The Great Mom Swap

Last updated

The Great Mom Swap
The Great Mom Swap.jpg
GenreComedy
Written by Maryedith Burrell
Directed by Jonathan Prince
Starring Shelley Fabares
Valerie Harper
Mary Kate Schellhardt
Hillary Tuck
Sid Caesar
Andrew Kavovit
Kelsey Mulrooney
Music byDavid Lawrence
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerRichard Welsh
ProducersBrent Shields
Richard Welsh
Production locations1090 Rubio Street, Altadena, California
CinematographySandi Sissel
EditorsJim Oliver
Brian Fassett
Running time120 minutes (including commercials)
Production company Signboard Hill Productions
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 23, 1995 (1995-09-23)

The Great Mom Swap is a 1995 American made for television comedy film directed by Jonathan Prince and starring Shelley Fabares, Valerie Harper, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Hillary Tuck, Sid Caesar, Andrew Kavovit and Kelsey Mulrooney. It is based on the novel of the same name by Betsy Haynes. It premiered on ABC on September 23, 1995 [1] and was released on video by Hallmark Entertainment.

Contents

Plot

Terri Venessi (Mary Kate Schellhardt), a local straight-A student and ‘deli girl’, always seems to be at odds with the cheerleading captain, Karen Ridgeway (Hillary Tuck). Terri is the daughter of Grace (Valerie Harper) who is a widow and Karen is the daughter of Millie (Shelley Fabares) who have been known rivals since the day their friendship was strained. One day, their pranks on each other go too far when a revenge-fueled stink bomb in Karen’s locker gets out of hand and the school has to be evacuated for two days as a result.

The girls are called to the Principal's office where they and their mothers meet with Officer Patricia Smith (Esther Scott). Although she initially plans to have them sent to a work farm, Officer Smith instead tells them that the girls should switch lives for a while to experience the other girl's life even upon also noticing that both mothers act the same way toward each other. Under threat of expulsion, the girls and their families agree.

Karen's family is quite affluent, but both parents work and are gone quite a bit. As a result, Karen, when she was home had to take care of her little sister Tiffany (Kelsey Mulrooney), and now Terri is made to do it, despite having no babysitting experience or siblings of her own. Tiffany (who is constantly telling "Knock-knock jokes") gets on Terri's nerves at first, but eventually, she comes to think of Terri as a "sister-figure", especially during a thunderstorm, which causes a temporary loss of power. During the switch, Terri learns that Karen never stands up for herself to her mom who grew up in the neighborhood with Terri's mom, and is now a social climber. While at Karen's, Terri and Karen's brother David (Andrew Kavovit) discover they like each other, especially after Karen gives Terri a "makeover."

At Terri's house, Karen is living with Grace and grandfather Papa Tognetti (Sid Caesar). Terri's is a blue-collar family that runs an Italian deli. Karen's friends make fun of Terri and now are making fun of Karen, who discovers that her "friends" are very superficial. Her "best friend" Nicole Henderson (Marnette Patterson) starts snubbing her and even tries to steal her boyfriend Chad Elkins (Hunter Garner), which causes problems for the couple. She also discovers that Terri's mom is much more "hands on" than her own mother and doesn't like things to change. She also can be very controlling. As time goes on, Karen starts to bond with Papa and even joins in the search when he turns up missing.

As a result of the switch, Millie and Grace gain perspective and restore their friendship. They apparently had a falling out when they were teens. Grandpa moves to a retirement village (he wasn't missing after all). Terri and Karen discover they like themselves and each other. Millie decides her family is more important than her clubs and Grace quits trying to hide in the past and embrace life again. Everyone benefits from the Mom Swap, especially Terri and David, who go to Prom together, and Karen and Chad, who are voted Prom Queen and King, but not before Nicole gets called out for trying to rig the election. Karen and Terri end up as best friends.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>I Love the 80s</i> (American TV series) 2002 American TV series or program

I Love the '80s is a 1980s nostalgia television program and the first installment of the I Love the... series that was produced by VH1, based on the BBC series of the same name. The first episode, "I Love 1980", premiered on December 16, 2002, and the final episode, "I Love 1989", premiered on December 20, 2002.

Will & Grace is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman, a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler, a straight interior designer. The show was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998, to May 18, 2006, for a total of eight seasons, and returned to NBC on September 28, 2017, and permanently ended on April 23, 2020. Will & Grace has been one of the most successful television series with gay principal characters.

American Girl is an American line of 18-inch (46 cm) dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old girls of various ethnicities, faiths, nationalities, and social classes throughout different time periods throughout history. They are sold with accompanying books told from the viewpoint of the girls. Originally the stories focused on various periods of American history, but were expanded to include characters and stories from contemporary life. Aside from the original American Girl dolls, buyers also have the option to purchase Truly Me dolls, which vary by eye color, face mold, skin color, hair texture, and hair length. A variety of related clothing and accessories is also available. A service for ordering a custom-made doll with features and clothing specified by the owner dubbed Create Your Own, was introduced in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nia Peeples</span> American singer, actress, and television host

Virenia "Nia" Peeples is an American R&B and dance music singer and actress. Peeples is known for playing Nicole Chapman on the TV series Fame; Pam Fields on the drama Pretty Little Liars; Karen Taylor Winters on The Young and the Restless; Sydney Cooke on Walker, Texas Ranger; and as Grace's mom, Susan, on The Fosters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colleen O'Shaughnessey</span> American voice actress (born 1971)

Colleen Ann O'Shaughnessey is an American voice actress. She is known for providing the voice to Jazz Fenton in Danny Phantom and Wasp in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Since 2010, O'Shaughnessey has voiced various characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, including Miles "Tails" Prower, a role she reprised in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series, which includes the show Knuckles. In addition, O'Shaugnessey has provided voices to English-language dubs of anime and video game series, such as Sora Takenouchi in Digimon: Digital Monsters and Ino Yamanaka and Konohamaru Sarutobi in Naruto.

2002 Dove Award Nominees for the thirty-third annual ceremony of the Dove Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Azalea Festival</span>

The North Carolina Azalea Festival is an annual community festival in Wilmington, North Carolina. The largest festival of its kind in the state, it was founded in 1948, and takes place in April.

Casey Jones, also known as Casey Jones: The Movie, is a short fan film written, filmed, edited and directed by Polaris Banks based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character of the same name. The film premiered August 14, 2011 in Austin, Texas at the Marchesa Hall & Theater, and on the internet on September 18, 2011. Robbie Rist reprises his role as Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993).

"Hell Week" is the second episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It premiered on September 22, 2015, along with the "Pilot", as the special two hour premiere on Fox. The series focuses on a college that is rocked by a serial killer in a Red Devil costume. The episode was directed by Brad Falchuk, and was written by Falchuk with co-creators Ryan Murphy, and Ian Brennan.

Laura Latini was an Italian voice actress.

Karen is a pejorative Generation Z slang term typically used to refer to an upper middle-class white American woman who is perceived as entitled or excessively demanding. The term is often portrayed in memes depicting middle-class white women who "use their white and class privilege to demand their own way". Depictions include demanding to "speak to the manager", being racist, or wearing a particular bob cut hairstyle. It was popularized in the aftermath of the Central Park birdwatching incident in 2020.

References

  1. . The Indianapolis News. September 23, 1995.{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)