mother.

2 2/3 stars — DVD