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When Jack Butler (Michael Keaton) loses his job at an auto factory, he expects to quickly find another. But instead, his wife Caroline (Teri Garr) starts working for an ad agency and Jack ends up taking care of the house and kids. He soon runs afoul of shopping etiquette, a voracious vacuum cleaner, and he can't even drop his kids off at school properly. He starts losing his pride and letting himself go. He stops shaving, drinks at all hours, and watches soap operas. And not only does a predatory divorcée (Ann Jillian) have her eye on him, Caroline's new boss (Martin Mull) has more than business on his mind. Will their marriage survive? What makes Mr. Mom work isn't its role-reversal premise, but its clever off-the-main-plot scenes like the obstacle course at the company picnic, where a footrace with swim fins is set to a variation on the theme to Chariots of Fire; a poker game using discount coupons for money; or a traumatic, soap-opera-influenced dream Jack has when he realizes his life is going down the toilet. This is the first starring role for Michael Keaton, who went on to star in Beetlejuice and Batman; he makes the most of both its comic and sentimental side. The script, incidentally, is written by John Hughes, who later went on to write and direct The Breakfast Club and Home Alone. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Cute!
Mr. Mom stars Michael Keaton as a guy who loses his job and is having trouble finding a new job but his wife played by Terri Garr finds a job and he has to stay home and take care of the kids and do the housework etc, it is a cute movie with some funny and charming scenes and Michael Keaton and Terri Garr are both good and the kids are cute. I give it 3 stars because even though it's a cute movie it's a little dated and it's not as cute as some other similar movies but I still think it's worth watching at least once so I recommend renting this and then seeing if you like it enough to buy.

Keaton is masterful
After he burst off the screen in Night Shift, Michael Keaton was given his first leading role in this film. He plays Jack Butler who designs and builds cars for a big Detroit auto maker. Due to cutbacks, he is laid off from his job. His wife, played by Teri Garr, has been a housewife to their three kids and hasn't worked in years. Jack and her make a bet as to who will get a job first. Of she does and Jack is forced to stay at home and watch the kids. He obviously has no idea how tough the job is and the film goes through his transformation from an inept house dad to a growing into the role. Some hilarious scenes include a trip to the supermarket gone awry, Jack's addiction to soap operas and his confrontations with his wife's smug boss played with oily charm by Martin Mull. Teri Garr is very funny as is Ann Jillian as her best friend. The real star is of course Mr. Keaton, who shows he cannot only be funny, but touching and caring. a first rate performance.

A Delightful Family Film
Mr Mom is a delightful family movie reversing parental roles where the man works and makes money and the woman stays at home and raises children. It all starts when Jack loses his job at a Michigan car plant caused by a shrewd accounting, who wants to improve financials by downsize personnel. The movie protrays the accountant as dishonest, cheap negotiator; who shifts blame by using a job enticement to get Jack too appear before a corporate board too take blame for losses. The accountant tries to manipulate Jack into taking responsibility for a sudden drop in profits and increases in costs, in Jack's old division. The Accountant wants Jack and his friends too confess and get their jobs back, 1/2 price. Jack confronts senior management and reminds them, he doesn't work for the company, anymore. The mood shifts and the accountant trys to pursued Jack too confess of siphoning funds for his own purposes; Jack wants his job back, however, he knows the truth is more important, so he stands up to the accountant and tells management, when he was there, costs were down and profits up. The movie pokes fun at the company's senior management attempts too creating short term profit gains by layoff staff and ignoring the effectiveness of middle manager, in particular Jack to keep costs down and production up. Its difficult to know, how Jack really helped the company. The Rocky analogy was a perfect setup for "Gung Ho". Revelation of Jack's skill will be discovered in "Gung Ho".
Jack's wife Caroline uses her connections too get a job working for an advertising firm tasked with creating an advertising campaign for Schooner tuna. Caroline brings Schooner back to selling "Americanism", "we at schooner tuna care", and "during this period of economic crisis, Schooner will drop the price of each can of tuna, 50 cents". Caroline is smart, if you want to move inventory, drop price; profit margins are less but product starts to sell, the cost of good don't increase stablizing against further losses, sales increase, and inventory decreases. I would say Caroline was pretty smart, maybe much smarter than Jack.
Caroline experiences the corporate climb, sexual harshment, hardline politics, long work days, and starts missing experiences with her children. Jack tells her not to forget what is most important. Jack experience mid-life crisis, throws a race against Carolines boss, drinks too much, gambles with his new female friends, gets confused while multitasking (clothes, TV maintanence, changing diapers, school dropoffs, and Soap operas). Jack becomes Rocky, cleans up his home, task command of his life, and makes a come back.
The movie is very delightful. The cast bringing humor, empathy, and friendship to the big screen.

