Momma's Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Momma's Man Blu-ray Movie Review

A compelling independent drama about family and growing up.

Momma's Man is an independent drama about the importance of family and the journey of growing up. Executive produced by Paul Mezey (Half Nelson, Another Earth) and Tyler Brodie (Another Earth, Pi), Momma's Man is written-and-directed by Azazel Jacobs (The GoodTimesKid), who produced the film in collaboration with his own parents, Flo Jacobs and Ken Jacobs. The film was produced in his own parents loft. A exploration of the slow descent in to adulthood, Momma's Man is worth a watch.

Struggling to cope with adulthood and the responsibilities of his life, Mikey (Matt Boren) is having an early mid-life crisis. After having a delayed flight to return to Los Angeles (where his wife and child are), Mikey finds himself hanging out at his old home alongside his affectionate mother (Flo Jacobs) and father (Ken Jacobs). Remembering his more laid-back teenage years, Mikey revisits his musician dreams while taking it easy at the loft. Spoiled with delicious snacks and unending affection from his sweet mother, Mikey unravels back in to the comfort of his youth – and away from the responsibilities of adulthood.

The performances in Momma's Man are affectionate and moving. Matt Boren is surprisingly good as a son who is struggling with growing up in to an adult. The parents (played by the director's own), are compelling supporting characters in the film. The parental-son relationships are believable and are effectively realized throughout. Momma's Man is earnest in that regard.

An intimate experience: the power of family.

The music by Mandy Hoffman (The GoodTimesKid, The Lovers) is low-fi but helps the filmmaking in subtle ways. The score always seems to take a back-seat to the performances. The results manage to work well. The score ebbs and flows with the filmmaking and helps the storytelling.

The cinematography by Tobias Datum (Grandma, Smashed) is one of the highlights of Momma's Man. The visuals are consistently low-key and there is some unexpected charm in that low-fi nature. The filmmaking can sometimes feel documentary-like and that style of direction is often compelling in independent cinema. Truly a laidback visual aesthetic but one that works for the production well.

Azazel Jacobs capably handled the writing and directing duties. A step up from his earlier independent effort, The GoodTimesKid, Momma's Man showcases the filmmaker's original voice and showcases a more mature filmmaker. The director worked well with casting their own parents in the film and the end results are impressive. Working alongside editor Darrin Navarro (The End of the Tour, I Love Dick), Momma's Man is compelling drama and it has some unexpected surprises. Check it out.

Momma's Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Momma's Man is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The presentation quality is generally good. The high-definition scan looks reasonably sharp for a lower-budget production. The film has grain and sometimes looks a bit low-fi but the results are certainly far-from-disappointing. Colors are not quite as robust as expected but this seems source-related. The scan looks fine for a smaller-scale independent film. There are no issues with print damage to report.

Momma's Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 audio track. The lossless audio sounds perfectly fine for the material. The track is primarily focused on dialogue reproduction. Dialogue remains crisp, clear, and easy to understand during the presentation. The music by Mandy Hoffman is well presented as well. A simple sound-mix but one that works well for a drama.

Optional English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are provided.

Momma's Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by director Azazel Jacobs

Audio conversation between director Azazel Jacobs and his parents

Momma's Family: Behind the Scenes Documentary (SD, 42:01)

Deleted Scenes:

False Return (SD, 2:35), Ghosts (SD, 1:02), Porn (SD, 1:41), Mikey & Dante (SD, 2:24), Drunk on Sherry (SD, 2:20), Laura & Tom (SD, 4:47), and Ken Jacobs Teaser (SD, 2:47).

Production stills gallery (HD, 6:37)

Rain Building Music (SD, 7:19) is a short film by Mamma's Man director Azazel Jacobs (as produced in 1991).

Momma's Man Trailer (SD, 2:13)

The GoodTimesKid Trailer (SD, 2:58)

Momma's Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Momma's Man is a compelling independent drama about the journey of growing up in to adulthood. Writer-director Azazel Jacobs (The GoodTimesKid) cast his own parents in the film and the results impress. The film is worth a look for fans of quirky independent dramas. The Blu- ray release has decent video-audio and a nice assortment of supplements are provided. Recommended.