At the start of the film, we encounter Joan Crawford, portrayed by the talented Faye Dunaway, as she rises before dawn to begin her day at MGM Studios. Her morning routine is revealing of her obsessive nature; she vigorously scrubs her face with hot soap and then immerses it in icy alcohol to close her pores. This obsession with cleanliness extends to everyone around her. When a new maid believes she has cleaned Joan's living room to perfection, Joan spots a minor oversight and loses her temper, showcasing her intimidating presence, which also extends to her new live-in personal assistant, Carol-Ann.
In her personal life, Joan is romantically involved with Hollywood lawyer Gregg Savitt (played by Steve Forrest), but her acting career is faltering. During a candid moment with Gregg, she expresses her deep desire for a child, revealing her heartbreaking history of seven miscarriages from her marriage to actor Franchot Tone. Following a failed adoption application, she employs dubious means to finally obtain a baby, naming her daughter Christina Crawford.
The narrative shifts abruptly to Christina’s childhood, where we see her as a young girl, approximately eight or nine years old. Joan has also adopted a boy named Christopher, but the spotlight remains on Christina, played by Mara Hobel. Joan showers her daughter with gifts and extravagant celebrations, yet insists on strict discipline and denial; when Joan donates most of Christina's birthday gifts to an orphanage, she manipulates the situation to appear charitable to the media. As Christina begins to assert her independence, tensions mount, resulting in dramatic confrontations. For instance, a simple pool race results in Joan lashing out at Christina for a perceived lack of sportsmanship, and a moment of teenage mimicry ends with Joan savagely cutting Christina's hair.
Following a turbulent incident at a restaurant, Joan's relationship with Gregg comes to an unexpected end after she accuses him of failing to uphold proper chivalry. From this point onward, her behavior becomes increasingly erratic and volatile. After being asked to leave MGM, Joan sinks into a fit of rage, destroying her beloved rose garden with gardening tools, pulling Carol-Ann and her children into her chaotic episode. The most chilling moment occurs late one night when Joan, covered in beauty cream, confronts a frightened Christina about a dress hanging on a wire hanger. In a terrifying display of anger, she berates Christina for disobeying her rules, resulting in a brutal physical assault.
The film later transitions to Christina's teenage years, where she is about 16 and has begun exploring her passion for theater. Though she excels academically, her life takes another sharp turn when she is caught in a seemingly innocent situation with a boy. Consumed by rage, Joan storms into the school, insisting on Christina's expulsion, despite the headmistress’s attempts to explain the harmless nature of the encounter. Once home, an explosive conflict erupts during a visit from a reporter, where both daughters confront Joan’s motives for adoption and her abuse. Ultimately, Christina finds herself sent away to a convent school following a violent altercation with her mother.
As time passes, the narrative unfolds with Christina venturing into adulthood and Joan marrying Alfred Steele (Harry Goz), the CEO of Pepsi Cola. Joan's life of luxury is tinged with controversy as she navigates boardroom politics after Steele’s passing. Although Joan and Christina share a seemingly reconciliatory phase, Joan's attempts to undermine Christina's aspirations as an actress resurface when she steps into a role meant for a younger performer.
The shocking conclusion reveals that upon Joan's death, both Christina and Christopher are disinherited, with their mother leaving a will that is shrouded in lingering animosity. Christina's resolve strengthens as she contemplates the idea of writing a book to expose the truth of her childhood, affirming that she and Christopher will take control of their narrative, ensuring that Joan does not have "the final word."