Delightful family movie
Mr Mom is a delightful family movie reversing parental roles where the man works and makes money and the woman stays at home. It all starts when Jack loses his job at a Michigan car plant caused by a shrewd accounting, who wants to improve financials by downsize personnel. The movie protrays the accountant as dishonest, cheap negotiator; who shifts blame by using a job enticement to get Jack too appear before a corporate board too take blame for losses. The accountant tries to manipulate Jack into taking responsibility for a sudden drop in profits and increases in costs, in Jack's old division. The Accountant wants Jack and his friends too confess and get their jobs back, 1/2 price. Jack confronts senior management and reminds them, he doesn't work for the company, anymore. The mood shifts and the accountant trys to pursued Jack too confess of siphoning funds for his own purposes; Jack wants his job back, however, he knows the truth is more important, so he stands up to the accountant and tells management, when he was there, costs were down and profits up. The movie pokes fun at the company's senior management attempts too creating short term profit gains by layoff staff and ignoring the effectiveness of middle manager, in particular Jack to keep costs down and production up. Its difficult to know, how Jack really helped the company. The Rocky analogy was a perfect setup for "Gung Ho". Revelation of Jack's skill will be discovered in "Gung Ho".
Jack's wife Caroline uses her connections too get a job working for an advertising firm tasked with creating an advertising campaign for Schooner tuna. Caroline brings Schooner back to selling "Americanism", "we at schooner tuna care", and "during this period of economic crisis, Schooner will drop the price of each can of tuna, 50 cents". Caroline is smart, if you want to move inventory, drop price; profit margins are less but product starts to sell, the cost of good don't increase stablizing against further losses, sales increase, and inventory decreases. I would say Caroline was pretty smart, maybe much smarter than Jack.
Caroline experiences the corporate climb, sexual harshment, hardline politics, long work days, and starts missing experiences with her children. Jack tells her not to forget what is most important. Jack experience mid-life crisis, throws a race against Carolines boss, drinks too much, gambles with his new female friends, gets confused while multitasking (clothes, TV maintanence, changing diapers, school dropoffs, and Soap operas). Jack becomes Rocky, cleans up his home, task command of his life, and makes a come back.
The movie is very delightful. The cast bringing humor, empathy, and friendship to the big screen.

Somebody must've died...there's a limosine out front.
If you don't own this movie, get it. It is a classic. The characters are believable and real and the comedy is perfectly blended between real-life/palusible situations and that intanglible movie quality that makes movies like this great. Kenny and Alex remind me...of me...when I was their age. Jack Butler, Carolyn Butler, Ron Richardson, Joan...all fantanstic characters. In my opinion, movies of the 1980's (character/plot driven movies) don't get any better than this. My one critique is that the male stripper scense seem a little out of place. Yum Yum Tuna Bits! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

It's a fun movie...plain and simple
In the tradition of movies like SLAP SHOT and MAJOR LEAGUE, NECESSARY ROUGHNESS is nothing more than an unrealistic sports movie that's extremely fun to watch (and that's exactly what it's supposed to be). It has all of the right elements...slapstick comedy, hard-hitting action, and an underdog college football team tempting fate with a great-looking placekicker!

For heaven's sake, don't take this movie for more than it's worth...two hours of non-stop fun!

Necessary Roughness - definitely
This is one film that I could watch repeatedly. It was an entertaining story starring the talented actor, Scott Bakula, as the aging QB. It is funny, great cast-interaction, exciting game action and characters you can't help but really root for .....

Rough and unnecessary
Necessary Roughness is a humorous film that's supposed to make us laugh and cheer for the underdog. It has its parts, I admit, where it is good fun and it is enjoyable, but then it has its stupid, cliched parts that kinda ticks me off as a student of football.

Good points:
1) I think there's a good range of characters, each one has a different persona, thankfully. Some of them are pretty enjoyable and even at times believable. Especially the QB, an older guy going back to college to guide a losing team to a better record. It's a storyline we can follow and his character is pretty fun to follow.
2) I like how this was about a losing team, a nobody school, that is trying to get a couple wins, not a championship under their belt. If this had been a film about a nothing school going all the way, I would've given it one star.
3) This film has a solid plot, for a football film. It has easy characters to follow and the objective of the film is clear. Meaning, you know what it's about and it answers most the questions that might be raised during the film.

