Dating My Mother

AVAILABLE ON VARIOUS DIGITAL PLATFORMS ON MAY 8

Nothing comes between a boy and his mother!

Danny is a writer struggling to find his way in the world. Much to his mother's delight, he's moved home to New Jersey while working on a spec script for a television show. The pair's relationship often borders on inappropriate -- they sleep in the same bed, go to movies together, and rely on each other for pretty much everything else.

While Danny isn't completely happy at home, his interest is piqued when he runs into a former classmate at a graduation party. The dynamic is further altered when his mother decides to start dating again.

"Dating My Mother" skips the clich� run of bad dates for Joan to embark on. In fact, the first date she goes on ends up being a match. Meanwhile, the film plays coy about what is happening between Danny and his former classmate, Khris. The two have chemistry, but they don't broach the topic of Khris's sexuality, setting up an is-he-or-isn't-he scenario for their relationship.

Writer-Director Mike Roma, who previously created the web series "Danny The Manny," is making his feature film debut here. It's not a seamless transition, however. In trying to make a self-contained story, he squanders a lot of potential conflict by not following through on information that is introduced and allows a lot of events to happen off-screen as well. More than anything else, having many of the plot points occur off-screen stunts the film from providing much character development.

He does stay away from many of the clich�d narrative routes, such as having Danny and his mother fall for the same man (though there is an awkward scene where it seems like that's where they're heading) or having the two men compete for her attention. While Danny doesn't exactly take to her new boyfriend, Chester, it does serve as a catalyst for him to look for someone of his own. This results in some of the film's best moments, offering a scathing look at the hook-up culture in our community.

Kathryn Erbe (of TV's "Law and Order: Criminal Intent") helps to ground the film as Joan. She is able to keep a level head, even when Danny is spiraling in front of her. Erbe is softer here than her television persona, but still stands her ground and knows how to put her son in his place when he gets out of line. Erbe and Patrick Reilly, as Danny, have an easy rapport that makes the pair enjoyable to watch.

Much of the comedic bits are left to the supporting cast, such as Kathy Najimy, who sporadically pops up as Joan's best friend. Najimy is always a reliable pinch hitter to come in as a wise old sage character and pick up a few laughs. She's done similar work in the "Bear City" series.

What could have been a fun addition to the LGBT film library ends up falling flat thanks to a less than fully developing the script. At a brisk 81 minute running time, there is room for more to be added without the film getting bogged down. Nevertheless, "Dating My Mother" is not a relationship that you will want to have long term. One date is more than enough.