"Jack and Caroline are a couple making a decent living when Jack suddenly loses his job. They agree that he should stay at home and look after the house while Caroline works. It's just that he's never done it before, and really doesn't have a clue." (IMDb)
We rarely talk about Mr. Mom but i think that this movie deserves own thread. It isnīt a perfect film and the values here seem dated but hey, it was made in ī83 and things were pretty different then.
It was rookie producer Lauren Shuler Donner (has made a fortune recently with Marvel films) who basically found Hughes because she liked his National Lampoon stories. John Hughes wrote the screenplay but was fired once again because he didnīt work in L.A. and his story was too sinister. Aaron Spelling and co. then hired few tv writers who rewrote more family friendly scenes.
Despite these facts the movie is pretty funny, the cast rocks and thereīs still lots of Hughesism to be found here. Michael Keaton had just made the classic Night Shift (1982) and was a rising star, iīve always loved Teri Garr, Ann Jillian and Martin Mull are great co-stars and i like the kids.
The film did well at the box office (64 million). Itīs not a classic but i think people should mention it more often.
Any thoughts?
Posted by Nostalgic for the '80's (Member # 37454) on :
"Mr. Mom" is a hilarious film, and was almost prophetic in that it foretold the future where men would stay at home & take care of the family while the women worked.
One of the funniest scenes in the film was when Michael Keaton took his kids somewhere & had to change them?! in a public bathroom. He used the hand dryer on the wall to "dry" one of the babies - hilarious!!! This scene is featured on the above poster.
In fact, one of my acquaintances wanted to emulate the main character so much that back in the '90's, he ended up marrying a career woman who had a great job, while he stayed home & took care of the kids; he was always somewhat lazy, and could never keep a full-time office job. He was heard to say that he liked being in a "Mr. Mom" situation - LOL.
Posted by gordongecko (Member # 4685) on :
Just put this in my watch list. I haven't seen it since I was a kid, so looking forward to re-watching. I believe I liked it back in the day.
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
Mr. Mom is pretty darned entertaining because of the good cast but especially because of Michael Keaton. A versatile actor of great range for both comedy and drama (like Tom Hanks), Keaton takes what on paper looks like a sit-comy screenplay and makes it his own. And in the process, he gets a lot of laughs. Has this guy ever given a bad performance in anything?
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
Watched this again recently. Good solid movie. I remember it being a big hit back in the day. Some really dated social observations (to be fair, they were somewhat dated / forced even back then). It feels now more like a decently made TV movie than something theatrical. Keaton and Garr are great and always dependable. This was actually Keaton's first big hit. Garr had just been Oscar nom'd for Tootsie when this was released.
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
Now that Michael Keaton is having a big comeback, it's a shame that his career didn't really take off earlier. After arriving with a capital "A" in Night Shift, he had the big hit Mr. Mom. From then on, over the decades, it was hit or miss. For every Beetlejuice or Batman, you had a Touch and Go and The Squeeze. He tried drama with Clean and Sober, and as good as he was, no one really cared. Then he was back to stuff beneath him like One Good Cop and Jack Frost. Later, while he had some good work--but underperforming films--such as Multiplicity and The Paper, it appears that he spent most of the 2000s just paying the bills with White Noise, Herbie Fully Loaded, and Game 6 (Has anyone actually seen that last one?). I am pretty sure that he's had the same agent almost his whole career, which makes me wonder why so much floundering. It appears there never has been any goal or path to his career.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Keaton is great. I love him also in Johnny Dangerously and he did a fantastic little role in Much Ado About Nothing. Itīs time to finally check out Clean and Sober. Havenīt seen his recent films but what do i see, Beetlejuice 2 announced? Please donīt ruin it...
Posted by J2ME (Member # 5728) on :
"Mr. Mom" is a favourite of mine. The TV movie feeling only adds to the charm.