All right the bad things:
1) The dialogue of this film is so full of cliches and you can almost expect what each character is going to say because it is so scripted. This really hurt the originality of this film, the complete originality of this film.
2) The romance is unnecessary and dumb. It has nothing to do with the plot, it's just a side note that the QB is making out with his English prof. I mean, who cares? It's not as if she plays an important role and it isn't as if the romance is crucial to the development of characters.
3) The bar fight. How predictable and stupid. And naturally the team they fight over in the bar is the very same team they meet in the final game. How cliche.
4) What I wanted to see was this aging QB to have to prove himself all over again, kind of work his way up and earn the confidence of his team members. That would've added the element of emotion in this film, which lacks because you don't really care a whole bunch about any of the characters, they are just entertaining jocks. Instead, he's accepted almost instantly and doesn't have to earn his starting job, it's granted to him. Because everything is practically handed to him, all the oppertunities that is, how in the world can we possibly sympathize with his character?
5) A football film without emotion is a pretty boring film, if at best, a one time wonder and then it's dull. Which is the problem with this film. It's fun to watch the first time around, but after that, it's like who cares? This film taught me nothing because I was never involved with the plot or any of the characters emotionally. Again, it had good characters, but they weren't good enough to make this film better because they were all distant jocks.

If you are looking for a football film that's fun to watch one time, then watch this film. But don't even think for a second you'll want to buy this film to watch again and again. It's just not worth it. It's an average sports film, with poor dialogue, and lack of creativity in development of characters.

Grade: C

Pretty bad, though some nice scenery (I don't mean Kathy I.)
It's really not a good movie in spite of some decent cast members such as Elizondo, Bakula, et al. In fact, about the only real reason I would ever watch it a second time is to see scenes of the campus -- and only because it was my alma mater, University of North Texas.

A great film
All of the charaters are likeable in their own way. Scott is a great actor who I always enjoy watching. It doesn't quite follow the pattern of other sports films, and I don't agree that it's unrealistic. All they are doing is trying to win, and you will be as pleased as they are when they do. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

funny and in some ways believable
There is a competition of sorts between two groups of people in the CIA headed by the two bosses (Dabney Coleman and Charles Durney). One group sets the other up by claiming they have a spy/mole with some important information and that he's coming in on a certain plane. They leak the information by deliberately talking into the bugs they found planted by the other team. There is no one, but when part of their team goes to the airport, with the other team sets up with their men there to discover who the informant is, the team that has put the plan in motion, randomly picks out an unsuspecting passenger getting off a plane who just happens to be wearing one red shoe, which is Tom Hanks. They pretend to make contact and then, Tom Hanks, completely unaware of anything unusual is now under surveilence.

Tom Hanks is a musician who travels to different countries playing with a concert. He and his friend and his friend's wife (who has the hots for him) have just returned from one of his trips.

He is tracked and followed by both teams, one to spy on him and the other to try and protect him, his place is turned upside down, a beautiful agent is sent to get close to him, his friend's wife is hitting on him, wanting him to go to bed with him. She likes to play Tarzan in bed and makes some wild noises, which is recorded by Dabney's team and later heard by the wife's husband as they play the recording in their van and he thinks she's in it, and so on... You get the picture. Lot of things going on all the time. The whole time Tom Hanks is completely unaware of any of this and is falling for the beautiful blond. Not a whole lot of depth, but a fun little movie and actually has parts in it that are quite believable in this day and age. Enjoy!

When is this coming to anamorphic DVD?
I love this little movie. Carrie Fisher looks even hotter than she did in that bikini thing in Jabba's lair. Very funny writing and directing. The photography is excellent and the broadcast print has aged very well. It looks more like an early 90's movie, with only the blonde seeming a bit 80's. Surprisingly, this is an ensemble cast. Hanks, though at the center of all the action, is sharing time with a lot of other talent. From beginning to end I think this film works.

The real reason the French don't like us
I had high hopes for this one when it was released; the original French movie 'The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe' is one of my favorite comedies, and hey, who doesn't like Tom Hanks?

