STOP! OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT
US, 1992, 87 minutes, Colour.
Sylvester Stallone, Estelle Getty, Jo Beth Williams, Roger Rees.
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode.
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is a brief, fairly obvious comedy that passes the time easily enough. The joke is that Estelle Getty (from The Golden Girls, a very good comedienne) interferes with her policeman son's life and his cases - and, naturally, she gets her man. But her put-upon son is Sylvester Stallone. As with John Landis's Oscar, we see comedy is not Stallone's forte. But there are car chases and shootouts, some romance, some odd characters and some funny doting and dominating mother jokes - and that's about it. Direction is by Roger Spottiswoode, who has directed some enjoyable action movies such as The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, Shoot to Kill, Air America.
1. Amusing comedy, the title - and the stars? Sylvester Stallone keeping the policeman's image but moving to comedy and sending up the macho American male?
2. The Los Angeles locations, the city streets, precincts? The action sequences? The musical score?
3. Joe, his work with the police, the opening case, being discovered as a policeman, his partner, the glass, the shooting? His trying to ring his mother? Her not answering? His relationship with Gwen, her interviewing him - and the precinct staff looking in? The clashes with Ross? In himself, the bachelor, his own apartment and its untidiness? Sylvester Stallone and his image?
4. Estelle Getty as the American mother: her not answering the phone, her comments about why she didn't answer, arriving at the airport having told everybody on the plane about her son, talking about him as if he was a baby, the photos? The air crew's reaction? The passengers'? Her doting, dominating? Taking over, criticising the untidiness, vacuuming at 3 am, the heavy breakfast? The effect on Joe? Going with him to work, the would-be suicide, her getting the megaphone and talking to the young man - and his sympathy for Joe? The irony of the TV cameras on Joe, thinking that he was to commit suicide?
5. Her wanting to give him a present, going to buy the gun, the gun shop, the men with the illegal arms? Her bargaining? The shooting - and her being a witness? Her interviews with Ross and exasperating him? Wanting to give the information to Joe for his promotion? Meeting Gwen, discussing things with her, crying over the photos? Urging her son to give Gwen flowers - and sending them herself?
6. Joe, the humiliation, the nightmare of his being on a case and finding himself wearing a nappy and everybody laughing? Ross and the clash, flushing him down the toilet? His obtuseness with Gwen about the flowers? Following the leads, the information from his mother, going to the house and rescuing the girl? Going to the office, the interview with Parnell? Mitchell and his information, handcuffing his mother to Mitchell? Going to the airport, the confrontation with Parnell, the chase of the plane, the truck, the crash, rescuing his mother?
7. His mother and her wanting to go with Joe, being a partner? His exasperations? Her threatening to spank Parnell? Friendship with Mitchell, handcuffing him to the banister? Her driving - and Joe anxious? Going to the airport? Taken by Parnell, in the plane, rescued?
8. Gwen, her work in the precinct, superior to Joe? Their relationship? The flowers? Her not believing him about his mother? The happy reconciliation? Ross and his anger? Joe's partners? The staff of the precinct?
9. Parnell, his plan, the arms, the shootouts, his henchmen? At the airport, his comeuppance?
10. The appropriate finale - farewelling Mom, another criminal at the airport - and her helping her son? (The popularity of Mom jokes in the United States?)
