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Mr. Mom

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This article is about the film. For the television series based on the film, see Mr. Mom (TV series). For the family role, see Stay-at-home dad. For other uses, see Mister Mom (disambiguation).
Mr. Mom
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStan Dragoti
Screenplay byJohn Hughes
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyVictor J. Kemper
Edited byPatrick Kennedy
Music byLee Holdridge
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox[1]
Release date
  • July 22, 1983 (1983-07-22) (United States)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[2]
Box office$64.8 million[1]

Mr. Mom is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti and produced by Lynn Loring, Lauren Shuler, and Aaron Spelling. It stars Michael Keaton (in his first lead role), Teri Garr, Martin Mull, Ann Jillian, and Christopher Lloyd. It tells the story of a furloughed Detroit automotive engineer who becomes a stay-at-home dad and takes care of three young children, as his wife returns to a career in the advertising industry as an executive at a large agency. Released on July 22, 1983, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $64 million against its $5 million budget.

Plot

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Jack Butler lives with his wife, Caroline, and their children Alex, Kenny, and Megan, in a Detroit suburb. During the early-1980s recession, Jack and his friends Larry and Stan lose their engineering jobs at the Ford Motor Company. Caroline, having been a housewife for years, uses her college education and experience working in advertising to re-enter the workforce, leaving Jack to deal with the new and bewildering responsibilities of a stay-at-home dad.

Jack discovers childcare and house maintenance involve a complex juggling act, and his initial struggles in daily errands gain the attention and company of other neighborhood housewives. Eventually, he hits his stride and although somewhat distracted by the flirtatious Joan (a neighbor and friend of Caroline's), he begins to feel confined by suburban domestic life. Simultaneously, he feels threatened by Caroline's responsibilities and work-life as a fast-climbing ad executive.

Meanwhile, Caroline contends with challenges in the workforce: her maternal and housekeeping instincts jeopardize her position as a sophisticated executive, and her boss Ron Richardson is intent on having his way with her. During a pitch to a hard-to-please client, Caroline's insight as a budget-conscious housewife proves invaluable. The client's president wants her to fly to Los Angeles to help shoot a commercial.

In the meantime, Jack's former employer invites him to interview for his old job, but his former supervisor Jinx betrayed his reputation. Jack lectures them on dirty practices and storms out.

Ron tries to convince Caroline to leave Jack and marry him while Joan continues to try to seduce Jack. After a commercial shoot in Los Angeles, Caroline relaxes in her hotel bathtub. Ron sneaks into her room with champagne. Back home, Jack tries calling her so the kids can talk to her, but Ron answers. He hangs up, leading Jack to think his wife is having an affair. Caroline fends off Ron and quits her job.

The next day dawns with repair people in the home to fix a broken television and spray for bugs. Caroline arrives home unexpectedly, and she and Jack talk over their misunderstandings, reuniting as a stronger couple. Ron stops by begging Caroline to come back to work as the client thinks only she can properly handle their account. However, Caroline says she intends to get a better job and has missed her family. Though she finally agrees to stay with the agency after Ron agrees to offer her the chance to work from home two days a week and reduce her work load in order for her to have the chance to spend more time with her family. Jinx also comes begging for Jack to return to work. Jack punches Jinx in the face for being rude to Jack's son and says he won't come back to work unless Larry and Stan do also. Jinx accepts the conditions.

On the newly repaired TV, the national commercial Caroline helped produce is being broadcast.

Cast

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  • Michael Keaton as Jack Butler, a Detroit automotive engineer who becomes a stay-at-home dad after losing his job.
  • Teri Garr as Caroline Butler, the wife of Jack who gets a job at an advertising company.
  • Frederick Koehler as Alex Butler, the older son of Jack and Caroline.
  • Taliesin Jaffe as Kenny Butler, the younger son of Jack and Caroline.
  • Courtney & Brittany White as Megan Butler, the baby daughter of Jack and Caroline.
  • Martin Mull as Ron Richardson, the head of an advertising company that Caroline works at.
  • Ann Jillian as Joan, a friend of Caroline who lives in her neighborhood.
  • Jeffrey Tambor as "Jinx" Latham, the supervisor of Jack at the Ford Motor Company.
  • Christopher Lloyd as Larry, Jack's co-worker at the Ford Motor Company who loses his job.
  • Graham Jarvis as Humphries
  • Carolyn Seymour as Eve
  • Miriam Flynn as Annette
  • Tom Leopold as Stan, Jack's co-worker at the Ford Motor Company who loses his job.
  • Michael Ensign as Executive #1
  • Derek McGrath as Executive #2
  • Ken Olfson as Executive #3
  • Frank Birney as Executive #4
  • Hilary Beane as Executive #5
  • Edie McClurg as Check-Out Lady
  • Patti Deutsch as Deli Girl

