Mama's Boy (2007) User Reviews

Dear old mom

[jotix100 · 5/10 · 23 April 2010]

Haven't we seen this picture before? You know, the one about two guys competing for the attention of a woman. Well, the premise in this straight-to-video film is a variation on that theme since the object of the affection is none other than mother! Jan Mannus has brought up her son Jeffrey alone after the death of her husband. She has developed a close bond with her geeky son; they are inseparable. Jeffrey, an aspiring astronomer, is a mess. He is a spoiled young man unable to do anything meaningful in his entire life. This classic mama's boy is in for a rude awakening.

When Mert Rosenbloom, a motivational speaker, meets Jan, he realizes she is the one for him. Jan feels the same way about Mert. Now the problem is how to get Jeffrey, now 29, find his own space and get on with his life. Jeffrey won't let go of the good thing he has at home. What happens next, is typically of movies such as this. Both Mert and Jeffrey begin outdoing each other in nasty tricks to see who will leave the house first.

Tim Hamilton directed this movie, which was written by Hank Nelken. The director doesn't bring anything new to a predictable film that feels false from the start. We have no doubts in our mind there are situations like this one, but what comes out is not even too funny for an excuse to stay with a such a predictable film.

Jon Heder has made a career out of playing nerds like this one. He might be an acquired taste for a lot of people, but he keeps repeating himself. Jeff Daniels, a better actor, fares better. What's more, we were impressed by his singing. Diane Keaton has also been seen doing this kind of role before.

Two thumbs up for Manwich!

[simplysoda_19f · 5/10 · 14 July 2008]

Hey guys, I don't understand why everybody is knocking this film. I didn't think it was great, but it was good. I first saw Jon in his breakout film Napoleon Dynamite, and yes, it was pretty funny. He played a geeky guy in that movie, and a lot of people found his character kind of a geek in this movie. However, I liked him in this movie, probably because I was a geek in high school and I kind of bonded with his character. However I did not live at home with my Mom til I was in my 30's.

Jeff Daniels, well, you either liked his character or you didn't. I personally liked his character, he plays the kind of character that you love to hate. Diane Keaton, I thought was brilliant as the Kool-Aid Mom. She's the kind of mother that every kid wished they had. Anna Faris, it's funny, because I'm used to seeing her in comedies like the Scary Movie series, however, I loved her playing the straight character for once. It's great to have another good upcoming star.

This movie was pretty funny, however it did have a serious side, the storyline was okay, the acting was pretty good. I wouldn't buy this movie, but I liked watching it.

Not a comedy, not a drama. Still is entertaining.

[insomniac_rod · 6/10 · 10 December 2010]

This movie was a good surprise. The humor is clever although the plot is dramatic.

Sure, it's not a comedy 100% but when the plot is about a 29 year old man who acts like a kid then you can't expect to to take it seriously.

Anna Faris is a doll! I love her. Jon Hedder is a good actor and delivers an interesting performance. Jeff Daniels is as good as always. Diane Keaton is great also! Don't expect this one to be a feel good movie. Expect it to make you reflex about your mother and how sometimes she sacrifices her own life for yours.

I won't watch it a second time because it's nothing special or anything. Deserves a chance though.

What did I just (half) watch?

[robota · 1/10 · 24 May 2018]

Was I supposed to laugh? I didn't. Was I supposed to feel something for any character? I didn't. Was I supposed to be watching a movie? It can't be! Wow. Only got half the way through, but I couldn't take anymore. This kind of dreck is driving down the price of big screen TVs, because people don't want to blow an evening and money going to the theater for something this bad.

