Helicopter Mom
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''Helicopter Mom'' is a 2014 American comedy film directed by
Salomé Breziner Salomé Breziner or Salome Breziner is a film director, screenwriter, and script supervisor, known for directing '' Helicopter Mom'' and ''The Secret Lives of Dorks''. starring Nia Vardalos in 2014. Born in Belgium and raised in Miami Beach, F ...
and starring
Nia Vardalos Antonia Eugenia Vardalos (born September 24, 1962) is a Canadian actress, director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known for starring in and writing the romantic comedy film ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' (2002), which garnered her nominati ...
. The overbearing mother (Nia Vardalos) of a sexually undecided teenager (Jason Dolley) tells everyone that he's gay to submit an application on his behalf for a college scholarship for LGBT students.


Plot

High school senior Lloyd's mother Maggie Cooper constantly fawns all over him. Taking him to Venice Beach for his 17th birthday, she's already talking about eventually losing him when he'll meet a girl, get married etc. and forget her. When Lloyd says perhaps he'll turn out to be gay, Maggie outs him by pushing him into a group of tough-looking motorcycle riders. One in particular is very aggressive, so she slaps him so they have to run. At his high school, Lloyd discovers his mother has plastered the halls with a poster announcing his birthday. In English class his teacher insists he read his poem in a larger school function but he, and his close friend concurs, that he can't do public speaking. Classmate Carrie asks him to show her some of his poetry. At home Maggie relentlessly pesters Lloyd about his sexuality. He suggests she join the PTA, like other moms if she insists on knowing about things at school. At Maggie's first meeting, she butts heads with the bossy PTA chair Barbara Wolfe. Talking with her friend Norma after the meeting, Maggie discovers the high cost of college tuition. Realizing Lloyd will need a scholarship, as Norma lists gays as an eligible minority groups, she gushes about how great having a gay son would be. At his school's Festival of the Arts, Lloyd tries to recite his poem, but is mortified when overbearing Maggie gets on stage. She publicly confronts a heckler, and is removed by security. Lloyd's dad Max has to bail Maggie out of jail. Later, at the house as Lloyd sleeps, she asks him to reach out to their son as she's convinced he's gay. At the next PTA meeting, the chair continues to be condescending. Afterwards, as she's assigned cleanup, she stuffs the ballot box with votes for Lloyd for prom king. The next day, Lloyd is embarrassed to be one of the many candidates for the prom court. He finds himself with Carrie, who feels they have a special bond as her also crazy mom is the PTA chair and greatly dislikes his mom. Max takes Lloyd for his first drink. The teen doesn't want to be labeled, as he's yet to have even kissed anyone, and is unsure if he'd prefer to be with a male or female. Maggie and Max take Lloyd out to celebrate his acceptance at NYU. She invites Parker, a young gay man, to meet Lloyd. He wants to leave, but his mom convinces him to stay to try and get to know a gay man. As Parker very dramatically describes his love life, Max helps Lloyd leave by staging a food allergy. As father and son hang out, seeing Carrie, Max sees she is flirting with Lloyd. As they walk, he shows his son spots where he and Maggie had memorable moments, as they were high school sweethearts there. Max insists Lloyd be less self-deprecating. At a preliminary scholarship interview, Maggie tags along, uninvited. Trying to coach him, she loudly prompts Lloyd to mention the prom king nomination, so she introduces herself. At school, Preston's ex attacks Lloyd as he believes he's trying to steal him, and Carrie defends him. Afterwards, talking about the prom, she says she's going stag. He hasn't got a date, so proposes they go together. Carrie is surprised, believing him to be gay. He lists a few reasons he likes and admires her, so she accepts. When Maggie hears that Lloyd is taking Carrie to the prom, she gets angry at Max, believing he's corrupted him. She chews him out, calling him a deadbeat dad although she's discouraged contact between them for the last decade. As Lloyd leaves for the prom, Max arrives to make Maggie dinner. She sneaks off to prom and tries to pay Carrie to leave, as she's organized a gay date for Lloyd. Finding out, Lloyd defiantly kisses him then Carrie passionately. He then tells the scholarship rep that it was his mother who had applied. As he's unsure of his sexual orientation he suggests he find someone else. Lloyd and Carrie leave together, and when Maggie says he blew the scholarship he doesn't care. He had chosen NYU to be far from her. Ironically, it's revealed they won king and queen. Lloyd heads off to NYU, and once he's settled both of his parents surprise him. Back together, they invite him out to dinner.


Cast

*
Nia Vardalos Antonia Eugenia Vardalos (born September 24, 1962) is a Canadian actress, director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known for starring in and writing the romantic comedy film ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' (2002), which garnered her nominati ...
as Maggie *
Jason Dolley Jason Scott Dolley (born July 5, 1991) is an American actor and musician, known for his roles in Disney Channel shows and movies. These include List of Cory in the House characters#Newton Livingston III, Newton "Newt" Livingston III on ''Cory in ...
as Lloyd *
Mark Boone Junior Mark Boone Junior (born Mark Heidrich; March 17, 1955) is an American character actor, best known for his TV roles as Bobby Munson in ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–14) and Patrick "Pat" Brown in '' Last Man On Earth'', and film roles in Christopher ...
as Max *
Kate Flannery Kate Destiny Flannery (born June 10, 1964) is an American actress. Following her early theatre work, Flannery had her screen breakthrough playing Meredith Palmer on the NBC series ''The Office'', which won her two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Sh ...
as Norma *Scott Shilstone as Brad *
Skyler Samuels Skyler Rose Samuels (born April 14, 1994) is an American actress and model, known for her roles in the television series ''Wizards of Waverly Place'', ''The Gates'', ''The Nine Lives of Chloe King'', '' Scream Queens'' and '' The Gifted''. Early ...
as Carrie


Reception

The film has a 29% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, based on 7 critical reviews. Sandie Angulo Chen of
Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.
gave the film two stars out of five.


References


External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, helicopter_mom 2014 films American comedy films 2014 LGBT-related films American LGBT-related films LGBT-related comedy films Films directed by Salomé Breziner 2010s English-language films 2010s American films