Indie Movie Review
Mother of All Shows: Spoiler-Free Review
Can “Funny,” “Musical,” and “Generational Trauma” work in a single movie? You bet your french fries, mustard, and pepper they do!
On its official website, Mother of All Shows is described as a Mother / Daughter Traumedy, and that’s a wonderful description for Melissa D’Agostino’s first feature.
For those of us navigating the fraught waters of how to deal with narcissistic parents or negative body image, not only will this resonate, but there’s healing and redemption in there, too. Mother of All Shows was written by Melissa D’Agostino and David James Brock and directed by Melissa D’Agostino and Matthew Campagna.
Liza’s (Melissa D’Agostino) mother, Rosa (Wendie Malick) is dying — and the only way that Liza has to deal with that impending fact is to take solace in her mind — where it’s all a 1970’s variety show that is hosted by her mother. People from her past and present — including her supportive and doting boyfriend Alan (Darryl Hinds), her father (Michael A. Miranda), her cousin (Tarah Consoli), and her high school boyfriend (Phil Luzi) — are all paraded through the segments in her mind, complete with period-appropriate commercials for products like “Shame Flakes.”