But this remake is streets apart from that - for all the mayhem in the common plot of intelligence intrigue and unwitting decoys, the remake plays it lots meaner and uglier than the original...and then is downright prudish on the sexual angles that made the original a pleasing adult comedy.

Maybe if you never saw the original you can like or tolerate this one. As for me...Sacre bleu, it stinks.

...
Man with One Red Shoe is chased after by überbeautiful femme. I get the feeling that the French The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe that this is based on probably plays the absurdity much better, but as one of my favourite movies as a kid, I can't help but give The Man with One Red Shoe five stars. It's the perfect thoroughly average movie... even The Pirates of the Carribean didn't quite pull it off.

More Fun Then A Barrel of Monkeys
This review refers to the 20th century Fox VHS edition....

Tom Hanks shines early in his career, as he gives us an hour and half of pure fun.Although this film was based on the French farce"The Tall Blonde Man With One Black Shoe", I saw it as a kind of Mad Magazine spoof of North by Northwest. Not the same story but a similar premise.

Musician Richard Drew(Hanks) is minding his own business, wearing one red shoe(the other seems to have gotten lost), when unbeknownst to him he is targeted as a spy by the CIA. One of two rival CIA bosses(Charles Durning/Dabney Coleman) has set him up to put the other on a wild goose chase.The laughs are non stop as these bumbling agents turn Drew's house upside down, try seducing him with their sexiest agent(Lori Singer),and drug him. Through all this he never suspects what is going on and falls for the girl.

On the other hand his buddy (Jim Belushi) may be headed for a little R&R as he is the one finding the bodies left behind, and his over-sexed wife(Carrie Fisher) is trying to hide her affection for Drew. Carrie does a great imitation of Tarzan's chimp.. watch(or I should say listen) for that one.

It is Directed by Stan Dragoti and also includes Ed Hermann in this very funny cast. It is rated PG, but you might want to view it before watching with the kids, there are some moments closer to PG13.

The VHS has a nice clear picture and it is in HI-Fi Stereo. This edition also has closed captions if neccessary.

Enjoy......Laurie ... Read more

Description

Light-hearted spoof about the dynamics of a father's relationship with his teenage daughter when she discovers boys. Stars: Tony Danza (Angels in the Outfield, Who’s the Boss), Wallace Shawn (Toy Story, Vegas Vacation, The Princess Bride), Amy Dolenz (Can’t Buy Me Love, Stepmonster). ... Read more

Reviews (10)

This movie is great!
"She's out of Control" is the greatest movie. Tony Danza plays a great father and he reminds me of my dad. An overprotective dad who's looking out for his little girl. If you're a dad with a daughter, you are going to love this movie!!

SHE'S OUT OF CONTROL
VERY GOOD MOVIE. ABOUT A NERDY GIRL WHO CHANGES HER IMAGE AND BECOMES VERY POPULAR ESPECIALLY WITH THE BOYS, AND DRIVES HER DAD OFF THE WALL.WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER I ALWAYS THOUGHT OF MYSELF AS A NERDY GIRL, AND I HAD TO CHANGE MY IMAGE. EXCEPT, THAT WITH ME I WASN'T VERY POPULAR WITH THE BOYS . I RECOMMEND U WATCH IT WITH YOUR DAUGHTERS. I JUST WISH THEY HAD IT ON DVD IT BE A GOOD IDEA IF IT CAME OUT ON DVD. NOBODY WANTS VHS.

Great Movie for the Whole Family!
Growing up I loved watching this movie and paid more in rental charges than I would have spent on just buying the movie. Now that I am grown and raising my own family I still enjoy the movie just as much. I have to say this is probably my favorite all time film.

rather boring
Tony Danza in his usual role as the father of a growing up daughter. The story is rather boring, while the actors do quiet an ok job. Matthew Perry is in it too, but only has a minor role. Not really an evening filler and even boring for the afternoon...

Classic Teen Movie!
Keeping in mind that this is not Shakespeare, Chekov, or Ibsen here... it's a great movie! Every teenage girl should see this movie -- yes, it is a bit "old" by today's standards, but the plot is still great.

When Katie blooms into this glamorous, teen vixen overnight (with the help of her dad's girlfriend) her overprotective father is baffled and disapproving. When she first came walking down the staircase, backlit in that white eyelet dress and Frankie Avalon comes on in the background... I wanted to be that girl! Any twelve year old can appreciate this movie ;)

So... if you like lighthearted movies, this is a fun coming of age story that's worth a viewing. ... Read more