Serial Mom (1994)
75%RT Audience Score: 72%
Awards & Nominations: 1 nomination
Serial Mom, the 1994 satirical comedy from John Waters, is a gloriously wicked and subversive take on the American obsession with serial killers. Kathleen Turner delivers a tour-de-force performance as the titular character, a seemingly perfect suburban housewife who takes it upon herself to rid the world of those who offend her sense of propriety. While the film may not be Waters’ most polished work, it is a hilarious and biting commentary on the hypocrisy of American culture, and Turner’s performance alone is worth the price of admission. So grab your pussy willows and settle in for a gay old time with Serial Mom.
Serial Mom is a hilarious and twisted comedy that will have you laughing and cringing at the same time. Kathleen Turner’s performance as the titular character is a standout, and the film’s satirical take on our obsession with serial killers is both witty and gloriously violent. Just make sure you’re not wearing white after Labor Day while watching it, and maybe keep some pussy willows nearby for good measure. Overall, it’s a must-watch for fans of John Waters and dark comedies.
Production Company(ies)
CNN Films, Manny O Productions, Sunset Pictures,
Distributor
BMG Video, Home Box Office Home Video
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for satirical presentation of strong violence, vulgar language, and sexual episodes
Year of Release
1994
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.33 : 1 (original ratio, open matte)
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Runtime:1h 33m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 13, 1994 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 14, 2009
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Kathleen Turner, Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake, Matthew Lillard, Mary Jo Catlett, Justin Whalin, directed by John Waters, written by John Waters, Comedy, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Owen Gleiberman, Todd McCarthy, Eric Henderson, Derek Adams, Nell Minow, Matt Brunson, David Nusair, Marisa Mirabal, Nathanael Hood, Sean Mulvihill, Quentin Curtis, produced by John Fiedler, Mark Tarlov, MPAA rating, female serial killer, Baltimore, celebrity status, suburban life, satire, obsession with serial killers, violence for comedy, personal quirks, predilections, suburban satire, Dolby, Surround, Stereo, BMG Video, Home Box Office Home Video
Worldwide gross: $7,820,688
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,822,232
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,800
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,725,434
US/Canada gross: $7,820,688
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,822,232
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,481
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,040,450
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $4,128,086
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,125
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $13,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $26,300,630
Production budget ranking: 1,228
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $14,162,889
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$24,641,287
ROI to date (est.): -61%
ROI ranking: 1,754
Sam Waterston – Eugene Sutphin, D.D.S.
Ricki Lake – Misty Sutphin
Matthew Lillard – Chip Sutphin
Mary Jo Catlett – Rosemary Ackerman
Justin Whalin – Scotty Barnhill
John Waters – Director, Writer
John Fiedler – Producer
Mark Tarlov – Producer
Director(s)
John Waters
Writer(s)
John Waters
Producer(s)
John Fiedler, Mark Tarlov
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (33) | Rotten (19)
Nevertheless, there’s an undeniable pleasure in finding a comic imagination based so exclusively on personal quirks and predilections, even when it’s less than wholly adept in telling a story.
June 6, 2022 | Rating: 2/4
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Rather mild and scattershot in its satiric marksmanship…
May 8, 2008
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
A loose remake of Female Trouble with Polyester’s subversively accessible polish, Serial Mom is the strongest film of the post-midnight-movie chapter of John Waters’s career.
May 6, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
An uproariously funny, marvellously malicious performance from Turner.
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
September 16, 2004 | Rating: 3/5
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
The first hour of Serial Mom is a hoot, but then the film goes astray.
April 10, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
…an agreeable-enough endeavor that never entirely wears out its welcome.
January 13, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
SERIAL MOM takes a sharp, satirical look at our obsession with serial killers and is a witty glorification of violence for comedy.
April 15, 2019 | Rating: 4.5/5
Marisa Mirabal
Birth.Movies.Death.
Serial Mom is one of Waters’ most personal and autobiographical works.
December 27, 2018 | Rating: 7/10
Nathanael Hood
MUBI
When watching Serial Mom, make sure you’re not wearing white after Labor Day and surround yourself with gorgeous pussy willows from the garden.
October 31, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
Sean Mulvihill
FanboyNation.com
Turner has a gay old time. She’s always found it hard to restrain the lush beneath the lusciousness, and now she needn’t try.
December 7, 2017
Quentin Curtis
Independent on Sunday…
Plot
A picture perfect middle class family is shocked when they find out that one of their neighbors is receiving obscene phone calls. The mom takes slights against her family very personally, and it turns out she is indeed the one harassing the neighbor. As other slights befall her beloved family, the body count begins to increase, and the police get closer to the truth, threatening the family’s picture perfect world.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels describes Kathleen Turner’s performance in Serial Mom as “an uproariously funny, marvellously malicious performance.”
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