The Mini-Skirt Mob (1968)

Stretches believability to the limit, 23 January 2006

Shayne (Diane McBain), the leader of the Mini-Skirt Mob, has been jilted by her lover. Cowboy star Jeff Logan (Ross Hagen) left Shayne and has married straight-laced Connie (Sherry Jackson). Shayne enlists the rest of her gang to help her get Jeff back – even if that means killing him in the process.

Oh, what a bad movie. This has to be the most unbelievable motorcycle gang I've ever seen. Most of the members of the Mob look like they've just spent hours working on their hair, make-up, and outfits. I've never seen women in a motorcycle gang so well quaffed. Watching Diane McBain ride a motorcycle has to be one of the funniest things I've seen. She looks so uneasy on her little bike as if she might fall over at any minute. The acting, for the most part, is just plain old horrible. McBain, Ross Hagen, and Sherry Jackson come across about as natural as McBain's piled-up, platinum hair. Logic doesn't exist. For example, if Logan is really such a champion rodeo star, why does he live in a camper that's smaller than my bathroom? The problems with The Mini-Skirt Mob go on and on.

So, why haven't I rated it any lower. There are some unintentional great moments in The Mini-Skirt Mob. It's all the things I've described that make the movie at least somewhat entertaining. Just when you think things can't get any worse, they do. The scene where the trailer blows up has to be a real highlight (or lowlight, depending on how you look at these things). In a word, it's ridiculous.

A couple of actors to keep an eye out for are Harry Dean Stanton and Patricia McCormack. It's hard to believe Stanton started out making this kind of stuff. He's definitely gone on to bigger and better things. As for McCormack, it was a treat to see the star of The Bad Seed (1956) all grown up.

4/10