From Stella Dallas to Kramer vs. Kramer, there’s no tearjerker quite like the separation of parent and child, and Because Mommy Works (1994) is no exception. An NBC production that found a second home on Lifetime, it could more accurately be called Because Daddy’s a Dipsh*t. And while its plot and resolution are likely to astonish or even amuse younger or more sheltered viewers who don’t take it seriously, the ’90s were indeed still a time when mothers, unlike fathers, were legally penalized for working or attaining higher education.
Anne Archer plays Abby Forman, a cardiac care nurse and mother to six-year-old Willie (Casey Wurzbach of Gramps). Her ex-husband, Ted (John Heard, a specialist of sorts in detestable characters), has spent nearly half of Willie’s life largely absent from it, doing whatever he pleases, but believes he has fulfilled his fatherly obligations by never missing a child support payment. Now remarried to homemaker Claire (Ashley Crow, who makes the most of a small but complex role), he reappears to again hassle Abby for having the temerity to think that she, like him or any other working father, can effectively parent while also holding a job.
Christine Berardo’s screenplay (from a story by Lynn Mamet and Marjorie David) doesn’t solely frame their disagreements as a battle-of-the-sexes issue. While Ted is shown to have lingering bitterness over Abby’s dedication to her career, which he wanted her to abandon after Willie’s birth, the two are able to hit upon a possible solution to his problem with daycare: Claire could watch Willie each day after school, with Abby taking him home in the evening. But acrimony between the stubborn exes, and differences in their parenting philosophies, prevent an easy compromise. And the more you see of Ted, the less you think he really wants one, anyway.
“You never could stand the heat,” Abby tells him during an argument. “You’re spoiled. And I’m not gonna let you spoil my son.” Ted’s punitive nature and smug entitlement lead them into a bruising legal battle, with all the suspense of whether the system will uphold his sexism. Willie, who slowly warms to his father but prefers living with Abby, reacts to news of the custody fight by sadly saying “I wish I was twins.” He also shares with Abby, who won’t speak poorly of Ted around him, that the favor isn’t returned.
Willie: Daddy says you care more about your job than about me.
Abby: Well, Daddy’s wrong.
Willie: He says that if you love me, you’d stay home with me.
Abby: Daddy works and he still loves you.
because mommy works (1994)
Archer’s touching vulnerability in Fatal Attraction is often lost in the Glenn Close shuffle, but under the guidance of director Robert Markowitz (My Mother’s Secret Life) she brings that same quality to Abby, who is given an unnecessary love interest in the form of Willie’s teacher (Tom Amandes, doing his best Mister Rogers impression). In a heart-to-heart with cardiologist Arthur (Jan Tríska), who encourages her to apply for a promotion, she ruefully states that she’s already spread too thin. He remarks that he never had to choose between his kids and his career. “You know what I need?” she asks with a laugh. “I need a wife.”
Nearly 30 years later, my wife still hears the same sentiment tossed around in hospitals by women colleagues, often as they complain about the professional sacrifices they’ve made that their male exes refused to reciprocate. But it was another line, delivered by Abby’s lawyer (played by Michael Constantine of The Secret Night Caller and Death Cruise), that reminded me the most of the present. Ominously warning her to temper her expectations, he says “Abby, guys in black muumuus do crazy things. You cannot count on this judge having the wisdom of Solomon.” You’ll want your Kleenex handy as Because Mommy Works’ denouement approaches, even as you smile at the shamelessness of its final contrivances.
Streaming and DVD availability
Because Mommy Works hasn’t been released on DVD and isn’t currently on authorized streaming platforms, but there’s a grainy presentation of it on YouTube.
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Cranky Lesbian is a disgruntled homosexual with too much time on her hands. Click for film reviews or to follow on Instagram.
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