A redemption comedy requiring kindness in the viewing

[Chris Knipp · 7/10 · 8 August 2009]

It's clear that Jon Heder is a controversial comic actor. 'Napoleon Dynamite' was a great favorite among young people, some of them of course, and established immediate cult status, but is dismissed by many. Heder is a comedian who is more than willing to play the fool. His performances are effortless; they just flow out of him naturally. He becomes whatever embodiment of absurdity he's handed, be it a geeky high-schooler ('Dynamite'), a preening skate star ('Blades of Glory'), or a lazy young adult who's turned into an a-hole due to his fear of facing life on his own ('Mama's Boy'). Unfortunately Heder's embodiments are so successful some audience members can't separate the actor from the role, and they turn on him. 'Variety's' stringer critic in the only mainstream review you can still find online says, completely inaccurately, that Heder is simply doing a reprise of his 'Napoleon Dynamite' role in'Mama's Boy.' The consistent panache with which Heder impersonates obnoxious geekiness every time doesn't mean it's the same character. Each of those three has his own quite separate motives and personality.

But like I said, Jon Heder is an acquired taste, one many seem incapable of acquiring. People find Jeffrey's up-front selfishness (again, not meant to be taken seriously) so repugnant, reactions to the whole film become so totally negative right off the bat that comments show a misreading of practically every main character, except maybe Anna Faris' Nora Flanagan. She is a caricature too, but nobody seems to mind or even notice. But like Daniels' Mert, she's nice to Jeffrey until she can no longer be, and Jan (Ms. Keaton) can never be any other way with him -- that is, till tough love finally forces her to ask him to move out.

Actually this is very nice stuff -- deceptively so: viewers seem to mistakenly suspect something much more negative and ugly about to happen, but if you read Jeffrey carefully, his meanness is only skin deep. It's rare that any movie, let alone what appears at first a rather dark comedy, is so full of human decency. After all, even Jeffrey tries to do harm, but winds up not really succeeding. It's because of this prevailing decency that Jeffrey can convincingly come to his senses and become in his turn a good person, like Jan, Mert, Nora, and Seymour.

This is an age-old function of comedy: to reunite people and bring about redemption. Despite a strong tendency revealed on this site to reject this movie and declare it a clinker, it could never be that with a cast of this caliber doing very good work. And it's not a clinker at all, just a low key comedy that, if you tune into it, has some good laughs and leaves you with a good feeling.

Jeffrey, the useless slacker who's living off his mother at 29, is Heder's most darkly conceived character so far. It's essential not to take him too seriously. It's all just a pose, though a pretty sad one, if taken seriously. Otherwise, everyone delivers fine performances, and they play it pretty straight. Ana Faris is a superb comic actress, but she's astonishingly real and natural in her scenes with Jeffrey. Her performance allows us to see that he could be attractive, if he would stop being weird and using people. Diane Keaton also is real and natural as his mother, and Jeff Daniels, a splendid and supple actor in a role that could be made maudlin or a caricature, also turns out to be a good guy, who treats Jeffrey as if he were normal, hoping that he will turn out to be in the end. This is a comedy about redemption. Of course the 'Say Anything'-mimicking ending is a little too easy, but hey, this is a comedy, and a pretty simple one. Eli Wallach's old man tells Jeffrey "I'm 91 f---in' years old": this great, tireless character actor actually is that age in real life. And Wallach has acted in six more movies since this one was made two years ago. What a guy! And overall, what a great cast! And let's not forget to mention the always interesting Mary Kay Place.

This film seems to have been virtually dropped from the Web's records. It was reviewed when it came out briefly in theaters, but now all you can find is a scattering of mediocre and superficial DVD reviews and, because it promises to keep a record of all the films that come out, the one in 'Variety.' Unfortunately the 'Variety' critic, like too many of the Users on this site, did not take a very close look at what he was writing about, and his observations are of very little use. Fortunately there are a few who recognize that this is, though not a great piece of work, a quite entertaining and watchable one, in which good actors give winning, natural performances, and Heder again shows his special fearlessness and ease at embodying a comically repulsive (but underneath not unappealing) young man.

A mess caused by Heder's annoying performance.

[Dan-I-am · 2/10 · 8 October 2008]

Oh my goodness. This was a real big mess that just couldn't help itself. Jeffrey (Jon Heder) is a 29 year old man still living with his mum (Diane Keaton) and not planning on going anywhere. Until his mother meets a rich businessman named Mert (Jeff Daniels) who she may be getting married to.

