Your Mommy Kills Animals (2007)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Pet Protective

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Curt Johnson's powerful, angry and bizarre documentary tells the story of an animal rights activist group that was officially classified as a terrorist group and tried using the post-9/11 Homeland Security laws. The film makes no bones about the fact that pro-life groups use virtually the same tactics -- making graphic signs, chanting outside people's homes, etc. -- and remain untouched. The film contains interviews from all different viewpoints and effectively disguises its own leanings. A lawyer comes across as fairly sensible, while the two "ringleaders" of the animal rights group can seem zealous and creepy. Your Mommy Kills Animals also attempts to debunk the organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), calling it a giant group of lobbyists that doesn't actually help anyone or anything except itself. Among the interviewees we have Shane and Sia Barbi, the voluptuous blond "Barbi Twins," who have posed nude for Playboy. The film concludes that, for all the hassle and arrogance involved, these radical tactics may actually work. Either way, it will certainly spark some interesting post-movie conversations. (It would be interesting to hear what the animals themselves would say about all this.) The title apparently comes from a PETA-produced comic book, intended to scare children.