The movie critique portion of this review was written by my colleague Michele Arbir.
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot came out in 1992. This American buddy cop action-comedy film is directed by Roger Spottiswoode (Turner & Hooch) and stars Sylvester Stallone (Rambo franchise) and Estelle Getty (Golden Girls). Some movies are good, some bad, and some fall in the mediocre range, like a C+ to a B-. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot falls in that mediocre area. It received mostly negative reviews upon release but somehow grossed $70.6 million worldwide, not bad for 1992.
Sergeant Joseph Andrew Bomowski (Sylvester Stallone) is a rough and tough cop. His seemingly fragile mother, Tutti (Estelle Getty), comes to stay with him and interferes big time in his life, also driving him crazy.
After cleaning her son’s gun with bleach and then finding out she ruined it, Tutti goes out and buys him an illegal MAC-10 machine pistol. In the process, she witnesses the murder of one of the men who sold her the gun. Tutti is taken to the police station to give a statement and starts poking around in some of Joe’s cases. She finds out the gun she purchased was part of a collection taken from a burned building, and the gun insurance money was received.
At the airport on her way home, Tutti recognizes a man. He flees when she and Joe follow him, and Tutti remembers she saw him on America’s Most Wanted for shooting his mother. As you can imagine, this is a film where action prevails and everything works out in the end.
When Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot came across for review, I was a little apprehensive at first. The reviews from critics were not very good. I went over to Rotten Tomatoes to see what the real audience had to say. I found them to still be mixed but most saying it wasn’t as bad as the critics made it out to be. Sure, it’s cheesy in parts, and a bit low budget – even tacky in a few parts. Still, this 1991 action-comedy with charming Sly (who looks amazing in this one, oh those sad puppy dog eyes!) and his mom worming her way in to clean up Joe’s life was a good laugh. Who wouldn’t want Estelle Getty for a mom?!
Stallone may be too dopy and Getty’s character over-exaggerated and somewhat charming, but the chemistry between the leads is generally enjoyable.
Stallone’s career has always gone up and down, and although this isn’t his best film it’s still far from dire. The action sequences aren’t too bad either, and the gun cleaning scene was very amusing. Having been trained to shoot and clean a gun by my step-dad/retired Army Green Beret weapons specialist, I was cringing when Getty’s character did certain things. As supposedly awful movies go, the plot was weak but not as awful as many say. It kept me entertained while rocking my grandbaby for his 2-hour nap. Stallone is always great to look at / watch – I swear he never ages. Getty will always be Golden in my heart. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot goes in my Cute Box.
Video Quality
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot gets somewhat of an upgrade to Blu-Ray courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment, but it is far from a flawless presentation. The transfer is sourced from an older master provided by Universal Pictures for its Blu-Ray debut. Compared to other recent releases from the company, this release does not suffer quite as much in terms of compression artifacts and macroblocking. They are definitely still present, just not quite as egregious as other discs. Skin tones fall a bit more on the side of pasty and unnatural, and the presentation offers up some fairly unimpressive black levels. The disc experiences a decent amount of black crush, but once again it is not as overwhelming as some Mill Creek discs. Thankfully the image retains some texture in small aspects of the photography such as costumes and interior settings. The colors are one of the standout aspects of the disc, as particular elements of the production design pop off the screen with a nice vibrancy. Mill Creek Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray disc that is a fine step up from DVD, but it does not quite hit it out of the park like a new master may have. Given the lower quality of the feature, this might be good enough for most people.
Audio Quality
This new Blu-Ray comes with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that offers an even more pleasing presentation than the video portion of the disc. The film is not an audio heavy-hitter, but moments featuring gunshots pack a nice punch in the mix. The dialogue holds up well, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely when it comes to showcasing the ambience of the urban setting. The track mostly avoids instances of age related wear and tear or distortion. This is a track that represents the film quite capably. Optional English subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
There are no special features included on this disc. The only notable aspect of this release is the “VHS-Style” slipcover that ships with the packaging sporting some superior cover art.
Final Thoughts
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is far from a great film, but there is enough cheesy charm here to make it a decent viewing when you want to watch something bad. Sylvester Stallone and Estelle Getty do what they can with this over-the-top premise, and the movie would not really have any redeemable qualities without them. The title tells you everything you need to know about this story, and you know if you are on board immediately. Mill Creek Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that sports a passable A/V presentation in fun packaging at an attractive price. If you are a fan of the film, you likely will not feel cheated out of your money given the price you are paying.
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Mill Creek Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
