Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

MartinHafer "Helicopter Mom" is a film that boggled my mind as I watched. I couldn't help thinking that perhaps Nia Vardalos was tired of being a celebrity and simply did this film to destroy her career...her performance and character were both THAT bad. Now she was wonderful in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" as well as in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding II"...but here she is simply someone I hated with every fiber of my being...and I am actually shocked I completed the movie. I assume it's because when she wasn't on the screen, the picture was actually pretty good...but that wasn't often enough.Vardalos plays Maggie, a single mother whose every thought and action is about her teenage son, Lloyd (Jason Dolley). She constantly embarrasses him and behaves in a way like no mother on the planet...and is extremely cruel and self-centered throughout this. For instance, she HOPES that he's gay because that way no other woman will come between them...and then publicly outs the boy at school and signs him up to compete for a gay scholarship. There is, by the way, no evidence that he's gay...none. She just hopes he is for her own deranged and selfish reasons. She doesn't stop at embarrassing him for this...it's pretty much constant. To say this is a one-dimensional and broadly written character is a HUGE understatement!!When the camera is NOT on her, the film is rather nice. Dolley is very good as her meek son and his scenes with his girlfriend are very sweet. I'd actually like to see more of this actor...just never, never, never in the same film as Vardalos.Overall, a difficult movie to like and one I hope never to see again.

David Ferguson Greetings again from the darkness. Just when it seems everything we say or do is offensive to someone and most every topic is considered politically incorrect, a movie shows up that seems to say it's OK to be offensive if you are trying to make a worthy point. It's kind of like someone defending their actions by saying "I'm not a racist – I have an African-American friend." Helicopter parenting is defined as an overly involved parent who thinks they are best serving their kid by staying involved in every detail of life – from homework to activities to love life. As sad as this phenomenon is, this movie from director Salome Breziner and writer Duke Tran is so exaggerated, a more appropriate title would be Chainsaw Mom. Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) stars as the clueless and relentless single mom obsessed with her son … especially the uncertainties of his sexual orientation.Ms. Vardalos seems to have patterned her approach to the role after some of the wide-eyed over-the-top characters of Keenan Thompson from SNL. This is beyond caricature and it's also beyond annoying. The character is not believable in any sense, and is fortunately offset by more grounded performances from Jason Dolley, who plays her unfortunate son, and Mark Boone Junior, who plays her ex-husband and his father.There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking on a topic like teenage sexual ambiguity/confusion with a comedic approach; however, much of this comes off like a cheesy sitcom. The only thing missing is the laugh track … and maybe Vardalos hiding behind a potted plant while wearing Groucho glasses and mustache. I say maybe, because it's possible the latter occurred during one of the many segments where I was rolling my eyes or shaking my head in disbelief.Fortunately, there were some genuine father and son moments between Dolley and Boone. In fact, Boone's performance is so good, it's like someone changed the channel every time his character appears. Dolley and Skyler Samuels (The Duff) also have some very sweet and believable scenes together. It's just a shame that a moment as poignant as the confused son asking his father "When did you know you were straight?" is offset by mom publicly humiliating her kid and herself in yet another unimaginable display of inappropriate and cartoonish behavior.The supporting cast also includes Kate Flannery (TV's "The Office"), Gillian Vigman (The Hangover), and Dallas' own Hockaday girl Lisa Loeb – who has a role as a teacher, and wrote the song for the opening credits.Confusion over sexual orientation in teenagers is certainly a topic worthy of film treatment, as is the cultural phenomenon of helicopter parenting. The slapstick comedy approach seems to overwhelm the first message, while the 1980's sitcom style destroys any commentary on the second. The only person who thinks a boy's best friend is his mother is Norman Bates. And Hitchcock showed us how that turns out.

lgbt What the hell is Nia Vardalos doing acting in this POS of a movie? Did she even bother reading the script? Did she owe director Salome Breziner a favor so huge to agree to lower herself by being in this rubbish and, in turn, severely hurt her chances of ever being in a legit film ever again? Mark Boone is a friend of Salome's but come on Jr., sometimes you just gotta look after your own arse and say "no."Duke Tran, the film's screenwriter, has absolutely zero talent and suffice it to say I highly doubt he'll ever find a writing job in Hollywood, or anywhere for that matter, ever again. Salome...what the hell are you wasting your talent directing rubbish like this? This is way below your level! As far as the producers go, which moron out of the bunch read this script and jumped in the air and said "I have to make this!" I would put money on it that not one of the producers has been educated past the 12th grade...and that's being generous!Okay, now that I got that out of the way, her we go:Attempting to make an overbearing character endearing is a tricky proposition, and it's one that Nia fails miserably at in this film. The story of a mother who tries to steamroll her sexually confused teenage son into adopting a gay lifestyle, Nia quickly wears out her welcome. Stupid concept, stupid execution.BOTTOM LINE: This poorly written rubbish fails on every level!

Holly McCarthy I really loved this sweet little film. I've been a big fan of Nia Vardalos ever since "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and I found her performance in this movie equally as charming and fun. Vardalos is so different from most modern movie stars. She really represents a honest and unvarnished American woman, and I always find her refreshing to watch. She's a talented comedian- able to be both funny and earnest at the same time. The relationship between mother and son in this film was heartwarming and real; you really see a mother struggling to do everything possible to help her child succeed- even if she sometimes makes mistakes. That's something that every mother can identify with! And on top of all of this I'm really glad that we can have a family comedy in 2015 that champions gay acceptance...with a twist ;) Bravo Nia! I'm a big fan!