Beetlejuice 2.... Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
Yeah, it has that "TV movie look" in that it doesn't look particularly distinguished, but it doesn't look terrible. Did you ever notice that with most comedies, the filmmakers don't really care to make them look good? Seriously, even some of the better comedies of recent years--I'm thinking of pretty much anything with Will Farrell or The Hangover series--are just filmed routinely, with no style or flourishes. That's why when I see something like Bill Forsythe's Comfort and Joy shot by Chris Menges or Martha's Coolidge's Real Genius shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, I want to stand up and cheer. They are not only good and funny but also really great looking films.
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
Mr Mom is great fun as is the mentioned Night Shift and Johnny Dangerously,also quite like Multiplicity,Gung Ho and The Dream Team infact there's very few of Keaton's movies that I don't actually like!
Don't remember much of this one The Squeeze (did get mostly bad reviews) from 1987 though it has been ages since I've watched it,do remember Meatloaf was in it though!
Plus i definitely don't think they will be using this artwork (Above) again if the film is ever reissued!
[ 27. October 2016, 12:03: Message edited by: the young warrior ]
Posted by skatexedge (Member # 5712) on :
Has been a favorite of mine since it was first released. I watch it fairly regularly. Ann Jillian was hot with that red hair! Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Now that Michael Keaton is having a big comeback, it's a shame that his career didn't really take off earlier. After arriving with a capital "A" in Night Shift, he had the big hit Mr. Mom. From then on, over the decades, it was hit or miss. For every Beetlejuice or Batman, you had a Touch and Go and The Squeeze. He tried drama with Clean and Sober, and as good as he was, no one really cared. Then he was back to stuff beneath him like One Good Cop and Jack Frost. Later, while he had some good work--but underperforming films--such as Multiplicity and The Paper, it appears that he spent most of the 2000s just paying the bills with White Noise, Herbie Fully Loaded, and Game 6 (Has anyone actually seen that last one?). I am pretty sure that he's had the same agent almost his whole career, which makes me wonder why so much floundering. It appears there never has been any goal or path to his career.
Nightshift was seen as something of a commercial disappointment back in the day if I recall correctly, and it was the big post-Happy Days Winkler movie (Like 'Zapped!' for Baio). It's really enjoyable though, and Keaton is great. I still rate it as one of the best comedies of the 80's, and it has that pre-cleanup New York feel.
I'd forgotten about The Paper - I recall liking that a lot when it came out. It seems to me that Keaton is good in almost everything, but the films vary in quality.
quote:Yeah, it has that "TV movie look" in that it doesn't look particularly distinguished, but it doesn't look terrible. Did you ever notice that with most comedies, the filmmakers don't really care to make them look good? Seriously, even some of the better comedies of recent years--I'm thinking of pretty much anything with Will Farrell or The Hangover series--are just filmed routinely, with no style or flourishes. That's why when I see something like Bill Forsythe's Comfort and Joy shot by Chris Menges or Martha's Coolidge's Real Genius shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, I want to stand up and cheer. They are not only good and funny but also really great looking films.
I think that's why I enjoy Tootsie so much - it has a very high-quality feel. Speaking of Real Genius, apparently Kilmer has cancer and is quite ill.
Posted by gordongecko (Member # 4685) on :
Not to get off topic, but looked up the Val Kilmer thing because I was curious and sad to hear that. An article just came out and Kilmer said he does not have cancer. So not sure what exactly is going on.
Posted by Jessie the Sunflower Goddess (Member # 1877) on :
One of Michael Keaton's best films. I think it helped make The Young and the Restless more popular.
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Originally posted by gordongecko: Not to get off topic, but looked up the Val Kilmer thing because I was curious and sad to hear that. An article just came out and Kilmer said he does not have cancer. So not sure what exactly is going on.
Michael Douglas said it. Kilmer has denied it. Very odd.
Posted by Devolution (Member # 1731) on :
Devolution here,
See, here's the thing. Mr. Mom is so great, I think that people that have seen it are so much cooler than people who haven't. Every great scene is amazing. The Supermarket - awesome. The firing scene - amazing. The cleaning montage - excellent. Only the really cool people say 220, 221 whatever it takes.
I saw it when I was 8, my father still quotes it. It remains one of my favorite childhood movies.
are both excellent.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
