''David's Mother'' is a 1994 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Robert Allan Ackerman Robert Allan Ackerman (June 30, 1944 – January 10, 2022) was an American film and theatre director. He directed numerous films since 1992. Ackerman was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 30, 1944 and moved to Kew Gardens, Queens, when he wa ...

and stars Kirstie Alley as a devoted mother trying to cope with her

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

teenage son David ( Michael Goorjian). The film aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

on April 10, 1994, it has also aired internationally. In the UK it can often be seen on television movie channels True Movies 1 and True Movies 2. It has also been released in home entertainment formats in countries including the United States, UK and Australia. The film has received several awards and nominations. Kirstie Alley and Michael Goorjian both received Emmy Awards for their roles in the film; Alley was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

Plot

Sally Goodson has always tried to do what is best for her

son David, always blaming herself for the way David is. Sally lives alone with David in a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

apartment and is often visited by her sister Bea ( Stockard Channing), who tries to help Sally turn her life around by getting out a little more and giving David some space, but Sally rarely lets him out of her sight. In the end, it caused her husband Philip (

Chris Sarandon Christopher Sarandon (; born July 24, 1942) is an American actor. He is well known for playing a variety of iconic characters, including Jerry Dandrige in ''Fright Night'' (1985), Prince Humperdinck in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), Detective Mik ...

) to have an affair, leave her and re-marry, and her daughter Susan to go to live with him, as they were tired of watching Sally being too over-protective with David. Sally, having enough to cope with in her life, is visited by a social worker, Gladys Johnson (

Phylicia Rashad Phylicia Rashad ( ) ( née Ayers-Allen; born June 19, 1948) is an American actress, singer and director who is dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby ...

), who informs her that David must go into a care home, but Sally refuses to send him to a home because of the way he was treated as a child in his previous care home. Gladys then gives her some time with David before she has to make arrangements. Bea manages to talk Sally round and sets her up on a date with wallpaper salesman John Nils (

Sam Waterston Samuel Atkinson Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television and, film. He has received a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, and has receive ...

); they begin to see each other, and he even teaches David to work a

VCR A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other source on a removable, magnetic tape videocassette, and can play back the recording. ...

, something Sally thought he could never do. Things go well until Sally makes plans to move when she is forced to give up David to a care home; her plans cause an argument between she and John, as she didn't tell him of the move. Sally is finally forced to give up David, as he is permanently taken in by the care home.

Cast

* Kirstie Alley ... Sally Goodson *

... John Nils * Stockard Channing ... Bea * Michael A. Goorjian ... David Goodson *

... Philip *

... Gladys Johnson

Awards and nominations

Releases

''David's Mother'' has been released on VHS and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

format. In the United States, the film received its DVD release on May 4, 2004 by Trinity Home Entertainment. In the UK, the film has been released several times. The first VHS was released by

Odyssey Entertainment Timeless Films (formerly known as Odyssey Entertainment) is a London-based film finance, sales, and distribution company, founded in 2001 by Louise Goodsill and Ralph Kamp, which ceased trading in August 2009, and it was officially renamed as Time ...

It was also released on VHS as part of a "Tear Jerker Collection". On DVD it was released by

on September 25, 2000, which includes the trailer and cast information. It was re-released on DVD by Infinity Entertainment on February 4, 2008. In Australia, the film was released on DVD by Payless Entertainment on January 24, 2008.

References

External links

*
Movie review by Bonnie Sayers
{{Robert Allan Ackerman 1990s American films 1990s English-language films 1994 drama films 1994 films 1994 television films American drama television films CBS network films Films about autism Films about disability in the United States Films about mother–son relationships Films directed by Robert Allan Ackerman