Rating of
2.5/4
Pretty funny, but not as many laughs as I expected
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/02/08
"Jack Butler" (Michael Keaton) just got laid off from his car building job, so his wife (Terri Garr) takes a job as an executive at an ad agency with a major account with a tuna company.
Now, with roles reversed, "Jack" has to stay home, take care of the three kids and become "Mr. Mom."
This movie was a big hit, if I remember correctly. And it is filled with some good laughs, but not a lot. The majority of the laughs come from "Jack" doing things for the first time, like food shopping and trying to multitask chores. Most of the jokes come from physical comedy that Keaton handles pretty nicely. "Caroline" (Garr) has some comedic moments as she is at work, but they are probably light chuckle worthy.
As for the supporting cast, they are not completely developed. They are, however, developed more than enough to understand their motivations. I personally would have liked to see those who are attracted to "Jack" and "Caroline" a little more developed and put into more comedic, yet plausible situations.
There are some good performances in this film. Keaton is easily the best and uses the comedic situations to his advantage. He also works well with the two oldest children playing his sons.
Three minor characters are really out of place and really do not add anything to the movie. They don't even add to the comedy happening around them at all. Two characters used to move the plot along are also used poorly. One of those are seen at the start of the movie and two more scenes -- none of which are funny.
Watching Keaton acting like a housewife is easily the funniest thing in this movie. You get to watch as he tries to take care of three young children, multitasks the chores and even talk to the television as he watches a long-running soap opera.
The soundtrack is pretty boring and generic. All of it is instrumental and has no well-known artists performing a song. I pretty much ignored the music, because it was just so boring.
There was a problem with the sound mixing in this movie. I am not certain if it was the copy Encore was broadcasting, but I noticed an echo pop up when people were talking. The thing is, the echo popped up when no echo would happen. One place the echo appeared was during a board room meeting, and I believe it also appeared in the "Butler" home in one scene. I found it distracting only because the echo was out of place. It was fairly odd.
Looking at the wardrobes is a bad flashback. Remember dresses with shoulder pads? They're in this movie.
This is not an over-the-top comedy filled with laughs, but it is still pretty fun to watch. I just wish that it was filled with not only more laughs, but more laugh-out-loud moments. I would recommend that you watch it on HBO or one of the other movie networks. But, if you want to rent it, I would suggest that you would not put it high on your "Must See" List.