It would have been an OK movie if Heder didn't play his Jeffrey so annoying, from the very start there is no chance of liking him and it only gets worse and worse. In the end, we are supposed to like him, but there was no reason to as he hadn't changed from the selfish brute that he was at the beginning of the movie.

Keaton doesn't look to even be trying and is in horrible form after 2007's Because I Said So. Not to mention the shocking chemistry between Heder and Keaton, and where supposed to believe that their mother and son? The only saving grace is Jeff Daniels and Anna Faris although they don't look very interested either. Apart from a few little smiles, this film really doesn't deserve to be called a comedy simply because there is barely anything to laugh at! If your in the mood for a recent Diane Keaton flick watch Mad Money or Smother which are a lot better than this abysmal effort.

Below average

[Gordon-11 · 28 May 2009]

This film is about a 29-year-old man who does not want to leave his mother's side. When his mother gets herself a date, he does everything to spoil it.

"Mama's Boy" could have been a good film with good jokes and mischievous fights, but unfortunately it turned out rather mediocre. There is a serious lack of chemistry between the characters, which makes any of the relationships unconvincing. Jon Heder comes across as a very annoying and irresponsible person, and that kills of any of the remaining fun of the film. It is also a pity that Anna Faris is delegated to such a minor supporting role. In short, "Mama's Boy" is a below average comedy.

If I saw this in a theatre I may of hated it,seeing it on DVD it is not that bad,

[jaybob · 7/10 · 7 June 2008]

Mama's Boy is a first directorial effort of Tim Hamiltion & written by Hank Nelkin. For a first effort,they get mild thumbs up from me.

Jon Heder plays a spoiled insufferable 29 year old brat & nerd first class. . I do believe most of my readers know what spoiled brats of any age need. YES they need a good hard spanking, This would have been a much better comedy if any or all of the other main players spanked him.

Diane Keaton looking great, plays his long widowed Mother.

Jeff Daniels looking too heavy,play Dianes suitor.

Anna Feris ( a newcomer to me) plays the love interest to our nerdish hero.

Eli Wallach ( a spry young 91 year old) is Heder's employer & friend.

The film is silly & stupid at times,BUT I did enjoy the goings on.

Its really a family type film, no nudity, very little violence,no foul language.NO car crashes or explosions, just silly stupid fun.

As I noted at the beginning,If I saw this in the theatre at todays inflated prices, I may felt my time was wasted,

I saw this as a rental on my DVD, This probably should have been a TV movie,

The running time is only 93 fast minutes.

Ratings: *** (out of 4) 77 points (out of 100) IMDb 7 (out of 10)

In "Top Ten" worst movies I've ever seen

[floydyboy1 · 1/10 · 17 January 2009]

The wife and I saw a preview of this movie while watching another DVD and thought "Jon Heder, Diane Keaton, Jeff Daniels and Eli Wallach, it's gotta be better than summer reruns, so I ordered it from local library. Well, any episode of "Lawrence Welk" would bring more laughs than "Mama's Boy". I actually felt sorry for the actors for having to read the script in the privacy of their own homes and I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for them to have to actually say their lines in front of a camera. Perhaps, at least, maybe next time they're offered a movie of this sort, they'll "Just Say No!' A one anna two....

I sort of like it but ..

[aspider07 · 6/10 · 15 March 2024]

Anna Ferris character is mocking the corporate world and when asked to have a cup of coffee she says quote:''the coffee here sucks " and heads out to Starbucks lol. WTF Hypocritical for once and I don't remember if I had ever worse coffee than in Starbucks. Did they sponsor this movie? Go figure. I am still half way through the movie ,besides what I mentioned the movie is ok, seen worse and I guess it is a one time watch film. When i see Jeff Daniels I see Dumb and Dumber ,and his role here doesn't do him justice ,he isn't funny at all, Diane Keaton can't be funny even if she tries ,but she's an all time sweetheart. Ok,i met the character quota, gonna get on with the rest of the movie.

