What Kind of Mother Are You?

I watched this movie on t.v. the other night. I had no idea who was in it or what it was about. It stars Nicholle Tom as a teenage girl who is rebellious towards her mother and her step-father. Mel Harris plays her mom and has trouble dealing with all the problems that her daughter dishes out to her. Apparently, the husband, who we see in multiple flashbacks, was an abusive, alcoholic who ends up killing himself. We don't see much of him but the story isn't as much about him as it is for the mother-daughter issue. I'm a parent of three kids and I wouldn't know what to do if any one of my three would do the things that the daughter did. This movie was directed by Noel Nosseck who's movies I have seen. Recently as a couple days ago. If you're a mother dealing with a rebellious teen-aged daughter, then this one's for you, otherwise find something else to do with your time!

It may have been helpful if the screenplay addressed some of the underlying issues: was this based on a true story?. If it was based on truth, all the more reason anyone with a problem child may want to watch this movie.

Mel Harris (of "Thirty Something" fame) does very well, portraying a harried mother, whose husband has committed suicide, now on her second marriage, and having difficulty with her rebellious daughter, Nicholle Tom.

In an incident after slapping her mother, Nicholle Tom is arrested, and Mel Harris assumes she may get her daughter out of jail the next day. Not so. The daughter ends up in the labyrinthine juvenile system- we see the failure of Legal Aid, the juvenile detention red tape and state workers with their own agenda. One social worker with a private vendetta is well portrayed by Mary Mara, as "Marcy" who accuses Nicholle Tom of being suicidal and dangerous, neither of which is true.

This film addresses some of the social issues which are prevalent today. Judgmental social workers, an inflexible legal system, and parenting in general are realistically addressed.

Anyone who is interested in these issues may want to watch "White Oleander", an excellent novel by Janet Fitch and movie starring Michele Pfeiffer and Allison Lohman.

Although I missed the first 10 minutes of the movie, yet I was caught with the film till end. As per the titles, it indicates to be revolving around the emotions of a mom and the daughter, however, the movie is much more than that. We also get to see the trap one gets into and every move to resolve that complicates it further. The atrocious reality inside the adolescent centers and how miserable the life can become for the out there. The movie leaves a question if the mother has to be blamed or the daughter. Its actually the circumstances that have to be blamed and nothing more than that. Altogether it is a fine piece of drama well execute by the actors.