You won't be disappointed!

Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

There's something about a mincing man pretending to be a woman that for me is the most annoying type of female impersonator. Charles Busch has written some funny plays, but he's extremely obvious in this spoof of the women's picture of the 1950's and 60's. This particularly goes after the type of films that Ross Hunter made, and while there are some mild laughs at the expense of these films, I was left cold by this rip-off of the best John Waters films. Stark Sands, later in Broadway's "Kinky Boots", shows promise as Busch's rather lost young man who sets his sights on his mother's lover (Jason Priestley). With two strange growing teenage children, an old fart of a husband and a creepy lover, Busch gets to pull out all the stops in the melodramatics. Unfortunately, by pulling out all the stops, any sense of parody makes this seem like a badly written, over the top, and extremely overlong Carol Burnett show sketch. With Carol, you expected that, and it was over in no more than 20 minutes. It strives for shock value with issues such as incest and homosexuality dealt with bluntly (and often crudely) and such soap opera staples as infidelity and murder to carry what there is of a plot along. Eventually, Sands and sister Natasha Lyonne plot to take care of mommie dearest....for good. After a while, it wears out its welcome. References to" Gypsy", "Dead Ringer", "Portrait in Black" and "Where Love Has Gone" is peppered with shots of obviously phony backdrops. Lyonne seems intent on imitating John Waters regular Mink Stole and comes off looking like a braying Pia Zadora. The overabundance of bitchy lines, put-downs and snarling delivery of all these lines just results in a tired spoof that grates on the nerves very quickly.

The writing is so hysterically crazy in this film that you can't help but burst from laughing from this very dark comedy.A dysfunctional California family hate each other. Some of the lines in the film talk about blintzes in the Sahara Desert and the father complaining of constipation since his trip to Madrid.There are some real good twists here such as the religious maid who isn't as great as she can be, and the ending shocker when it's revealed that the lady of the house pulled exactly what Bette Davis did in 1964's "Dead Ringer." People who are dead turn up very much alive and with it all, there is a pretty good song sung-"I'm Me!"This picture proves that there is a very thin line between genius and insanity.

I seem to be in the minority in my opinion of this movie. I love the films that DMD was referencing & supposedly parodying (40's & 50's womens films/ 60's drug flix)but was quite disappointed with the final result. It looks great, has some funny lines "The cuisine in Hades must be top notch", and a good performance by Stark Sands but in general the film's direction, pacing and performances are utterly lackluster. Apparently this is the director's first film & unfortunately it shows. Part of the problem also lies with the star. While Charles Busch might be a fabulous drag actor on stage, he is completely unbelievable as a woman on the big screen. I never forgot that I was watching a man in drag during the movie, which is what a really good drag performer (such as Divine or Varla Jean Merman)is able to do. As another reviewer at IMDb succinctly put it: "He manages to be believable in character without being believable as a woman". I don't think better, kinder cinematography would've helped, because to be perfectly honest, in spite of the fabulous wigs & wardrobe, I don't think he has a face for the big screen, nor a strong screen presence. Also I heard someone say on the DVD commentary that Busch toned down the theatricality of his stage performance for the movie which I think was a big mistake. His performance is too subdued & understated, too much of a sincere homage & not enough of a parody of that style of acting. He should've been more Norma Desmond and less Olivia de Havilland. It's only in the last 15 min. or so(starting with Angela's acid trip) when we get to see him playing both sisters, that his performance comes alive a bit. A much better, funnier drag film called "Girls will be Girls" came out the same year as DMD and stars 3 actors in drag all of whom are amazing, hilarious and completely convincing as women. And the direction of the film and tone of the performances hit just the right notes between camp & believability. Had the director of "Girls...", Richard Day, and the wonderfully talented & funny drag actor Varla Jean (aka Jeffrey Roberson)from the same film been the director and star of Die Mommie Die...now THAT would've been a spoof worth watching.

As a fan of Charles Busch's work, I really looked forward to seeing this film. I have to admit I was not impressed. I've seen and directed many of Busch's stage plays, and while they are hysterical and fun when live and on-stage, they simply don't translate to film very well. Busch's portrayal of Angela is outstanding -- strong yet almost pathetic; however, I felt it was one dimensional. No true highs and lows. After about 30 minutes or so, I kept hoping he would just let loose and go 'Joan Crawford' on us. The supporting cast, with the exception of Frances Conroy (Bootsie) were simply dull and lackluster. I couldn't help but feel that the actors weren't directed very well; they didn't capture the 'over-the-top' attitude that is a necessity in this genre (camp). Certainly, it is a beautiful cast, but I still didn't buy their performances. If you want to truly enjoy Busch's work, see it live and on-stage. Trust me, you won't be sorry!