Production

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While working at Motown Productions, story editor and struggling producer Lauren Shuler read an article in National Lampoon written by John Hughes and kept in touch with him. One day, Hughes told Shuler about a disastrous experience he had looking after his two children in the absence of his wife, which Shuler found hilarious. After Hughes asked if that could make a good movie, she replied that "it sure sounds funny to me". Hughes wrote the film and flew to Los Angeles to rewrite the script with Shuler. As Hughes had a TV deal with Aaron Spelling, he brought him in as an executive producer. Studio executives at Universal Studios, unhappy that Hughes worked in Chicago and not Los Angeles, fired him, bringing in a group of TV writers to rewrite his script.[3]

Ron Howard was offered the opportunity to direct the film but turned it down to do Splash.[4]

At this point, the studio decided to turn the project into a feature film instead of a television movie. Shuler, who remained as a producer, said that while she liked the final product, she thought Hughes' original script was better.[3] Shuler was told by a friend, agent Laurie Perlman, about "this guy who is really funny" whom she represented, Michael Keaton. After meeting Keaton and seeing his screen debut, 1982's Night Shift, Shuler sent the actor the Mr. Mom script.[5]

Reception

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Critical response

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Leonard Maltin gave it 2.5 stars out of 4, stating "pleasant enough rehash of age-old sitcom premise" and adding "likable stars make it palatable, but you've seen it all before".[6] Roger Ebert similarly gave the film 2 stars out of 4, describing Mr. Mom as "a lost opportunity" for resorting to cliches rather than finding humor in the characters as portrayed by the "promising" and talented cast.[7]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 77% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Mr. Mom makes up for its stereotype-driven premise with a sweet script and charming work from a well-matched cast led by Michael Keaton and Teri Garr."[8] On Metacritic, it received a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9]

Box office

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The film opened to limited release on July 22, 1983, with $947,197, earning the number 13 spot that weekend.[10] Upon its wide release on August 19, 1983, a month later, it opened at number 3 with $4,279,384 behind Easy Money's opening weekend and Risky Business' third.[11] Mr. Mom ended up earning $64 million in the US.[1] Its success led Universal to sign a three-picture deal with Hughes for $30 million.[12] Those three films he would later release for the studio were Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science.

Television series

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Main article: Mr. Mom (TV series)

A television adaptation of the 1983 film by MGM and Walmart's streaming service Vudu serves as a continuation of the film, following an adult Megan Butler heading back into the workforce while her husband takes over the parental duties of their two children.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Mr. Mom at Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ "Mr. Mom TV series remake headed to streaming from Vudu and MGM". TheWrap. October 10, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Priggé, Steven (2004). Movie Moguls Speak: Interviews with top film producers. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. pp. 90–91. ISBN 0-7864-1929-6.
  4. ^ Cormier, Roger (16 March 2016). "15 Surprising facts about Splash". Mental Floss. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  5. ^ Plume, Kenneth (30 November 2000). "Interview with producer Lauren Shuler Donner (Part 1 of 2)". IGN (ign.com).
  6. ^ Martin, Leonard (2006). Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide. Signet Books. p. 879. ISBN 0-451-21265-7.
  7. ^ Ebert, Roger (22 August 1983). "Mr. Mom movie review and film summary (1983)". Chicago Sun-Times.
  8. ^ "Mr. Mom". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  9. ^ "Mr. Mom reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  10. ^ "Weekend box office results for July 22-24, 1983". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  11. ^ "Weekend box office results for August 19-21, 1983". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  12. ^ Lallch, Richard (January 1993). "Big Baby". Spy. p. 77. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  13. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (October 10, 2018). "Mr. Mom returns: MGM teams with Vudu to revive '80s classic". Deadline. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
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