Ed and His Dead Mother

1993 "A family reunion with some minor complications."
6| 1h33m| PG-13| en
Details

A mourning son makes a deal to reanimate his one year dead mother, however things turn into an unexpected direction.

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Reviews

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Dalbert Pringle Dark, goofy, sick, twisted, bizarre - Yep. Ed And His Dead Mother is definitely all of these things. And, besides that, it's actually quite funny, as well.36 year-old mama's boy, Ed Chilton, wants his dead mommy (who died a year ago) back.Ed wants his mommy back so badly that he resorts to paying shyster salesman, Mr. Abner, from "Happy People Ltd.", big bucks just to have the return of this dear, old girl.At first, when mom returns to the living, things are just hunky-dory, with Mabel (mom) merrily cooking, and cleaning, and taking special care of her darling sonny-boy, Ed, just the way that he likes to be taken care of.But when dear, old mom starts eating bugs and then develops some rather quirky(?), undead-type habits, you know damn-well that something's way out of whack and, yes, heading right out of control.Yep. Ed And His Dead Mother may be lunatic, crazy, and over-the-top "movie-madness", but, all the same, it is kinda fun to watch in the long run.
Woodyanders Shy and awkward sadsack mama's boy hardware store owner Ed Chilton (an excellent and engaging performance by Steve Buscemi in an early lead role) can't get over the death of his beloved mother Mabel (a fine and vibrant portrayal by Miriam Margolyes). Slick traveling salesman A.J. Pattle (wonderfully played with tremendous zest by John Glover) convinces Ed to bring his mom back from the dead. However, dear old mom isn't exactly herself anymore. Director Jonathan Wacks, working from a novel and witty script by Chuck Hughes, relates the offbeat and entertaining story at a steady pace, ably crafts and maintains a charming idiosyncratic tone throughout, and milks plenty of major laughs from inspired sense of often hilarious and always eccentric gallows humor. Moreover, what makes this picture so special and appealing is the casual and offhanded, yet still winning and creative way it does something fresh, funny, and even touching with its decidedly anything but standard and generic zombie premise. The ace acting by the tip-top cast helps a whole lot: Ned Beatty as ne'er do well peeping tom Uncle Benny, the luscious Sam Jenkins as sultry and enticing new neighbor Storm Reynolds, Gary Farmer as Ed's jolly pal Big Lar, and Jon Gries as no-count hoodlum Rob Sundheimer. Popping up in nifty small roles are veteran character actors Eric Christmas as defense attorney Mr. Abner and Rance Howard as folksy cuckolded priest Rev. Praxton. Francis Kenny's sharp cinematography provides a pleasing polished look. Mason Daring's quirky score hits the flaky sport. A refreshingly different and irreverent treat.
gavin6942 Ed (Steve Buscemi) loves his mother, but she's been dead for a year. When the Happy People Corporation gives him the chance to bring her back from the dead, he readily agrees. Also, we have a romantic subplot and a story of a man who just got out of prison (who I think is played by the same guy who played Uncle Rico and the Wolfman from "Monster Squad").Steve Buscemi has never steered me wrong, and putting him in a lead role was brilliant on someone's part (he too often ends up forgotten in the background). This is one of his best roles, right up there with his part in "Ghost World". Buscemi knows comedy, and now it seems we can safely say he can even do romance (who would have thought?).The comedy here is of the dark kind you might find on "Tales From the Crypt" or "Creepshow", with old women trying to eat dogs and the use of chainsaws and lawnmowers as weapons (has someone been watching "Dead Alive"?). People who love mainstream comedy (Ben Stiller fans) aren't going to love this, but those who like the stranger stuff will eat it up.The salesman was great. I forget his name, but he looks like an old Ted Danson. He had a role that seemed like he should have been a newspaperman from "Little Shop of Horrors", his style was right out of the Roger Corman playbook. And the beautiful woman next door (played by Sam Jenkins, whose name does not do her justice)... ravishing! Those outfits were a little strange (even for the early 1990s) but she made them work. Would you believe Buscemi could find a woman this attractive? Believe it! The gore was very minimal (even during a chainsaw scene) and the nudity was decent. The humor was the real selling point (if you don't find the opening courtroom scene funny, you may as well turn it off right then). But there was just something really great about this one, it was put together perfectly.Fans of "Dead Alive" might like this one, as will fans of "Little Shop of Horrors". I really think you'll appreciate the similarities. And if you need Buscemi like Britney needs panties, this should be on the top of your must-see list.
ralyin I first saw this movie on late-night cable; and instantly fell in love with both this film, and the talent of Steve Buscemi. Viewing this movie is HIGHLY entertaining. Although, I have discovered, while watching with groups, that this movie is not for everyone. Some of my friends feel as though it is TOO unbelievable a storyline, making it hard to watch. I feel as though the unrealistic concept is WHAT makes this movie the gem that it is. I also feel as though the supporting cast is fantastic... Of course, it doesn't have the greatest acting in the world...and once again, that is part of its' cultish charm!