“This is the cheesiest movie you’ll ever see.”
…hey, I didn’t say it, the big voice in the trailer did. Not that I disagree.
I’m going to be very clear out of the gate, this isn’t a review of the movie ‘Mad Heidi’, because it’s virtually impossible TO review a movie like ‘Mad Heidi’. Branded ‘Swissploitation’, it’s grindhouse-inspired entertainment designed to be bad. SO bad, for many, it’s good. When you take Johanna Spyri’s timeless character from 1880, add the edge of a spaghetti western and toss in a wee bit of Roger Corman-esque peekaboo hijinks….well c’mon, it’s not like we’re reaching out to Merchant Ivory faithful here.
Synopsis, if you dare; the mountains of Switzerland are now run by an evil dictator (Casper Van Dien, no stranger to fromage fare as he’s the star of the original ‘Starship Troopers’). The ‘very excellent, very Swiss leader’ is a cheesemaker bent on power and – stop me if you’ve heard this before – has wicked plans for world domination. The mistake he makes is murdering cheese ‘dealer’ Goat Peter (who dresses like a 70’s pimp when he hits the cobbled road to peddle his ‘stuff’), boyfriend of the title character. Killing Goat Peter makes Heidi awfully mad. Thus both the title…and the mass carnage that follows in which everything from melted cheese to Toblerones are implemented as dangerous weapons.
Funded by fans, it’s easy to see there wasn’t a lot of money to go around in putting together ‘Mad Heidi’, and that almost adds to its appeal. Oh, it’s awful. BUT it’s awfully creative. And while it obviously won’t be everyone’s cup of tea…..or should I say, cheese…..it’s simply too ridiculous to outright dismiss. Put it this way; when a movie spends millions upon millions of dollars to produce and still stinks, it merits a bad review. When a movie doesn’t HAVE a budget, yet still has as much twisted fun as this, it’s easier to like. And, as mentioned, not even worth reviewing because you KNOW it’s bad. Heck, THEY know it’s bad.
So bad, it’s kinda good.