Mama's Boy (2007)

Director:

Tim Hamilton

Writer (WGA):

Hank Nelken (written by)

Release Date:

21 December 2007 (Romania)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A twenty-nine year-old slacker who lives with his mom realizes his sweet set-up is threatened when she hears wedding bells with her self-help guru beau.

Cast

Diane Keaton	...	Jan Mannus
Jon Heder	...	Jeffrey Mannus
Jeff Daniels	...	Mert Rosenbloom
Anna Faris	...	Nora Flannigan
Dorian Missick	...	Mitch
Sarah Chalke	...	Maya
Eli Wallach	...	Seymour Warburton
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marcos Akiaten	...	Shaman
Luke Barnett	...	Cool Guy Skater
Yuki Bird
Lizz Carter	...	Linda Receptionist
Dennis Cockrum	...	Bus Driver
Rhys Coiro	...	Trip
Adam DeVine	...	Alhorn
Geoffrey Gould	...	Computer store customer
Jessie Graff	...	Wrestler
Simon Helberg	...	Rathkon
Lyralen Kaye	...	June Price
Laura Kightlinger	...	Mert's Secretary
Jeremy Kramer	...	Frito's executive
Jenny Ladner	...	Alison
Dinker Mehta	...	Pizza delivery man
Evan R. Mehta	...	Kid in the Video Arcade
Evan Peters	...	Keith
Mary Kay Place	...	Barbara
Tyler Shea Sohooli	...	Skyler

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language including sexual references, and some drug use.

Runtime:

Germany:94 min (European Film Market)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Company:

Carr-Santelli

Jeff Daniels delivers another nuanced performance...

...in an otherwise ghastly, misbegotten, would-be Oedipal comedy.

I was the lone victim at a 7:20 screening tonight (3 days after the movie opened) , so there is some satisfaction in knowing that moviegoers heeded warnings.

The bloom is off Jon Heder's rose. The emerging double chin isn't his fault; but rehashing his geeky kid shtick in another bad wig simply isn't working. It would be another crime if this were to be Eli Wallach's last screen appearance. Diane Keaton will probably survive having taken this paycheck - basically because so few will have seen her in this, the very worst vehicle she's chosen in the last few weeks.

Sitting alone in the theater tonight I came alive (laughed, even) whenever Daniels was given the latitude in which to deliver the film's sole three dimensional character. He really is among our very best actors.

In summary, even Jeff Daniels's work can't redeem this picture.