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Theresa (C. Fraser Press) is an unsuccessful singer in New York City, freshly evicted from her apartment with her three daughters. She drives back to her hometown, stays with her parents Roy and Cloris (the excellent Richard Poe and Edie McClurg), and tries to find work in the small town. There is a family tragedy that haunts Theresa, and has never really been addressed by her parents. As her daughters try to fit in, and Roy and Cloris' lives are disrupted, Theresa tries to balance responsibility and her rebellious attitude.
This is not one of those "I don't need a man to stand on my own" stories. Theresa is, in fact, a mess. Her punk-inspired songs are atrocious. Her relationship with her parents is so strained, they don't recognize their own granddaughters. She does finally get a job mowing lawns by under-bidding Seth, the only local Jewish boy (Matthew Gumley), and is later hired by the boy's clueless father to write a song for a bar mitzvah. Part of the charm of the film is that Theresa and her family are so flawed. The cast is outstanding, across the board. The Press daughters are professional and turn in actual performances. McClurg and Poe have a great chemistry, and play the broad comic scenes (the hot tub parties) as well as the dramatic very well. C. Fraser Press wrote the screenplay, knows Theresa inside and out, and triumphs in the role. It's a very fine line between sympathy and quirky, and Press walks that line well. I did not find any of the characters irritating, they all have a charm of their own- even the minor ones like the prostitutes hanging out in front of Theresa's apartment building, and the TV preacher/cook.
The Press' direction and use of widescreen is lovely. The scenes of Theresa riding around on a child's bike looking for work in the small town are nothing short of classic. Daughter Maggie's (Schuyler Press) forced friendship with Seth is well written. The editing is quick for a story that isn't all plot all the time, some of the best scenes are the interaction between Theresa and either her daughters or her parents.
The Press family does an incredible job in "Theresa Is a Mother." One or two scenes don't work, but as a whole, the film is funny and I loved all the characters. What more could I ask for?
Stats:
(2015) 105 min. (10/10)
-Directed by C. Fraser Press, Darren Press
-Written by C. Fraser Press
-Cast: C. Fraser Ptress, Richard Poe, Edie McGlurg, Schuyler Press, Matthew Gumley, Robert Turano, Maeve Press, Amaya Press, Elaine Bromka, Violet Krumbein, Charles Anthony Burks, Vinnie Favale, Hannah Fordin
(Not Rated)
Media Viewed: Home Video
