This exhilarating, fast-paced and typically 70s exploitation- adventure ranks as one of the most popular Roger Corman productions among his fans & admirers, and righteously so I daresay, because "Big Bad Mama" guarantees wild and unscrupulous entertainment from the very first opening seconds until (and included) the closing credits. What's the secret formula? Not a whole lot, in fact
Sexy young girls as well as mature women not too prudish to show some flesh, dumb redneck men in ugly redneck villages, a bit of gratuitous violence and – of course – banjo music
Lots and lots of banjo music! The opening scenes are the best, in my humble opinion. During the Great Depression era, in Texas, Wilma's cute but naive teenage daughter Polly is about to get married to a dumb farmer with an even dumber family. During the ceremony, however, Wilma gets hysterical and shouts out that she wants a better life for her and her two daughters. Her idea is to head for California and grab every opportunity they can get along the way. She starts off with taking over her dead lover's bootlegging business, but gradually enrolls into bank robberies, horse race gambling, various con activities and even kidnapping. Thanks to her pretty face and luscious curves, Wilma can easily persuade every man to do what she wants, and her young daughters Billy Jean and Polly inherited those same talents! Roger Corman and director Steve Carver demonstrate that they are perfectly in touch with their B-movie loving audiences, as they extensively deliver what the crowd wants to see. "Big Bad Mama" is clearly inspired by "Bonny and Clyde", as well as several other gangster epics of the late 60s/early 70s, but without the boring romances and numerous speeches/dialogues. Admittedly the film does become quite tedious around the hour, as the script contains quite a few repetitive routines and even nudity becomes commonplace. Angie Dickinson terrifically leads the delightful ensemble cast that also features impressive names like William Shatner and Tom Skerrit (albeit before their major breakthroughs) and, of course, Roger Corman favorite Dick Miller. However, I fully agree with another reviewer who stated that the coolest and most memorable roles are played by the young daughters, and particularly Susan Sennett stands out as the cocky and untamed Billy Jean.
Review of Big Bad Mama
