Theresa Is a Mother (2012) User Reviews

Funny and heartfelt look at the trials and tribulations of a single Mom

[wllm995 · 7/10 · 16 January 2016]

TIAM is a frequently very funny and always heartfelt look at the problems encountered by a single Mom who is forced to move from the big city back into her parents home in small town America.

With her 3 young daughters (played by the actresses real life daughters) in tow and no prospects for any work (aside from her poor attempts to succeed as a singer/songwriter) she much navigate the difficulties of living with here quirky parents and finding a meaningful job in a very small town.

All of the actors did a fine job - in particular C. Fraser Press in the lead role and her 3 very talented daughters.

Recommended to all lovers of realistic family humor and quirky family dynamics.

An Almost Perfect Independent Film

[NoDakTatum · 10/10 · 10 October 2023]

Theresa (C. Fraser Press) is an unsuccessful singer in New York City freshly evicted from her apartment with her three daughters. She drives back to her hometown, and stays with her parents Roy and Cloris (the excellent Richard Poe and Edie McClurg), and tries to find work in the small town. There is a family tragedy that haunts Theresa, and has never really been addressed by her parents. As her daughters try to fit in, and Roy and Cloris' lives are disrupted, Theresa tries to balance responsibility and her rebellious attitude.

This is not one of those "I don't need a man to stand on my own" stories. Theresa is, in fact, a mess. Her punk-inspired songs are atrocious. Her relationship with her parents is so strained, they don't recognize their own granddaughters. She does finally get a job mowing lawns by under bidding the only local Jewish boy (Matthew Gumley), and is later hired by the boy's clueless father to write a song for a bar mitzvah. Part of the charm of the film is that Theresa and her family are so flawed. The cast is outstanding, across the board. The Press daughters are professional and turn in actual performances. McClurg and Poe have a great chemistry, and play the broad comic scenes (the hot tub parties) as well as the dramatic very well. C. Fraser Press wrote the screenplay, knows Theresa inside and out, and triumphs in the role. It's a very fine line between sympathy and quirky, and Press walks that line well. I did not find any of the characters irritating, they all have a charm of their own- even the minor ones like the prostitutes hanging out in front of her apartment building, and the TV preacher/cook. The Press' direction and use of widescreen is lovely. The scenes of Theresa riding around on a child's bike looking for work in the small town are nothing short of classic. Daughter Maggie's (Schuyler Press) forced friendship with the Jewish boy, Seth, is well written. The editing is quick for a story that isn't all plot all the time, some of the best scenes are the interaction between Theresa and either her daughters or her parents. The Press family does an incredible job in "Theresa Is a Mother." One or two scenes don't work, but as a whole, the film is funny and I liked all the characters. What more could I ask for?