doesn't literally eat kids, but we wouldn't put it past her either), adopts
Christina only to make her life a series of hellish showdowns. Worse,
Christina's always got to refer to her mother as "Mommie Dearest."
Meanest Moment: There are so many: maniacally cutting little
Christina's hair after catching her daughter supposedly "making fun" of her in a
vanity mirror; forcing Christina to sit for hours staring at an overly rare
steak; never letting her win at swimming, taunting, "I will always beat you."
Yet, we have to go with the most famous. Donning a nighttime face mask that
makes her look about as terrifying as Freddy Krueger, Joan admires Christina's
dresses only to find one dangling from a wire hanger. Filled with rage, she not
only beats Christina with the hanger, but also makes the screaming child
clean the already spotless bathroom after the pounding (what does the bathroom
have to do with anything?). When Joan finally leaves the poor girl alone, the
scene ends with the horrifying/humorous close-up of a now world-weary Christina
uttering an exasperated "Jesus Christ."
Memorable Quote: "No! Wire! Hangers!" -- Joan's infamous
warning, as she beats her daughter.
Maternal Comeuppance? Not in the movie. After Joan dies,
Christina is granted nothing -- zilch -- in the will. Not even a nice set of
cushioned hangers or a box of Comet. (Paramount/Courtesy Everett
Collection)
Close
Hotmail
