Mr. Mom

Michael Keaton was a newly-minted comedy star when he headlined filmmaker Stan Dragoti's Mr. Mom (1983) as Jack, a dedicated automobile engineer who loses his job due to corporate cost-cutting and becomes a househusband taking care of three young children while his wife Caroline (Teri Garr) goes back to work for an advertising firm. It was a timely subject for the economic anxiety of the 1980s recession as career men were being downsized and women reentered the workforce, even if it is played here for wacky comedy. The rookie stay-at-home dad fumbles his way through housework, shopping, childcare, and a singularly aggressive vacuum cleaner nicknamed "Jaws," while the clichés of workaholic husbands disconnected from families is turned around when the wife becomes a successful executive working late hours and jetting off on business trips. Martin Mull is the lascivious boss who tries to seduce Caroline, while Ann Jillian is a suburban divorcee who sets her sights on the neglected househusband. Keaton has an easy way with outlandish humor and tossed-off punchlines, Garr is sunny and spirited, and the three kids exude a convincing authenticity in the midst of comic chaos. Mr. Mom was written by John Hughes, the king of ‘80s teen comedies and dramas, and was inspired in part by his own experiences. Reworking 1950s sitcom stereotypes for 1980s suburbia, this is a funny family comedy with a fine cast. Extras include a retrospective featurette. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)