The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom
She wanted to give her daughter the best shot at being a cheerleader... The things you do for your kids.
What happens when the pursuit of happiness drives you round the bend? Holly Hunter finds out when she stars as Wanda Holloway, a loving mother who wants the best for her daughter -- at almost any price.
Wanda and her close neighbor and fellow stage mother Verna each want their own daughter to win a coveted spot on the high school cheerleading team. The battle for the prized pom-poms is so intense that while her daughter is doing the splits, Wanda is busy devising a plan to try and guarantee her winning. Her plan leads her to talk of murder. Wanda says it started as a joke, but when her brother- in- law Terry (Beau Bridges) goes to the cops, Wanda becomes entangled in a trial for solicitation of murder, making for a movie that would be tragic -- if it weren't so hysterically funny.
Member Reviews
Crazy mom and bad cheerleading - movie_goer
The Mockumentary is weak, and disapointing in more ways than 1 for beginners the movie isn't based on a factual event at all. The worst part was Holly Hunters over the top accent, for most of the movie I could barely make out what she was saying....
With a star studded cast not even Beau Bridges and Holly Hunter can save a poorly executed, and tasteless injection of comedy with a serious subject matter. It's rare and immensously difficult to find a perfect director who can create noir comedy without offending its viwership. Sadly, its not even remotely entertaining or funny or thought provoking. For me its a pass.Holly Hunter shines - eoguy
Holly Hunter steals the show in a fantastic yet subdued performance as the Texas mom who tried to have the mother of one of her daughter's classmates whacked to get her the cheerleading position she lost.
It's an early commentary on the media-thirsty American public made at a time what Amy and Bobbitt were household names.
Beau Bridges and Swoosie Kurtz provide fabulous support, and the rest of the cast is fine (look for a very young Giovanni Ribisi), but this is Hunter's show all the way.
The film suffers from a sometimes lagging pace that I think is probably partly due to its roots as one of HBO's first homegrown films, made for the cable channel rather than theatres. That's why, in its worst moments, this feels like a TV movie. But other scenes -- like Hunter's lengthy chat with Bridges in the car, planning the girl's murder -- make this deserving of a look.
The film won a handful of Emmys, and is deserving of a look, though it's not going to be one to keep on your shelf.Give me a 'K' - Pantagruel
... I - L - L - E - R ... The great thing about this film is that it dares to center itself around an event that never actually occurs. This tells us much about our cultural desire for mystery and resolution. Using this method - something one might call pregnans constructio - the filmmakers point the finger at the audience, exposing our desires for murderous severity and representations of inconsequential justice. By using the conventions of the mockumentary, this film parodies parody itself, turning our media saturated culture on its head. The exploiters and the exploited change places, confusing the boundaries of morality in entertainment versus morality in reality. A must see for anyone interested in a powerful critique of contemporary culture.
Member Reviews
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Crazy mom and bad cheerleading - movie_goer
The Mockumentary is weak, and disapointing in more ways than 1 for beginners the movie isn't based on a factual event at all. The worst part was Holly Hunters over the top accent, for most of the movie I could barely make out what she was saying....
With ...Holly Hunter shines - eoguy
Holly Hunter steals the show in a fantastic yet subdued performance as the Texas mom who tried to have the mother of one of her daughter's classmates whacked to get her the cheerleading position she lost.
It's an early commentary on the media-thirsty ...Give me a 'K' - Pantagruel
... I - L - L - E - R ... The great thing about this film is that it dares to center itself around an event that never actually occurs. This tells us much about our cultural desire for mystery and resolution. Using this method - something one might call ...