David's Mother (1994)

Sally Goodson has been raising her autistic son David alone since her husband left many years ago. Now a social worker discovers that Sally has been dodging 'The System' to keep her son ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Allan Ackerman

Writers:

Bob Randall (play), Bob Randall (teleplay)

Stars:

Kirstie Alley, Sam Waterston, Stockard Channing

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kirstie Alley	...	Sally Goodson
Sam Waterston	...	John Nils
Stockard Channing	...	Bea
Michael A. Goorjian	...	David Goodson (as Michael Goorjian)
Chris Sarandon	...	Philip
Phylicia Rashad	...	Gladys Johnson
Jack Duffy	...	Doorman
Amanda Blitz	...	Susan - 10-12 Years
Steven Ivany	...	David - 5-9 Years
Caroline Yeager	...	Social Worker
Renessa Blitz	...	Susan - 8 Years
Bob Zidel	...	Stephen
Nicole Greenspan	...	Justine
Kazuya Takahashi	...	Waiter
Marcell Rosenblatt	...	Mother

Storyline

Sally Goodson has been raising her autistic son David alone since her husband left many years ago. Now a social worker discovers that Sally has been dodging 'The System' to keep her son with her, instead of putting him in an institution. Each feels they know what's best for David. But their opinions are not the same. Sally's developing relationship with John Nils is caught in the middle.

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Plot Keywords:

mother son relationship | family relationships | autism | handicap | based on play | 

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Taglines:

She sacrificed the perfect life to be the perfect mother.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

David

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hearst Entertainment Productions, Morgan Hill Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features The Wizard of Oz (1939)

User Reviews

Kirstie Alley "de-glams" for a difficult role...

Kirstie Alley won an Emmy for her performance in DAVID'S MOTHER, an uncompromising look at a blue-collar, boorish mother, who seems to be at a total loss at how to deal with her autistic son. Alley, cast against type, loses herself in this role of an uneducated, trailer-trash kind of mother who wants to love and help her son but is never really quite sure about what she should be doing for him. The always reliable Stockard Channing is also featured as her snobbish sister and Sam Waterston is charming as a man Alley gets involved with but this is Alley's movie and she forsakes any pretense of glamor to realistically portray an unsympathetic character in a difficult situation who somehow still manages to make us feel for her even though we know that a lot of what this woman does and feels is just wrong. Alley makes the most of a rather unpleasant role and gave us a memorable television experience, light years away from her role as Rebecca Howe on CHEERS.