Get Away From My Mom
"Get Away From My Mom" | |
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Home Movies episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Loren Bouchard |
Written by | Brendon Small Loren Bouchard H. Jon Benjamin Paula Poundstone Melissa Bardin Galsky |
Featured music | Brendon Small Loren Bouchard |
Original air date | April 26, 1999 |
Guest appearance | |
| |
"Get Away From My Mom" is the
network in the United States on April 26, 1999. In the episode, eight-year-old Brendon Small discovers that his mother, Paula, is set to have a date with Brendon's soccer coach, the lazy, profane alcoholic John McGuirk. Brendon resents McGuirk for this and expresses his outrage throughout the episode. The date goes terribly and McGuirk and Paula decide to not pursue a relationship. Meanwhile, Brendon and his friends Melissa and Jason film a new movie about a rogue police officer.Production involved
Plot
After soccer practice, eight-year-old aspiring filmmaker Brendon Small shows his mother Paula a self-made trailer for his upcoming film, The Dark Side of the Law, a crime film about a rogue police detective. Paula expresses indifference to the production. At breakfast the next morning, Paula informs Brendon she plans to go on a date that night with Brendon's soccer coach, John McGuirk, much to Brendon's chagrin. Brendon seeks advice from his friend Melissa and her father Erik, but they are unable to advise him as they are late for a violin recital.
When McGuirk shows up at Brendon's house for the date that night, Brendon tries to scare him off by acting as if he is his son, but it proves unsuccessful. During the date, Paula becomes agitated at McGuirk's inappropriate, boring subject matter, and she becomes drunk in order to entertain herself. Meanwhile, Brendon, Melissa, and their friend Jason film a scene from The Dark Side of the Law in Brendon's basement, where Brendon's character is in a
At soccer practice the next day, Brendon—still upset with his mother's decision to date his coach—is uncooperative and chastises McGuirk for dating his mother, accusing him of desires to engage in a relationship with all the soccer players' mothers. While being driven home by Erik, Brendon asks Erik to fight McGuirk as revenge, but Erik denies his request and suggests he take his mind off the topic by playing a car game. Eventually, Brendon decides to apologize to McGuirk for his behavior, and the two reconcile. Later, McGuirk and Paula decide over the phone to end their relationship, a decision Brendon overhears using three-way calling.
At the next soccer game, Brendon's team plays poorly, and an opposing player injures Brendon, which causes McGuirk to yell at the referee. While sitting out, Brendon spots Erik and Paula engaging in meaningless and casual flirtation in the bleachers, which Brendon interprets as another possible relationship.
Production
"Get Away From My Mom" is the first episode of
Bouchard directed the entire series.
To make the young characters sound like children, instead of adults, recordings of the actors' performances were electronically altered.[10] Galsky was cast as Melissa with no prior experience in voice acting, and she considers Bouchard the biggest benefactor to her career based on that decision.[11] After recording sessions for "Get Away From My Mom" concluded, Small (who voices Brendon) and Benjamin (who plays McGuirk) went out to drink beers and to see a concert. According to Small, the experience contributed to their understanding of the unique dynamic between the characters.[3]
"Get Away From My Mom" was released on the DVD Home Movies: The Complete First Season, on November 16, 2004.[12]
Reception
"Get Away From My Mom" was originally broadcast on April 26, 1999 on
The episode received generally mixed reviews from television critics. Writing for
Conversely, John Levesque called the show a "keeper" in his review for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and applauded the series subtle, improvised style.[16] Chicago Sun-Times journalist Phil Rosenthal commended the episode. In his review, he wrote, "Rather than big laughs, it's more likely to elicit the grin of bemused recognition. It's not about sight gags or clever puns. It's not about parodying the sitcom form. This sweet ass series [...] is not always subtle - unless a child showing another how to have fun with a runny nose is intellectual - but it nicely plays off the inherent absurdities and weirdness of everyday modern life."[17] Dennis Landmann of DVD Freak wrote that the episode "sets up the tone quite well, for it develops the aspirations of Brendon becoming a filmmaker" and praised the confrontations between McGuirk and Brendon.[18]
References
- ^ "adult swim - Home Movies - Episode 1: Get Away From My Mom". Adult Swim. Archived from the original on 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
- ^ ISBN 0-275-99019-2.
- ^ a b Masters, Clay (2005-11-21). "'Home Movies' creator has a new cartoon on his drawing board". Daily Nebraskan. Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
- ^ O'Leary, Devin D. (1999-05-17). ""Home Movies" on UPN". Weekly Wire. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- The Record.
- ^ "Home Movies: Get Away From My Mom". Zap2it. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- ^ a b c Kiesewetter, John (1999-04-26). "'Home Movies' hardly a home run". The Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Film.com. Archived from the originalon 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
- Allmovie. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
- About.com. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
- ^ P., Ken (2004-11-18). "10 Questions: Melissa Galsky". IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
- ^ Rizzo, Frank (2004-11-16). "Home Movies: Season One". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
- ^ "People's choice.(April 20-May 2 Broadcast networks prime time ratings)". Broadcasting & Cable. 1999-05-10.
- Shout! Factory.
- ^ Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- ^ Levesque, John (1999-04-26). "UPN's 'Home Movies' is finely tooned". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ Rosenthal, Phil (1999-04-26). "Animated humor UPN's series finds absurdity in everyday life". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Landmann, Dennis (2004-11-29). "Home Movies - Season 1 DVD Review". Movie Freak. Archived from the original on 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
External links
- "Get Away From My Mom" at Adultswim.com (Archive)
- "Get Away From My Mom" at IMDb