FlashCallahan Jack and Caroline are a couple making a decent living when Jack suddenly loses his job.They agree that he should stay at home and look after the house while Caroline works.It's just that he's never done it before, and really doesn't have a clue...This is one of those fish out of water movies, that is really only funny thanks to Keaton and the chemistry he has with the children.Hughes has gone for the predictability factor with this, and although it's very pleasing to watch, you cannot help but feel that a wealth of better material could have been added.we have the boss who wants to marry Keatons wife,the inevitable watching of the soaps (which is quite funny) and of course, men do not know how to use household appliances.But Keaton pulls this out of the doldrums, and thank heavens he has such a great supporting cast.The narrative flows freely and makes the film easier to digest, but one cannot feel tat this could have been so much more.At least this doesn't have much of a Chance of being re-made, as it wouldn't be very original or unique now.

gavin6942 Jack (Michael Keaton) has been laid off, and his wife Caroline (Teri Garr) takes over working for a while, as Jack stays home to raise the kids. Trouble brews when Caroline's boss Ron (Martin Mull) sets his sights on her. Also starring Jeffrey Tambor and Christopher Lloyd.This film is not only really funny and a great example of John Hughes' writing, but definitely a film of its time. There's the obvious 80s fashions which have thankfully faded away... but moreover, there is the subject matter: a stay at home dad is clearly not as strange today as it was in 1983.Sadly, Michael Keaton seems to have disappeared. After a solid 80s and early 90s, I do not know where he is, besides making the occasional flop (Herbie Fully Loaded, White Noise) or cartoon (Cars). We need Keaton. The same goes for Teri Garr to a lesser degree.

gcd70 Michael Keaton's star was catapulted to international fame via Ron Howard's hilarious 1982 comedy "Night Shift", in which Keaton played Henry Winkler's annoying, jabber-mouthed morgue partner who just wouldn't shut up. The role won him a legion of fans and he followed the success with a spate of movies of considerably less quality. One of those was Stan Dragoti's "eighties" comedy, "Mr. Mom".The story tells a role swapping tale about new househusband Jack, who finds himself in charge of his home and three feral kids when he loses a bet with his wife. The opportunity for comedy is endless here, and Dragoti does his best to milk it dry. In doing so however, he includes several lame jokes and weak humour."Mr. Mom" has some clever sight gags which in fact make up a high percentage of the intended mirth, but the film loses its way when it begins to swing between comic styles. Slapstick, parody, black comedy and "conventional humour" all get a turn to varying effect. Most of the time Dragoti finds himself flogging a dead horse.Keaton fits the part but is unable to do a thing with it, and the support cast likewise struggle to make an impression. John Hughes' idea is light years better than his resultant script, which perhaps had too limited a scope to really set audiences rolling in the aisles.Sunday, December 4, 1994 - T.V.

bkboiler I remember this one from my youth, before Keaton blew up in Batman and Beetlejuice, he was big in Mr. Mom, and Gung Ho. Mr. Mom as a comedy to me had a very unique and warm touch to it because while it both captured a new (at that time) slapstick style of family comedy, it also showed a more human, less refined side to the world of parenting. As a young boy, I could see just how difficult it could be for a man to grasp taking over the role of a mom. I think it helped that the movie trailer at the time perfectly illustrated Keaton's character's dillemna, in addition to the obvious film title. Quick scenes with total chaos erupting involving household mishaps, astray children etc. Perhaps an even greater bit for me is how the filmmakers portrayed the quirks of suburban life the way it felt then. It doesn't offer any commentary on the way things are, but injects so many funny little scenarios into the plot that could only take place in the suburbs. For me, there is no question that this work has more depth than say, Vacation. Vacation for me was awkward to watch, because it seemed to constantly excuse bad behavior as being funny. In Mr. Mom, the plot relies more on the complex world that Keaton finds himself in, as does his wife. It is funny not only because of the slapstick comedy, but because it makes life seem quite bizarre when the gender roles are reversed.