The answer to the title is "He's dead." New York bachelor Gordon Hocheiser (George Segal) awakens by alarm clock on a typical week day and prepares for work as usual. But then he dresses into a gorilla suit and enters his aged mother's bedroom in hope of scaring her to death while she awakens. But Mrs. Hocheiser (Ruth Gordon) punches Gordon in his groin. Doubling over in pain, he is momentarily disabled. Gordon, a not-too-successful attorney, has the unenviable task of being responsible for his widowed mother, who most unfortunately is both senile and vulgar. She has ruined all aspects of Gordon's love life. Years earlier Gordon and his married brother Sidney (Ron Liebman) had to promise their dying father never to place Momma in a (dreaded) nursing home. The burden fell on Gordon as Momma aged badly.
Although all of the previous home nurses have quit because of the coarse antics of the impossible mother, Gordon's hopes revive when he immediately hires sweet young applicant Louise Callan (Trish Van Devere). Love appears at first sight. Louise explains that most of her previous patients have died, and that she divorced her husband after only 32 hours of marriage for a distasteful reason not mentioned here. No matter says Gordon, who would pay no heed if the nurse killed off his Momma. The demented Mrs. Hocheiser fouls things up for Gordon from the very start. One of her crude actions is to pull Gordon's pants and underwear down and bite his rear end in front of Louise at dinner. Along the way Gordon's brother Sidney provides limited emotional support. To help his brother on more than one occasion, Sidney often rushes out of his house and cuts across Central Park, where he is often mugged by the same black toughs. Mrs. Hocheiser's antics finally get to Louise, who tells Gordon that she is leaving. To save his sanity and his situation with Louise, Gordon becomes so despondent and physically broken that he cannot adequately function in a court of law. Finally Gordon decides that he cannot care for Momma any longer.
This black comedy treats the criminal acts of rape and mugging crassly, but also conveys grave undertones that became manifested after the mid-twentieth century. The question was: How do we care for our senior citizens, who are beginning to live to advanced ages in great numbers? Then the idea of such support groups as assisted living centers and visiting nurses associations had not really sprouted. Nursing homes were the only alternatives; today they still are the option for most. The subject was seriously addressed – even if an easy solution was not forthcoming – in "I Never Sang for My Father" (1970), starting Gene Hackman and Melvin Douglas. In that somber film Hackman was a widower/professor, controlled by his aged but still domineering and stubborn father Douglas, who wanted his son to care for him (at the expense of his own fulfillment).
Ruth Gordon was quite successful in her later career, turning out good performances in "Rosemary's Baby" (1968), "Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?" (1969), and, of course, "Where's Poppa?" George Segal acted in many films, including "King Rat" (1965), "California Split" (1974), and "Rollercoaster" (1977). Supporting roles of note in "Where's Poppa?" include that of Rob Reiner, son of director Carl, as a hippie activist on trial, and Paul Sorvino as a neurotic nursing home administrator/proprietor. Their vignettes are very good. Reiner of course became famous on "All in the Family." All 6'2 ½" of Sorvino appeared in such films as "The Gambler" (1974), "That Championship Season" (1982), and "Goodfellas" (1990). Warning: No holds are barred with this tasteless movie. Rating is based upon the "Momma?" and "Poppa?" denouement, not the alternative ending, which is perverse.
Although all of the previous home nurses have quit because of the coarse antics of the impossible mother, Gordon's hopes revive when he immediately hires sweet young applicant Louise Callan (Trish Van Devere). Love appears at first sight. Louise explains that most of her previous patients have died, and that she divorced her husband after only 32 hours of marriage for a distasteful reason not mentioned here. No matter says Gordon, who would pay no heed if the nurse killed off his Momma. The demented Mrs. Hocheiser fouls things up for Gordon from the very start. One of her crude actions is to pull Gordon's pants and underwear down and bite his rear end in front of Louise at dinner. Along the way Gordon's brother Sidney provides limited emotional support. To help his brother on more than one occasion, Sidney often rushes out of his house and cuts across Central Park, where he is often mugged by the same black toughs. Mrs. Hocheiser's antics finally get to Louise, who tells Gordon that she is leaving. To save his sanity and his situation with Louise, Gordon becomes so despondent and physically broken that he cannot adequately function in a court of law. Finally Gordon decides that he cannot care for Momma any longer.
This black comedy treats the criminal acts of rape and mugging crassly, but also conveys grave undertones that became manifested after the mid-twentieth century. The question was: How do we care for our senior citizens, who are beginning to live to advanced ages in great numbers? Then the idea of such support groups as assisted living centers and visiting nurses associations had not really sprouted. Nursing homes were the only alternatives; today they still are the option for most. The subject was seriously addressed – even if an easy solution was not forthcoming – in "I Never Sang for My Father" (1970), starting Gene Hackman and Melvin Douglas. In that somber film Hackman was a widower/professor, controlled by his aged but still domineering and stubborn father Douglas, who wanted his son to care for him (at the expense of his own fulfillment).
Ruth Gordon was quite successful in her later career, turning out good performances in "Rosemary's Baby" (1968), "Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?" (1969), and, of course, "Where's Poppa?" George Segal acted in many films, including "King Rat" (1965), "California Split" (1974), and "Rollercoaster" (1977). Supporting roles of note in "Where's Poppa?" include that of Rob Reiner, son of director Carl, as a hippie activist on trial, and Paul Sorvino as a neurotic nursing home administrator/proprietor. Their vignettes are very good. Reiner of course became famous on "All in the Family." All 6'2 ½" of Sorvino appeared in such films as "The Gambler" (1974), "That Championship Season" (1982), and "Goodfellas" (1990). Warning: No holds are barred with this tasteless movie. Rating is based upon the "Momma?" and "Poppa?" denouement, not the alternative ending, which is perverse.