Mr. Mom (1983)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Stan Dragoti

Writer:

John Hughes (written by)

Release Date:

22 July 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

When mom goes to work, dad goes berserk!

Plot:

Jack and Caroline are a couple making a decent living When Jack suddenly loses his job. They agree that...

Plot Keywords:

Home | Frustration | Mother Son Relationship | Halloween | Father Son Relationship

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Michael Keaton	...	Jack
Teri Garr	...	Caroline
Frederick Koehler	...	Alex
Taliesin Jaffe	...	Kenny
Courtney White	...	Megan
Brittany White	...	Megan
Martin Mull	...	Ron
Ann Jillian	...	Joan
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Jinx
Christopher Lloyd	...	Larry
Tom Leopold	...	Stan
Graham Jarvis	...	Humphries
Carolyn Seymour	...	Eve
Michael Alaimo	...	Bert
Valri Bromfield	...	Doris

Also Known As:

Mr. Mum
Perfect Daddy (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

91 min | Argentina:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG

Company:

Aaron Spelling Productions

Trivia:

The movie Michael Keaton watches is I Was a Male War Bride (1949), starring Cary Grant.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): During the poker game Jack and the neighborhood ladies are playing when Caroline arrives home from work, the ladies all quickly get up to leave upon Caroline's arrival. In one brief shot, there are a group of "other" kids in the living room in addition to the three Butler kids. These kids presumably belong to the poker ladies. However, not a single one of the mothers walks out with their kid. Granted, they could have come back to get the kids. But it would have made a lot more sense to do this the first time.

Quotes:

Doris (TV Repairwoman): Butler, you got a problem with your horizontal hold?
Jack Butler: I don't know.
Doris (TV Repairwoman): Your wife says you do.
Jack Butler: Well, she ought to know... come on in...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Charmed: Sand Francisco Dreamin' (#5.14)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Gonna Fly Now (Rocky's theme)

Fun for Keaton

Mr. Mom (1984)

*** (out of 4)

An auto-engineer (Michael Keaton) gets fired from his job so his wife (Teri Garr) must go out and get a job to support the family. This leaves Keaton at home to take care of the kids and house. This is a film I use to watch countless times when I was little because it seemed it was showing up on HBO at least twice a day. I hadn't watched the movie in at least twenty years before this viewing and it held up well for me even though it's clear that it's certainly not a masterpiece or anything too special. The screenplay by John Hughes is pretty light from start to finish but the majority of the humor works thanks to the performance by Keaton. Keaton comes off very likable and he handles to the change from family man to coach potato very well and he manages several laughs. The best moments are when Keaton becomes obsessed with soap operas, which include a very fun dream sequence. Garr is also good in her role as are Jeffrey Tambor and Martin Mull in their supporting roles. I really can't sit here and type why this film works for me outside of its charm. I'm sure many will find the film too silly to enjoy so perhaps it's something nostalgic for me.