Bottom line: In Mr. Toop Mom, George Lopez plays Eddie, a lawyer who has had trouble connecting with his tween daughter since his wife passed away. He takes on the role of "Team Mom" at camp in an effort to be a better dad. The movie contains a lot of insults and taunting between Eddie's daughter's team and the "mean girls," but makes an effort to convey a positive family message.
TV Rating: TV-GGenre: Comedy/Family
Guide age recommendation: 6 years+
Runtime: Approx. 120 minutes
Air date: Friday, June 19 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon
DVD/Blu-ray release date: June 23, 2009
Mr. Troop Mom - Summary
Since his wife passed away, Eddie Serrano just hasn't known how to fill the void for their 13-year-old daughter, Naomi. In fact, he has just made it bigger, throwing himself into his work as a lawyer and avoiding discussions about difficult subjects. But when Naomi's team finds themselves minus a team mom for the Spring Action Classic, a camp competition in the woods that means the world to Naomi, Eddie seizes the opportunity to be there for his daughter -- or at least he tries to.
Eddie arrives at the camp unprepared for the outdoorsy action and the drill seargent camp director, Miss Hulka. His attempts to fill the "team mom" role only seem to make things worse and land the girls in trouble. He gets off to a bad start with the Miss Hulka, and he makes himself a target by rejecting the forward advances of Denise, another team mom and the mother of Skylar, the spoiled little rich girl who is attempting to undermine Naomi and make her life miserable.
With everything she has to deal with -- mean girls, missing her mother, and a fear that could cost her the competition -- Naomi needs her father more than ever, but he only seems to make things worse. Eddie's ready to put his daughter first and be there as a dad, but are his efforts too little too late?
Mr. Troop Mom - Guide Review
At best, Mr. Troop Mom can be described as a mediocre made-for-TV family movie. The show does convey a couple of positive messages about relationships and the need for communication and connection despite painful feelings that might be getting in the way, but the story lacks depth and detail. Although George Lopez provides some funny moments through his lawyer/father character, Eddie, many of the characters are too over-the-top to be taken seriously. With the rest of the story coming off as fake and rushed, the sad scenes in which the movie attempts to add some heart (regarding Naomi's late mother and how she and her father miss her) are awkward and uncomfortable. Overall, Mr. Troop Mom is not likely to become a family favorite.
Content Overview:Kids who watch Mr. Troop Mom may be saddened by the fact that Naomi lost her mother. She discusses her mother with her father, and looks longingly at a picture of herself with her mother.
The movie also contains some examples of bad behavior. Mean girls pick on Naomi and her friends, Eddie frequently lies to be funny or make himself look better, and Skylar's mother makes very forward advances on Eddie. She also tries to cheat so that her girls can win the competition. Some kids play pranks on each other, and a food fight occurs.
