As mom's yearly holiday approaches and my alter ego, Dick O'Day, prepares to host the third annual edition of Mother's Day with Mommie Dearest at the Music Box ( details below ) , I've been reflecting on the large number of mom-daughter films that are beloved by the queer community. There are so many, in fact, that they constitute their own genre.
Aside from the Joan-Christina Crawford biopic/camp masterpiece that is 1981's Mommie Dearest, the familiar titles in this canon would include Crawford herself playing to the back row in her Oscar-winning role in 1945's Mildred Pierce, in which mother sacrifices all for her rotten daughter ( played with aplomb by Ann Blyth ) ; 1976's Carrie, with Piper Laurie and Sissy Spacek in their Oscar-nominated roles as religious fanatic mother and revenge-seeking, scapegoat daughter; and Ellyn Burstyn fighting the very Devil for daughter Linda Blair's soul in 1973's The Exorcist.
Other less-known but equally dishy films with memorable mother-daughter battles would include 1968's Pretty Poison, 1998's Little Voice, One True Friend also from 1998, 2002's Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and the guilty pleasure that is 1987's Flowers in the Attic. I'm not forgetting the horrific mother-daughter contests that have won or almost won Oscars—1982's Frances, 1965's A Patch of Blue or the recent Precious. As noted, there are more mother-daughter movies than fans can shake their Old Dutch cleanser cans at. ( Mommie Dearest fans, congratulate yourselves for not needing to be clued in about this reference. )
This brings us back to Mother's Day with Mommie Dearest this Sunday, May 9, at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport, hosted by Dick O'Day, the alter ego of yours truly and abetted by David Cerda and Ed Jones as Joan and Christina, both renowned locally for the theatrical Hell in a Handbag Productions and The Joans rock band. The festivities will kick off with photos of Joan and Christina in the lobby ( with a portion of the proceeds helping Hand Bag ) , followed by a 1 p.m. pre-show featuring a mother-daughter costume contest, prizes and a screening of the "Mad at the Dirt" music video by The Joans. Lastly, there is the 1:30 p.m. screening of Mommie Dearest, complete with audience interactive screening guide and running commentary by yours truly, Cerda and Jones. Tickets are $12; see www.musicboxtheatre.com .
Something Else for Mom: Summit Entertainment is hosting multiple sneak previews in the Chicagoland area of the forthcoming romantic drama Letters to Juliet ( opening May 14 ) , starring Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave, on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 9. Download passes ( while supplies last ) at www.gofobo.com .
Chicago-area residents, especially those living in the Loop, may long have been familiar with the colorful sight of Vincent P. Falk, the man known as "Riverace." He is found every spring through fall at his post in the middle of one of the Chicago River bridges—garbed in his signature vivid suit, twirling and waving his jacket over his head to tourists on the myriad passing tour boats.
What led this middle-aged gentleman to engage in this simple act that has delighted thousands day after day for so many years? Where do those suits come from? How can he afford them? Most important, what makes a guy like this tick? Director-producer Jennifer Burns, a Chicagoan making her filmmaking debut, presents a lot of answers in the delightful documentary Vincent: A Life In Color. The film is a light-hearted portrait of a true individual—one who has dealt with an array of daunting physical and social challenges growing up ( a legally blind orphan, who happens to be gay, raised in an Irish Catholic household ) and who emerged blissfully triumphant.
The film, however, is a tad heavy on the local media's embrace of Falk as its eager mascot ( especially in their repeated musings about why Fashion Man does what he does ) and a tad light on explanations from the man himself. Nor does Vince reveal what decisive moment led to his one-man fashion shows—or much else of a personal nature.
Given the dearth of personal detail offered by the subject himself in Vincent: A Life In Color, it's no surprise that the movie begins to feel repetitious. However, it may have been part of Burns' intention to purposely omit these explanations and allow an air of mystery to continue to surround this effervescent yet elusive oddity, whose very presence on those bridges day in and day out in his hot pink, tamale red, lime green or fuchsia suits is a testament to individuality and determination.
The film opens Friday, May 7, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, for a one-week run. Burns and Falk will be present for post-screening Q&As throughout the opening weekend and will also attend an afterparty at Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse, 318 N. State, that includes cocktails and hors d'oeuvre. ( Tickets for the gala screening/after party are $100. ) Visit www.vincentalifeincolor.com .
Film notes:
—A 35mm restored print of the groundbreaking, 1977 documentary Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives—one of the first films to feature extensive interview footage with regular folks who just happened to be gay—will be screened as part of the University of Chicago's Doc Films series at the Max Palevsky Cinema, 1212 E. 59th, on Friday, May 7, at 6, 8, and 11:30 p.m. and on Sunday, May 9, at 3:45 p.m. This is a rare opportunity to see this moving, beautifully crafted piece of queer history on the big screen—in fact, it's the Chicago premiere. See www.docfilms.uchicago.edu .
—The Dyke Delicious series returns on Saturday, May 8 at Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark, with its annual edition of May Shorts. The selections—which include Knock 'Em Dead, My Mama Said Yo Mama's A Dyke, Beauteous, Meeskeit, Stenohoria and Bye Bi Love—are all by or about lesbians. The evening begins with socializing at 7 p.m. followed by the 8 p.m. screening. It's a co-presentation courtesy of Chicago Filmmakers, Reeling, and Black Cat Productions. See www.chicagofilmmakers.org .
Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com . Readers can leave feedback at the latter Web site.
