(USA/2008/directed by Azazel Jacobs)

The narcissism of adolescence can have addictive properties – namely, the fear of growing up. For Mikey (Matt Boren), a thirty-something father with an unsatisfying job, a moment of adolescent relapse becomes a rabbit-hole of immobility. Visiting his New York bohemian parents (portrayed with remarkable naturalism by director Jacobs’s real-life parents) on a business trip away from his family in California, Mikey finds himself inexplicably unable to leave his childhood home (the Jacobs’ own downtown loft, which itself becomes of the film’s truly indelible characters). His indecisiveness and the sweetly overbearing concern of his family soon cause him to spiral toward a state of total dependency. Filled with enormous wit and an authenticity that once defined independent film, Momma’s Man is a superbly crafted, deeply funny, utterly poignant achievement. (94 min.)

“Marvelously filmed and profoundly affecting. The one unforgettable film I saw at Sundance.”     -Andrew O’Hehir, Salon