The Great Mom Swap (1995) (TV)

Director:

Jonathan Prince

Writers (WGA):

Maryedith Burrell (television story)
Maryedith Burrell (teleplay)

Release Date:

23 September 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Teenage Crush | Teen Life | Italian | Nerd | High School Prank

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Shelley Fabares	...	Millie Ridgeway
Hillary Tuck	...	Karen Ridgeway
Valerie Harper	...	Grace
Mary Kate Schellhardt	...	Terry Venessi
Sid Caesar	...	Papa Tognetti
Robert Clohessy	...	Frank Balfour
Andrew Kavovit	...	David Ridgeway
Lance Robinson	...	Louis
Kenneth Tigar	...	Mr. Harlow
Vasili Bogazianos	...	Jack Ridgeway
Marnette Patterson	...	Nicole
Hunter Garner	...	Chad
Kyndra Joy Casper	...	Blair
Kelsey Mulrooney	...	Tiffany
Esther Scott	...	Officer Patricia Smith

Runtime:

120 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Signboard Hill Productions

Quotes:

Terry Venessi: You guys are all the same!
David Ridgeway: How so?
Terry Venessi: You gravitate to the shiniest object. Like grunion.
David Ridgeway: I do not gravitate to shiny girls. I gravitate to smart minds!
Terry Venessi: In short skirts.
David Ridgeway: [embarrassed chuckle] Busted.

The best teen movie

Not all teen's lives are full of gross-out occurrences, incredibly beautiful women who are obviously too old to be in high school, or losing virginity, but on seeing the most popular teen flicks that are released into theaters, you wouldn't know it.

This movie, unfortunately, is made for TV and not nearly as accessible as other teen movies, yet it has the best combination of both realism and fiction. On the side of realism, the girls in this movie are not supermodels, but cute, interested in school and activities, flirt with boys, and are actual teenagers. One is an upper-middle class teen living with her parents and siblings in a large house. The other is a lower-middle class girl living with her mother and Italian, maternal grandfather (the wonderful as always Sid Caesar) by the deli where they work. Both girls feel a mixture of being happy in their own type of living, but feeling jealous and curious of how the other lives. After pulling too many pranks on each other, their punishment--and I think this is where fiction sets in--is to live in each other's houses, obey each other's parents, and see what life is like on the other side.

Maybe this doesn't happen in real life, but I'd really have loved to be the poor girl moving into the beautiful big house where I find out that the girl I'm taking the place of has a hunky brother who is actually mature enough to show his attraction for me without constantly trying to get me into bed.

Funnily enough, I also envied the rich girl, simply because I would sure love to spend some time around Sid Caesar.

All movies have some amount of fantasy, but this is as close to everyday life adventure as you might get. Wish I was a teenager again.