No Laughing Matter (TV 1998)

Since 4 year-old Charlie Poleski's dad Matt's death while on police duty, he has been common working mother Emma's pride and joy. She messes up the first meeting with his girlfriend Lauren ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Elias

Writers:

Ted Kristian (story), Ted Kristian (teleplay),

Stars:

Suzanne Somers, Chad Christ, Selma Blair

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Suzanne Somers	...	Emma Poleski
Chad Christ	...	Charlie Poleski
Selma Blair	...	Lauren Winslow
Robert Desiderio	...	Richard Warren
Ann Bosler	...	Corrie
Frank Gerrish	...	George Nevi
James Brewster Thompson	...	Daryll Lemay
Brad Slocum	...	Larry
Elizabeth Hansen	...	Janet Winslow
Michael Flynn	...	Robert Winslow
Melissa Pace	...	Police Woman
David Jean Thomas	...	Old Cop
Dawn Bluford	...	Sarah
Laraine Mestman	...	Instructor
William Moore	...	Bartender

Storyline

Since 4 year-old Charlie Poleski's dad Matt's death while on police duty, he has been common working mother Emma's pride and joy. She messes up the first meeting with his girlfriend Lauren Winslow's rich, posh parents, because of her recurring drinking problem. Charlie single-handedly get her sober and into AA, just in time to stand a chance of keeping her office job. Charlie's father's police friend, Richard Warren, becomes her lover and his mentor. Alas, Chad and Lauren also find themselves in another tough situation which changes everything.

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Plot Keywords:

drinking | ritual | undressing | therapy | father figure | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sensuality and thematic elements involving alcoholism and teen pregnancy

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Efivika provlimata

Filming Locations:

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Great Falls Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Average "don't do it" movie

I ran across this movie on a boring TV night, and continued watching it only for "Charlie" (Chad Christ) who was quite handsome for a TV movie character... The film was about the lives of Charlie and his mom (Suzanne Somers) who was suffering from a *major* drinking problem. Charlie's sole purpose in life was to go to Yale, but as usual, life didn't go quite the way he expected...

I found the mom's drinking parts overly exaggerated and also the fact Chad's girlfriend stayed with them for so long without her parents giving a damn. Well, I can't say this movie was that bad, but it certainly wasn't the type of film that would drive people away from alcohol or make them start using condoms or any other educational merits. Usual made-for-TV corn, 6/10.