Movie Review: Mr. Mom
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that though this comedy is rated PG,
features kids, and has little to no cursing, it's fairly racy.
A divorcee targets a married man and flashes her cleavage, a
boss hits on his married employee, and Jack and his housewife
friends see a male stripper show. There's plenty of smoking and
drinking, though in a social context appropriate for the time
period.
Families can talk about gender roles. How was it hard for the homemaker to become the breadwinner and vice-versa? The idea of a househusband was a novelty in the '80s -- has that changed? Caroline's boss blatantly hits on her. Could an employer behave this way today? What more recent movies have you seen that show men in domestic roles?
Common Sense Media Review
Decades after it was first released in theaters, MR. MOM
remains as relevant as ever. Stay-at-home dads may not be that
rare anymore, but what keeps this comedy fresh is its humor.
Simply put, it's hilarious.
Credit the two leads, Michael Keaton and Teri Garr, who take on the roles of Jack and Caroline, a married Michigan couple with three young kids who swap roles when Jack is laid off from his job as an automotive engineer. Caroline, a former ad exec, dusts off her shoulder-padded suits to prove herself worthy in the boardroom. In the hands of lesser thespians, Jack and Caroline would have merely become caricatures. But in Keaton and Garr, they are layered and conflicted and always funny.
The results of the switch aren't all that surprising. Husband realizes his wife does more than he can ever imagine while he is away, and wife realizes she can hold her own in the corporate world. But it's the journey to these epiphanies that makes Mr. Mom worthwhile: Jack and his mommy friends play poker with coupons; Caroline applies domestic know-how to land a tuna campaign; Jack conquers a wayward vacuum cleaner; and Caroline fends off her randy boss.
In the end, the movie takes a position: Men and women are equal, at home and at work. It's not a new life lesson, but how fun it is to be reminded.
Fans may also enjoy Keaton's other oeuvres, including Multiplicity and Jack Frost. Garr enthusiasts can check out Tootsie and After Hours.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
