I am sticking with my 80s movies I have never seen and next up is 1983’s Mr. Mom. This is a weird one for me as I love Michael Keaton and this was his first big role that would see him become the likes of Beetlejuice and of course Batman. Yet for some reason, I never had a desire to actually sit down and watch this.
How to Download Mr. Mom
Mr. Mom was released on July 22, 1983. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review – A Fun and Surprising 80s Comedy
I do have memories of seeing this at one of my local video stores as a kid and this was in the early 90s so it must have been a popular rental. However, despite recognizing Michael Keaton on the box, I never once felt the need to rent this over anything else. I had no idea what the term “Mr. Mom” meant back then, but looking back, a movie about a stay at home dad back in the 80s was a pretty big deal and something unique as stay at home dads are not looked down upon today as they perhaps were back in the 80s.
The Cast of Mr. Mom
We already have talked about Michael Keaton who plays the role of Jack Butler, but Mr. Mom has a really fun cast. Playing the role of his wife is Teri Garr and we also have roles for Christopher Lloyd as his friend and co-worker, and Jeffery Trambor as his boss at the Ford plant, and Martin Mull as the pervy boss of Jack’s returning to work wife, Caroline.
The Plot – Balancing Family, Work, and Relationships
The Butlers are a typical family living in Detroit. Jack works at the Ford plant and he has been laid off along with a few of his buddies. The early 80s setting and the way people were losing their jobs as there was a recession in America is pretty hard hitting and not all too dissimilar from what many people in the USA and around the world are dealing with today.
A Comedy with More Depth Than Expected
Thankfully, his wife, Caroline has an advertising background and she is able to go back to work, leaving Jack at home to take care of the three kids. Now, there is the typical dad out of his element trying to juggle looking after the kids and the house stuff you would expect. Michael Keaton is very charming in this role and it is a ton of fun to see him find his feet and be able to do all the stuff he needs to do.
However, I was kind of surprised that Mr. Mom has more depth than just being a wacky comedy which is what I always thought it was! Caroline has a hard time going back to work, even though she is doing a great job. She finds it hard to be away from her kids and her boss is trying to hook up with her and putting a lot of pressure on her. The stuff with her boss is actually pretty uncomfortable.
We also have trouble with the marriage of Jack and Caroline and the two of them have to work through that. I did not expect this kind of stuff in the movie, as I said, I always thought it was a wacky comedy. It certainly has some amusing moments, but there is more substance here than you may think.
My only complaint with the story is that it all seems to wrap up a little too nicely and perfectly if that makes sense. I hated how Caroline was ok going back to work for this creep and that Jack was ok with it too! However, perhaps I am putting too much thought into a comedy from 1983 and I should just enjoy the fun ride it took me on. This was a fun movie and I would not be against watching it again.
