Hollywood's Mama's Boys: Men (and Their Mamas) in Film

Ah yes, the "Mama's Boy"-an exquisite term used to describe the sticky, yet uncomfortably sweet relationship between an adult male and his mother. The Mama's Boy dynamic is quite an interesting one-one that can play out in a million different fascinating ways on screen. See how these popular movies explore the tenuous (and sometimes dangerous) relationships between mothers and sons.

Mother's Boys (1994)

Jamie Lee Curtis portrays a disturbing absentee mother with a slight possessive streak. Jude's (Curtis) sinister play to reunite her family goes beyond sick, as she uses her feminine wiles to entice her sons into breaking up her estranged husband's new romance. Curtis does a good job of making you squirm in this fairly tame 1990's thriller.

In the Bedroom (2001)

You can literally cut the tension with a butter knife in this poignant yet intense drama. But don't let the quiet mood fool you. There is plenty of friction brewing between Frank and his mother Ruth (expertly played by Nick Stahl and Sissy Spacek)-as she attempts to guide her "baby boy" towards a bright and promising future. Starting out airy and bright, the emotional atmosphere abruptly changes after a family tragedy occurs.

Hush (1998)

Martha (Jessica Lange) has a bit too much love for her handsome son. She's perfect in the role, her buggy, sexy eyes dancing about as she gazes at her son Jackson (Johnathon Schaech) and attempts to make waves between him and his wife Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow.) The film takes all sorts of uncomfortable turns. It's good Sunday afternoon Showtime "fluff"-with some creepy Oedipus-inspired scenes sprinkled throughout.

Pure (2002)

In this British film, Molly Parker is a drug-addicted Mom who actually uses her son Paul to score her stash. Unfortunately, the kid thinks that he's actually copping real medicine for his mother's apparent "illness." All kinds of miserable drama unfolds when Paul realizes that the medicine he's been giving her is heroin. Pure gives a completely new (and unnerving) meaning to the term "codependency."

Sleepwalkers (1992)

Stephen King is responsible for this tale of motherly love. Mary (Alive Krige) and Charles (Brian Krause) aren't your ordinary mother and son. Mary takes motherly love to an entirely different level. (Their onscreen love affair isn't for the squeamish.) As a pair of shape shifting vampires, these two have the kind of relationship that redefines the word "parasitic."

Savage Grace (2007)

This grossly overlooked film stars Julianne Moore as real life socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland. Baekeland was murdered by her son Antony in November of 1972. Reports following the story revealed that the two had some pretty deep incestuous ties. But the crazy doesn't stop there. Sprinkle in some amoral acquaintances, several sexual dalliances, and a healthy dose of mental illness and this little movie is complete.

Psycho (1960)

With Anthony Perkins at the helm of this film, Psycho is perhaps the ultimate "mama's boy" film of all time. Based loosely on the story of serial killer Ed Gein (a real-life psycho Mama's Boy) Norman Bates (Perkins) has a creative way of checking guests out of his roadside motel. Is Norman simply doing his mother's dirty work? You'll never live to tell...

SOURCES:

www.imdb.com
www.netflix.com
www.amazon.com