Such a Shame that Eli Wallach has this on his Resume

[CrasCrash · 1/10 · 25 June 2014]

My goodness. I hope Eli Wallach (may he rest in peace) got paid a lot of money to be in this mess. I am glad this wasn't his last film. The premise is ridiculous (which in itself is not a film- ruiner), the casting is awkward (again, survivable), but what actually sews together and sinks this mess is the lack of film making. The locations look like high school amateur film makers hovels, and the performances are uninspired. I know it sounds like a very generalized statement, but it looks as though Diane Keaton and Jeff Daniels are more than unhappy to be involved. And back to Eli Wallach, I'll bet you he wished he had his sombrero and two 'pistoles' to bust out of this dribble. In all truth I never got to the end, because I couldn't take it anymore. (I think I was about 10 minutes away, but since I am not a self hating individual, I hit the stop button.) This is the stuff that is wrecking Hollywood's grasp on the film industry, and is driving me back to re-watch well made classics. 0 out of ten isn't possible, so I gave it a 1.

Not Worth 4.9

[jparker_1992 · 8/10 · 25 May 2008]

I thought this was an excellent movie. There is lots of potential from the big names in this film (Eli Wallach what an actor). Jeff Daniels though played his role terribly.

Some say it is a bit of a copy of Failure To Launch and Mr Woodcock. Failure To Launch is a romantic comedy and Mr Woodcock is crap. This is so much better. It also seems to aimed at an older audience then just teenagers. I think for Tim Hamilton's first directing job it is excellent

Its just disappointing that Warner Bros. have pushed this film out of the limelight. It is quite a good film and better then most in the "teenage" genre.

8/10

Keaton, Daniels, and Wallach must be so happy no one saw this 'film'.

[wizardsmachine · 1/10 · 4 August 2010]

Poor John Heder, he needed a much better film. This is total garbage. Who allows people to make these kind of films? Just my opinion, (or maybe not after reading all the horrible reviews here), but time is precious and I can not believe I wasted my time watching this film. I'll bet you Keaton, Daniels and Wallach regret doing it and wasting their time just as much. ( Although being I don't know anyone that even heard this 'film', maybe they just quietly let it slide.) Again, how does Hollywood make this stuff? Terrible production! Is anyone supervising the (lack of) creativity? It looks as though it was a real low budget film, but then again you have higher priced actors in it. Normally I like well made low budget films, but I guess the low budget look here is really just the bad filmmaking. Guess Hollywood should concentrate on actually making better films, not just starring get higher priced talent to star in them.

Below average comedy

[khilari · 3/10 · 12 July 2008]

Starts really well, nice intro and build up for the main characters but after about 5 minutes, the charm is lost.

The character is in the same mould as the main protagonist from American Pie and Loser without the supporting cast or innovative storyline that made the Pie movies more of a commercial success.

Let's be honest - Heder's acting was pretty poor. Keaton, Daniels and Faris did their best but had no substantial plot or script to get their teeth into The movie just plods on without any pace or clear logical storyline justifying its length.

The ending is about as predictable as they come - so predictable I've ticked the spoilers box for this one line.

My advice: avoid at all costs unless you really really have nothing else to do/listen to or watch and even then you'll feel the producers just cheated you out of an hour and a half of your life.

Because I Said So is practically an Oscar-worthy film compared to this mess

[TheTimeLady · 5 April 2009]

I like Diane Keaton. In fact, she's my favourite actress. But this annoying movie makes her almost unlikable. I saw Because I Said So and thought I enjoyed the movie until I watched it on Sky Movies and realised how bad it is. Then, after that I saw this rubbish. It made me want to strangle everyone in it, including Keaton. No, wait, especially Keaton. I wanted to dump her head in my horse's muck. It's got good actors and actresses in it, and they all tried their best, but nothing can ever make me like this film at all, not in a million years. Try Mad Money, The Family Stone or Something's Gotta Give if you want a good Diane Keaton movie, but don't watch this if you want to be impressed. No, really, don't watch it at all even if you like rubbish movies. Keaton even said herself the movie wasn't that good...

