Comedy drama starring Jacki Weaver, Lucy Liu and Adrian Grenier. Texas choir leader Maybelline Metcalf travels to San Francisco to attend the funeral of her estranged drag-queen son, Rickey, who died on the stage of his club, Pandora's Box. When she arrives, Maybelline discovers that Rickey has left the cash-strapped place to her, and the patrons are none-too pleased.
Jacki Weaver's southern Baptist choir leader discovers San Francisco's vibrant drag scene in this well-meaning but dramatically underpowered pseudo-musical. When her estranged son Rickey dies, Maybelline (Weaver) travels to the city for the funeral, only to discover that Rickey has left his gay club, Pandora's Box, to her. Confronted with Rickey's grieving boyfriend (Adrian Grenier) and single-mother BFF (Lucy Liu, fantastic), Maybelline sets out to right past wrongs by rescuing both the club and Rickey's foundering friends. Warmly directed by Thom Fitzgerald with a commendably diverse cast of support performers, Stage Mother is so queer-positive it feels a shame to point out its shortcomings. Sadly, though, the film echoes rather than equals the likes of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Birdcage. Weaver is eminently watchable, though, even if her interactions with Rickey's friends are critically lacking in depth, and the musical drag-show moments are a joy, making this a likeable if frustratingly forgettable entry in the LGBTQ+ canon.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Maybelline Metcalf | Jacki Weaver |
| Sienna | Lucy Liu |
| Nathan | Adrian Grenier |
| Cherry | Mya Taylor |
| Joan | Allister MacDonald |
| Tequila | Oscar Moreno |
| Dusty | Jackie Beat |
| Jeb | Hugh Thompson |
| Bevette | Lenore Zann |
| August | Anthony Skordi |
| Rickey | Eldon Thiele |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Thom Fitzgerald |
