It wasn’t that long ago that I saw a poster for “Mama’s Boy” promoting its upcoming release at a major theater chain (after all, you don’t forget a poster featuring Jon Heder wearing a goofy Viking outfit), but its recent debut on DVD seems to indicate those plans have since been abandoned. Of course, with a recent string of box office duds under their belt, Warner Bros. probably felt that a theatrical release wasn’t worth the effort, and they were right. It’s not that the movie is unwatchable, but rather that it’s so much like the ill-received “Mr. Woodcock” that the chances of it turning a profit weren’t strong enough to warrant a publicity campaign. The film stars Heder as Jeffrey Manus, a 29-year-old mama’s boy who, following the death of his father, has pledged to remain at home with his mother (Diane Keaton) for the rest of his life. But when her new boyfriend, Mert Rosenbloon (Jeff Daniels), suddenly moves in, Jeffrey engages in a childish rivalry to win over his mom’s attention. Though the film shares many similarities with “Mr. Woodcock,” the one thing “Mama’s Boy” is not is a dark comedy. Instead, the film takes a more straightforward approach, and it’s all the better for it. It’s not a great film by any means, but “Mama’s Boy” is innocent enough that fans of Heder won’t feel entirely guilty picking it up.
