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Mommie Dearest (1981) – Adoption on the Big Screen
E022 | Mommie Dearest (1981) – Adoption on the Big Screen
For adoptees, Mother's Day can carry complexity and tough emotions. So we decided to lean all the way into the discomfort with a film legendary critic Roger Ebert called "unremittingly depressing," writing that he could not "imagine who would want to subject themselves to this movie." Roger Ebert obviously never met podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer, all of whom subjected themselves to a film that is two hours and nine minutes of pure activation for adopted people: Mommie Dearest.
This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on May 6, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon:
Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford (1978)
Christina Crawford on the Phil Donahue Show (1978)
"Method" refers to a style of acting preparation developed by actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski, and popularized in the US by Lee Strasberg by which the actor makes use of experiences in their own lives to bring them closer to the character.
In the episode, Sullivan references a study showing a prevalence of narcissism in adoptive mothers. She was referring to this study which, to clarify, looks at infertile women, not adoptive mothers specifically.
Joan Crawford, My Way of Life (1971)
A. Ashley Hoff, With Love, Mommie Dearest (2024)
Charlotte Chandler, Not the Girl Next Door: Joan Crawford, A Personal Biography (2008)
Faye (2024) directed by Laurent Bouzereau
American Film Institute's 100 Years … 100 Heros and Villains
American Film Institute's 100 Years … 100 Movie Quotes
Roger Ebert, "Mommie Dearest Review" (January 1, 1981)
The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen.
We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com, on Instagram, and on Substack.
View all episodes
By Haley Radke, Kristal Parke, and Sullivan SummerE022 | Mommie Dearest (1981) – Adoption on the Big Screen
For adoptees, Mother's Day can carry complexity and tough emotions. So we decided to lean all the way into the discomfort with a film legendary critic Roger Ebert called "unremittingly depressing," writing that he could not "imagine who would want to subject themselves to this movie." Roger Ebert obviously never met podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer, all of whom subjected themselves to a film that is two hours and nine minutes of pure activation for adopted people: Mommie Dearest.
This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on May 6, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon:
Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford (1978)
Christina Crawford on the Phil Donahue Show (1978)
"Method" refers to a style of acting preparation developed by actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski, and popularized in the US by Lee Strasberg by which the actor makes use of experiences in their own lives to bring them closer to the character.
In the episode, Sullivan references a study showing a prevalence of narcissism in adoptive mothers. She was referring to this study which, to clarify, looks at infertile women, not adoptive mothers specifically.
Joan Crawford, My Way of Life (1971)
A. Ashley Hoff, With Love, Mommie Dearest (2024)
Charlotte Chandler, Not the Girl Next Door: Joan Crawford, A Personal Biography (2008)
Faye (2024) directed by Laurent Bouzereau
American Film Institute's 100 Years … 100 Heros and Villains
American Film Institute's 100 Years … 100 Movie Quotes
Roger Ebert, "Mommie Dearest Review" (January 1, 1981)
The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen.
We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com, on Instagram, and on Substack.