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

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

directed by Robert Allan Ackerman and written by Bob Randall. It stars Kirstie Alley as a devoted mother trying to cope with her

autistic Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...

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

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

and received a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

nomination.

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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

apartment and is often visited by her sister Bea, 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, her husband Philip had an affair, left his family and re-married; and their daughter Susan chose to live with him. They couldn't handle Sally's devotion to David and didn't feel they were getting enough attention. Sally, having enough to cope with in her life, is visited by a

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

, Gladys Johnson, 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; they begin to see each other, and he even teaches David to work a VCR, 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 her 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 as Sally Goodson *

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 numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actor ...

as John Nils *

Stockard Channing Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard; February 13, 1944) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Stockard Channing, Her accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a nomination for an Acade ...

as Bea * Michael A. Goorjian as David Goodson * Chris Sarandon as Philip * Phylicia Rashad as Gladys Johnson

Awards and nominations

Releases

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

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

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 ki ...

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

* {{Robert Allan Ackerman 1994 television films 1994 films 1994 drama films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films American drama television films CBS films Films about autism Films about disability in the United States Films about mother–son relationships Films directed by Robert Allan Ackerman Films scored by David Mansfield Films set in New York City