Ed Chilton (Steve Buscemi) is the owner and operator of Chilton Hardware. He took over the business when his father passed away ten years ago. Since then, he has become somewhat of a momma’s boy so when his mother passed away, Ed found it difficult to adjust. A year later he is still coping with his loss despite the best efforts of his Uncle Benny (Ned Beatty).
One day, while at work, Ed is approached by a man named A.J. Pattle (John Glover) from the Happy People Corporation. Pattle tells Ed that for a thousand dollars he can reanimate his dead mother. Of course, Ed is skeptical, so Pattle says that Ed doesn’t have to pay until delivery. Pattle brings Mother by the next morning and Tells Ed that there is a bit of a problem. It seems that Ed’s mother donated some of her body parts to science, so she is currently in pieces. To fix that it’s gonna cost extra. They set a new price of $2,500.
In the meantime, Ed’s next-door neighbor, Storm Reynolds (Sam Sorbo) starts flirting with him. Ed is slightly surprised but willing. Things progress until Ed’s reanimated mother, Mabel Chilton (Miriam Margolyes), arrives home. The next morning Uncle Benny learns that his sister is once again alive. He’s a little bewildered but takes it in stride. Ed’s mother goes about doing what she would normally do until she collapses.
Pattle shows up and tells Ed that to continue living, his mother needs more life. He then sells, for $900, the secret to life. Pattle regenerates mother. He then produces a container of beetles to Ed and tells him to give her two beetles every night, no more, no less. The charge for the container of beetles is $349.99, on special. Mother ends up eating all the beetles which changes her. Her appetite for life causes her to eat anything and everything living.
As Ed tries to get a handle on his mother’s altered personality, Pattle is being yelled at by his boss, Sam Halibut (Eric Poppick) at The Happy People Corporation. Ed got $60,000 in life insurance from the death of his mother and the corporation wants it before they lose the market for the reanimation business to the Japanese.
“Ed and his Dead Mother” AKA “Bon Appétit Mother” was released in 1993 and was directed by Jonathan Wacks. It is an American and British horror comedy.
There’s a good amount of deadpan humor but some of the scenes have some pacing issues and some of the jokes just don’t hit right. Some slapstick is tossed in but mostly from Margolyes. Most everyone else plays it straight. There also isn’t as much gore as you would think, most of it being off screen. There is a little nudity. I didn’t think it was all that gratuitous but it’s more than I would expect for a PG-13 film.
Buscemi is the best part of the movie. Playing against type, his character is the sanest and the most levelheaded. Glover as the snake oil salesman is also a great choice. The movie is loaded with lots of good actors that deliver. It’s not all that funny, but the repartee between Buscemi and everyone else he comes in contact with is worth the price of admission.