The plotline is flimsy at best, opening circa 1932 with Angie Dickinson posturing as a hard-bitten mother, rum runner, bank robber, jewel thief, kidnapper and queen bee in the sack. Both producer Roger Corman and director Steve Carver make a feeble attempt at social import by having Mama and trueblue lover Tom Skerritt martyr themselves so that the children may live and spend their ill-got gains.
Carver’s direction mostly consists of winks at the film buffs in the crowd, as he apes the wedding scene from The Graduate and swipes bank robbery and shootout scenes, as well as the bluegrass tempo from Bonnie and Clyde.
Big Bad Mama is mostly rehashed Bonnie and Clyde, with a bit more blood and Angie Dickinson taking off her clothes for sex scenes with the crooks in her life.
