.

she's always the annoying figure who's presence can't be tolerated and is ALWAYS asked to catch the next flight back home.

Do you mean mother-in-laws?

Is "American Drama" the name of a tv show? Or are you saying in general?

no in general.

morningsong said:

nop, mothers.

I guess I've never seen it that way. Can you give some examples?

CarrieMpls said:

sure.

take the show Dexter, the mother flies in to help her daughter grieve over her ex's death but the girl is fed up with her trying to help and asks her to leave the next morning.

in the film Because I Said So, Diane Keaton plays a devoted mother who cares immensely about her daughters but yet she keeps getting pushed away by them.

in Desperate Housewives, Lynette's mother flies in to help her cope with Cancer but her presence is considered intolerable, and even worse the sisters fight over who will take her in.

even Sitcoms like Friends and Will & Grace, a mom coming to town is always a son's/daughter's worst nightmare.

How old are you?

If you're under...oh...I'd say 25, just give it time. You will one day understand what the presence of your mother in your home means.

Genesia said:

i know it happens but what i meant is it's almost become a standard in American films/shows.

Brothers & Sisters, that's another one.

ah, Nip Tuck as well.

it's also not only about mothers staying with their kids, it's how their mere visits are considered a nightmare.
[Edited 12/17/07 9:32am]

PricelessHo said:

That's because it's almost a universal experience. Art is imitating life.

PricelessHo said:

Like I said, you have to be of a certain age to understand how your house (even for a visit) will never be clean enough for your mother. Or how your lifestyle (who you see, how you raise your children) will never be good enough.

not my mom:

My mom is cool but a lot of my friends have nags for moms. Moms are going to try to be your voice of reason, even when you're grown. At times when people are doing something they know is stupid, they don't want to hear their mom disciplining them. I don't think the portrayal in American drama is that unrealistic.

I get annoyed when my mom tells me to drive carefully. Or when she tells me to not stick my hand under a running mower. I feel like it insults my intelligence but I know she's just being MOM.

Genesia said:

very true and i actually happened to witness that when my grandmother came to stay with us for a while, but that isn't my point.

what i mean is, why immedietly typecast a mother that way. it's almost a given in any new project.

fathers for example could be abusive and these types do get portrayed, but nowhere as often as the annoying mother.

Come to think of it, actually most father characters on TV are typecast as the kind ones that are their childrens' best friends.
[Edited 12/17/07 9:53am]

PricelessHo said:

Oh, but that is exactly the point. You don't think the people who write for television have mothers? Writers write from their experience. Having a mother who meddles or criticizes or tries to impose her will on her adult children is an almost universal experience. It makes the situation more relatable for the audience.

Genesia said:

i believe the reason why it caught my attention is because here in the middle east, even though we also get this typecast on tv but it's not being used as exessively as in the US.

i'm not saying mothers should be typecast as angels. it's just there's more to a mother's character than that. she could be passionate and annoying, she could be careless and annoying, she could be wise, she could be evil. she could be many thing other than this repetetive character that tries to change everything.

I think that the role of the parent especially at an older age is not placed at that high of an importance here in the American culture as in for example Asian cultures. Here in America we don't feel an obligation to heed the concerns of our parents once we are grown. so instead of sometimes being the voice of reason and advice, mothers are portrayed as nagging oftentimes. How we view people in our lives bleeds over into television.

is this a trick question

June Cleaver was pretty fly.

horatio said:

Right? I mean...asked and answered, already!

heybaby said:

ok now that's putting it very well. i never viewed it that way. so thank you

PricelessHo said:

When my mom comes to town i never know what to expect. Sometimes it's all good, but other times we just fight.

Also remember in Desperate Housewives Lynette's mother is an alocholic. and it's an extreme verion of life.

PricelessHo said:

Interesting... I'll have to pay attention. I've never seen any of those shows/movies.

PricelessHo said:

Really?!?

ehuffnsd said:

yea. Calista's mother from B&S, and Julia's mother from Nip Tuck.

PricelessHo said:

Nora Walker?!? I think that character is great and shows both positives and negatives.

ehuffnsd said:

exactly, and yet her kids get grumpy once they see her name on their cell phone's screen lol

PricelessHo said:

that's a normal reaction.