Kenny, don't paint your sister!
The real problem with Mr. Mom is the pacing, and the direction. The movie isn't a total disaster, with a screenplay by John Hughes it's going to have a lot of heart, and it does, mainly the relationship between our mom, and dad, Caroline, and Jack. The love story between our couple is what makes the film tolerable.
As the movie drags on, it's easy to see that there is a great story here, but it just can't break free of the tiny box the director has it in.
Now, onto what it was like watching this in 2024, as an '80s child: a large portion of the humor here plays into gender roles that strike me as odd even for 1983. Like, how difficult it is to buy food? In other words, the comedy just doesn't land. The fish-out-of-water concept can totally work, but this was handled so poorly.
I'm a huge fan of '80s films, and this is a terrible example. It is also not a good representation of what Hughes could make.
What a missed opportunity.
the amount of incompetence in this movie made me so mad
That was a snooze fest. Very boring movie.
A comedy about a householder.
The family man loses his job and swaps roles with Susie Homemaker in this base, straight-ahead '80s family comedy. Michael Keaton was just entering the thick of his early comedic career here, and plays the lead with enthusiasm despite an exceptionally thin script. Through physical humor and an overdose of energy he's able to wring as much life as possible from several one-note scenes, but can't completely revive such a narrow concept.
John Hughes gets the writing credit, but this effort is missing both the sharp wit of National Lampoon's Vacation and the warm, beating heart of his brat pack classics. It's telegraphed, generic and dated; a few scenes still work but the rest are thoroughly flat and fake.
Shout by Josh FrantzBlockedParent2020-11-11T01:19:16Z
I rarely quit movies mid-way, I couldn't finish Mr. Mom. It hasn't held up well over time. Very '80s take on gender roles. Former working man only knows how to be a working man and doesn't know how to shop or bathe or vacuum or read instructions.