Mr. Mom - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Mr. Mom

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Before Michael Keaton was Batman, he was the man of the house. In fact, I still can’t see the last 80s Batman movies without seeing Mr. Mom in my head. Which is why I found him a FANTASTIC Batman, but a questionable Bruce Wayne, as all I saw was a curly headed home maker. Mr. Mom was written by John Hughes (Home Alone I and II, Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off etc), but was considered one of his lesser films. Besides not ever achieving the critical acclaim if Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Home Alone etc, it was still a wildly entertaining little family flick that is not NEARLY as known in cinematic circles as it should be. The name of Mr. Mom is certainly known among cinemaphiles, but it is largely overlooked as one of the most impressive comedy titles of the 1980s. Films like the Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, or Weird Science became cult icons, Mr. Mom just existed as a fun comedy that didn’t stand out from the array of other wild comedies produced during that time period.

Jack Butler (Michael Keaton) is the quintessential 1950’s bread earner. He works for a car manufacturer in the 1980s and brings home the bacon while his lovely wife Caroline (Teri Garr) raises his kids at home. When he and his fellow engineers are laid off at his unnamed manufacturing plant (estimated somewhere in Detroit), Jack is left jobless and purposeless. Sadly, he is forced to become Suzy home maker while Caroline gets a job at a marketing firm, leaving Jack to deal with feelings of inadequacy and guilt over not being able to be the protector/provider of the family. While Jack sits at home and watches soaps, dealing with intermittent children’s terrors, Caroline is out there making a difference in the world of business with her new boss, Ron (Martin Mull, of Sabrina the Teenage Witch).

Things seems pretty easy at first, but it’s not long before the switch up of roles starts to take a toll on the family. Jack starts to lose his self confidence and sinks into depression as he becomes the slovenly “I give up” home maker that he always despised, and Caroline has to contend with the balance that comes from becoming a career wife, as well as being a loving mother to her three children. Soon the imbalances start to take ahold of both of them, and the role reversal comes to a head as their worst fears start to manifest themselves in ugly forms. Before long the happy couple is tearing at the seams and their own internal demons come to the surface as they struggle to cope with the change in their domestic lives and the stresses that they bring.

Mr. Mom is really not THAT special of an 80s movie. It was cute, and it had Michael Keaton at the prime of his career, but it is NOT that great if you look at it objectively. The premise is one of many a film where people get a role reversal, and the end results are not that impressive. We already know how the film is going to end before the movie even starts, and it follows the cliched pattern of many a 1980s film before it. What really makes the movie unique and entertaining is the brutal look at what happens in a happy 1950s family when two people are taken out of their elements. Despite harsh criticism as making it out to be a “mans” movie, Mr. Mom is less about a man dealing with his inadequacies as a bread winner as it is a movie about two people having to adapt to living outside of their elements. Both Jack and Caroline have their well earned routines, and when fate changes things up, the couple are now forced to go outside of their comfort zones and deal with live in the other person’s shoes. Each one is more than capable of being an independent human being, but dealing with something that you haven’t been trained for is extremely difficult. Especially when you have lived your life in a single role. In that area the film succeeds with wild success.

I said that Mr. Mom is not that special objectively speaking, and I still agree with that assessment. It’s NOT that unique of a film, but it survives on a wonderful cast that really has fun with their roles. Michael Keaton is on top of his game and living at the height of his career, and Teri Garr is adorably cute as his wife Caroline. She was in the midst of her own career peak, and the two big name actors just lit up the screen together. There’s some great interaction with minor characters by Christopher Lloyd, and Jeffrey Tambor, which makes the heartfelt performances all that better, in turn giving the film a burst of energy that really pushes the film through the slower parts in the second act.




Rating:

Rated PG by the MPAA




Video:

Mr. Mom wasn't advertised as having a brand new 2K or 4K transfer, so I can only assume that this was done using an already existing master, and a master that looks to be showing a bit of age too. The 1.85:1 AVC encoded Blu-ray really does look nice, and a definite upgrade over the DVD, but there are some fun little glitches and flaws as well. Fine detail usually looks exceptional, with a nice layer of film grain over the entire movie. One that is healthy but not only so. There is a bit of a soft look to the master, so some fine detail is ever so slightly missing, but colors are warm, with that 80s tan hue that was so popular back then. Black levels are very solid, but thee is some mild washed out levels here and there, and you can see a few speckles and bits of print damage along the way. While it isn't THE most stunning upgrade in video quality, it handily beats the old DVD to a pulp and is well worth the upgrade in my opinion.



Audio:

Shout Factory once more gives us the obligatory dual audio options. One in the original Mono DTS-HD MA format, and the other being the 5.1 home video remix. Personally I like the mono just a bit more, as the 5.1 track is REALLY front heavy, and the subs are almost never engaged. It's really a modified 3.0 track and the Mono track just feels a bit more natural. Dialog is usually impeccable, but I did notice a few anomalies in the mix. You can hear an odd "echo" during a few board room meetings (a person's voice sounds like it's in a tin can), and little pop and hiss here and there. Surrounds get used mildly in the 5.1 mix, but the mains take a majority of the workload as it's a very dialog intense film. Like the video, methinks this comes from from an older recording, which is why these little anomalies pop up.




Extras:

• "A Look Back At Mr. Mom" Documentary
• “Theatrical Trailers

Final Score: ​

Mr. Mom was the movie that really defined Keaton to me as a young boy. When I saw him in the Batman films I had a really difficult time coming to grips with him as the caped crusader, because all I could see was frumpy "Mr. Mom" in a Batman outfit. The movie isn't wildly special if you look back on it objectively, but it is a fun 80s comedy that I have watched and rewatched many a time over the years. Shout Factory gives us a very straight forward and simple Blu-ray, with some slightly older masters, but it is a good effort and the results speak for itself. Especially being a mild 80s comedy at that. Extras are a bit slight, but the included documentary is actually rather fascinating to watch. Definitely recommended.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, Frederic Kohler
Directed by: Stan Dragoti
Written by: Stan Hughes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA Mono
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: PG
Runtime: 91 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: September 5th, 2017

Image

• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Good Buy

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I loved this movie when it came out.. So funny.

 

[Asere]

Thank you for the review. I remember watching this one as a kid over and over on cable. I will buy this one that's for sure.

 

[Michael Scott]

it definitely was a fun movie

 

[Todd Anderson]

Great flick! I think I may pick this one up. Classic.

Thanks for the review, Mike!​