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

No dice after Napoleon Dynamite

[eldonhenley · 1/10 · 5 June 2008]

John Heder was absolutely horrendous in this movie. I felt like I was watching a bad college kid act for the first time in a student film. Anna Farris was par for the course, not good, but not horrible (plus she's cute). Dianne Keaton should have known better. Jeff Daniels was the only saving grace in this movie (even though it was poor judgement on his part as well).

All in all, I would avoid this at all costs. I'm just glad I didn't pay to see it!

John Heder will forever be stuck in the typecast role of' the dorky kid,' unless he does some SERIOUS work on his acting chops.

Jeff Daniels delivers another nuanced performance...

[griffinmill27516 · 1/10 · 4 December 2007]

...in an otherwise ghastly, misbegotten, would-be Oedipal comedy.

I was the lone victim at a 7:20 screening tonight (3 days after the movie opened) , so there is some satisfaction in knowing that moviegoers heeded warnings.

The bloom is off Jon Heder's rose. The emerging double chin isn't his fault; but rehashing his geeky kid shtick in another bad wig simply isn't working. It would be another crime if this were to be Eli Wallach's last screen appearance. Diane Keaton will probably survive having taken this paycheck - basically because so few will have seen her in this, the very worst vehicle she's chosen in the last few weeks.

Sitting alone in the theater tonight I came alive (laughed, even) whenever Daniels was given the latitude in which to deliver the film's sole three dimensional character. He really is among our very best actors.

In summary, even Jeff Daniels's work can't redeem this picture.

I feel sorry for the cast...

[Ollitom1001 · 4/10 · 14 December 2008]

...except for Jon Heder. This guy tanked the entire movie.

The plot sounded entertaining. A 29 year old slacker son(Heder)still lives with widowed mom (Keaton)who happens to meet a new love (Daniels). Slacker son is jealous and anxious to lose his comfortable life and tries to sabotage the relationship. He also meets a girl(Faris).

I really liked the performance of Daniels and especially Faris but whoever casted Hader would be better of selling hot dogs at the beach. Heders performance is annoying, which would be a good thing since he plays an annoying guy, problem is he is to bad an actor to loose this act making this guy likable in the finale. At the end you still wish you can personally punch the guy in the face and you're upset about the end. In the future every movie with this guy will be a no go for me!

Better than its rating here

[uncre8tv · 8/10 · 9 June 2008]

Jeff Daniels does his usual respectable job, Keaton mostly keeps the hysterics at bay, Anna Farris adds some dimension to her standard stoner chick, and Heder tries his best to not delve too deep into the Napoleon Dynamite well. Sarah Chalke is always a nice addition to any cast too. This is a decent indy movie, not great but far better than the 4.9 here. It was a victim of its marketing as much as anything. The story starts strong and finds a reasonable resolution without resorting to slapstick or painfully implausible plot twists. The cinematography was better than average - there's a great shot of Keaton framed by kitchen cabinets early on, and the lighting/exposure and set design are reminiscent of Little Miss Sunshine. Well worth picking up as a weekend rental or throwing in the online queue for some light viewing.

Tedious!

[hemisphere65 · 3/10 · 17 June 2008]

Yet another "son who won't grow up" flick, and just the other recent like entries. Heder in another bad wig, channeling Napoleon for, what, the third time? Anna Faris is forgettable, as always; Jeff Daniels phoned this one in from another state, at least; and Diane Keaton...how does one become typecast this late in a career? Do not bother. Nothing is said here that hasn't been covered many times over. I will say this; it's about a hundred times better than "Failure To Launch". There are very few amusing bits in the movie, unless you think Eli Wallach cursing is funny. Ha, Ha! He's old and he dropped the f-bomb! Tee, hee, hee. Pitiful!

15 million dollars to make this? That's some expensive garbage!

[Pycs · 26 July 2011]

'What the hell did I just watch????' Those were my closing thoughts after I subjected myself to one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. Some movies are bad. Some movies suck. But there's only one movie that's horrible enough to claim the title worst movie ever made: this movie.

