Serial Mom

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

There’s simply no other way to put it—John Waters’ Serial Mom is an absolute joyride of satire, absurdity, and murderous hilarity. This dark comedy about suburbia gone delightfully off the rails is one of the best showcases of Waters’ genius for blending the grotesque with the laugh-out-loud funny. And at the center of it all? Beverly Sutphin, played with wicked perfection by Kathleen Turner in a role so tailor-made for her it feels like destiny.

Turner’s Beverly is the mom you dream of—sweet, supportive, always there to cook your favorite meal or help with a school project. That is, until someone commits the ultimate sin, like not rewinding a VHS tape (yes, that was a thing)—and then her doting demeanor snaps into her shocking alter ego. Beverly doesn’t just live by a moral code; she enforces it with a kitchen scissors first, questions later kind of flair. One moment she’s cheerfully chirping “Is this pussy willow?” in a scene so absurd it’s instantly iconic, and the next, she’s exacting punishment in ways that make you laugh even when you know you shouldn’t.

Of course, every great mom needs a family, and Beverly’s crew is the perfect setup for her darkly comic antics. Sam Waterston plays Eugene, the nerdy but lovable husband who’s blissfully clueless about his wife’s extracurricular hobbies. Watching him come to grips with Beverly’s true nature is comedic gold. Then there are the kids, Misty (Ricki Lake) and Chip (Matthew Lillard), whose reactions range from horrified disbelief to eventual pride in their mom’s newfound fame as a murderous martyr. It’s a dysfunctional dynamic that’s just too much fun to watch.

John Waters, the mad genius behind the camera, pulls off the ultimate high-wire act here. True to his signature style, Serial Mom is campy without being cheesy and irreverent without losing its heart. Waters crafts a love letter to 1990s picture-perfect suburbia, douses it with his iconic sense of dark humor, and then lets it explode in outrageous spectacle. It’s no wonder some say this is his magnum opus—it’s got everything from gory slapstick to biting social satire, sprinkled with a pinch of feel-good family comedy.

While Serial Mom didn’t initially break box office records, raking in a modest $7.8 million, it’s since blossomed into a full-fledged cult classic. This movie has all the makings of a timeless comedy—quotable one-liners, over-the-top performances, and an unapologetically bonkers plot. You can’t help but get sucked into Beverly’s world, secretly rooting for her, even as she gleefully crosses every moral line imaginable.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of watching Serial Mom, you’re in for one of the most entertaining comedic experiences out there. And if you’ve seen it before, do yourself a favor and press play again. Just make sure to rewind the tape when finished, or else Beverly might visit you.

Frank Gaimari is an author, film reviewer, and actor based in Seattle, Washington. He lives with his husband and their two golden retrievers. Learn more about his work at http://FrankGaimari.com.