But just how bad is it? I'm glad you asked. I can sum it up as 93 of the longest minutes of my life. The movie just wouldn't end. I'm sure it didn't help that I was looking at the clock every ten seconds. It might even be a be a benefit in that way. Say you only have 93 minutes to live. Hell, sit through this colossal mess of a film and then seconds will stretch on like years.

What the problem that is wasn't funny? Sort of. Was it funny? No. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that there were no jokes. Some movies aren't funny, but at least they make an attempt to be. This movie didn't even try. It's like the producers just slapped together words in a certain order for a 'script' (I use that term very loosely for this movie) and then cast well-respected actors to earn back it's budget.

Which brings me to my next point: the actors. Diane Keaton is a previous Oscar-winner who's starred in classic films such as 'The Godfather,' 'The Godfather Part II,' and 'Annie Hall.' Now she's doing this kind of garbage? There must not be much work out there. Same goes for Jeff Daniels. I wouldn't consider him a great actor, but he's been in some solid films over the years. And Eli Wallach? You appeared in one of my favorite films of all time in 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.' I guess you don't tread too far away from unfamiliar territory, because this is film is UGLY (for all the wrong reasons.)

I'm going on too long about this film. It's already wasted too much of my time. My only hope in writing this review was to scare away potential viewers. To warn them of the dangerous, life-scarring, torturous, agonizing, cruel experience that would await. How anyone could rate this movie about a 3 is beyond me. They either 1) accidentally rated the wrong film 2) worked on the film (though that's not something to be proud of) or 3) are on drugs of some sort (maybe that will somewhat salvage this mess.)

If you watch this whole movie, start to finish, you deserve some type of reward, my friend. If you can sit through it twice, my God, you must be inhuman.

So sorry I rented it.

[mannixmusicmasters · 1/10 · 21 December 2020]

I don't know where to start.... well, let's start with the acting. When you have an silly script set in claustrophobic locations directed by... did anyone actually direct this? My goodness what a train wreck. Oh yeah, the acting... How the heck did Diane Keaton, Jeff Daniel's and ELI WALLACH ever agree to be in this, or better yet not storm out halfway through? They are great actors, but no one could ever survive being inside this 'film.'

Not Worth a View

[ryangrodman · 2/10 · 3 October 2008]

This movie is poorly conceived, poorly acted, and poorly written.

Jon Heder is terribly annoying, and cannot escape the same Napolean Dynamite routine. Self-obsessed and ignorant.

Furthermore, Diane Keaton plays the same manish, overly obsessed mother, who cares too much and yet not nearly enough about the lives of her children (see Because I Said So).

Anna Faris, though i generally like her, plays a vapid idiot in this film as well.

Jeff Daniels is passable but nothing special.

Please, skip this film if you want to keep your soul.

Horrid

[smbeckett-77682 · 1/10 · 9 April 2024]

Listen I love a bad movie now and then but this is an absolute waste of 100 minutes. The movie is so drawn out. This could have been a 20 minute short film or something, but it's SO BAD!! Don't watch it. Just watch something else, anything else. Anything. Heder is okay. But he plays the same character again as always and it's clear he's tired of playing it. Wish Diane Keaton would learn to act as well. Her over emotive expressions and lack of situational awareness drives me insane. I wouldn't have watched if I knew she was in this. Hopefully no one involved in the script of this movie ever sees another film set.

Poor...

[Thanos_Alfie · 4/10 · 15 May 2021]

"Mama's Boy" is a Comedy - Drama movie in which we watch a young man living with his mother. When his mom meets another man and they want to marry he feels threatened and he starts searching for more information about him.

I have to admit that since I did not have high expectations from this movie I was not disappointed by it. It is a bit boring for comedy movie with only a few funny scenes and without any plot twist to make at least a bit more interesting. The direction which was made by Tim Hamilton was average and he did not succeed on making his movie interesting. The interpretations of Diane Keaton who played as Jan Mannus, Jeff Daniels who played as Mert Rosenbloom and Jon Heder who played as Jeffrey Mannus followed the same path as direction. Finally, I have to say that "Mama's Boy" is a below average comedy and I do not recommend anyone to watch it because I believe that you will waste your time.