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‘Mama’s Boy’ Review: Mother and Son Pave the Way Forward

In this documentary, the Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black looks at how his relationship with his mother motivated his L.G.B.T.Q. activism.

By Kyle Turner

Dustin Lance Black’s acceptance speech for best original screenplay at the 2009 Academy Awards is featured twice in “Mama’s Boy,” the new HBO documentary about Black and his mother, Anne. It’s no wonder that the writer, who won his Oscar for “Milk” (2008), the biopic of the L.G.B.T.Q. rights activist Harvey Milk, ended up in Hollywood on that podium: He’s a commanding and affecting speaker. Even when Black’s voice wavers onstage or during interviews for this film, his belief in storytelling as a tool for empathy and activism pours from each word. That stalwart belief has its advantages and disadvantages.

Adapted from Black’s memoir, the film has him tracing the life of his mother chronologically, from her childhood in small-town Louisiana and her unwillingness to surrender to polio to her gradual acceptance of her son’s gay identity. Black’s childhood memories, and how his life was irrevocably shaped by both his mother’s conservatism and her resilience, appear to be the backbone of Laurent Bouzereau’s film. Anecdotes about their intimate bond, such as Christmas traditions, give texture to the film’s thesis.

Yet “Mama’s Boy” lands as somewhat naïve in the contemporary climate of L.G.B.T.Q. rights. That the screenwriter’s mother was changed by her empathy for people different than her is an admirable value to have. But the film takes a somewhat myopic approach to Black’s reach-across-the-aisle activism philosophy, focusing primarily on his work toward marriage equality. It doesn’t consider how political polarization can make the strategy of sharing space with others, as his mother did, difficult to execute when many places go out of their way to bar those different from them from even entering in the first place.

Mama’s Boy Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes. Watch on HBO Max .

Action/Adventure
Children's/Family
Documentary/Reality
Amazon Prime Video

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Mama’s Boy’ on HBO Max, the Truly Inspiring Story of Dustin Lance Black and His Mother, Anne Bisch

Where to stream:.

Mama's Boy (2022)

Dustin Lance Black

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Mama’s Boy ( now on HBO Max ) is a documentary adaptation of Dustin Lance Black’s memoir, Mama’s Boy: A Story From Our Americas , which details how his relationship with his mother fueled his success as a filmmaker and activist. You’ll recognize Black as the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Milk , the biopic about gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk; he subsequently used his notoriety to help overturn Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California. His film and TV work frequently ties to his personal life – growing up in the Mormon church surely informed his work as a writer for Big Love and creator of Under the Banner of Heaven – and with this documentary, he shares himself like never before.

MAMA’S BOY : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: We open on Black’s biggest moment, in 2009, when he accepted his screenplay Oscar and promised to help make same-sex marriage legal on a federal level. That was a huge promise – and his mother made him stick to it. His mother. Black tells us all about her. She was born Roseanna, but would later be known as Rose and Anna and eventually, at last by her own choosing, Anne. She was one of a mess of siblings growing up in a shack in poverty-stricken Providence, Louisiana. At age two, she contracted polio and spent the next 13 years in children’s hospitals, at one point getting metal rods surgically inserted up and down her back to straighten her spine. She was told that no one would want to marry her, that having children would be extremely difficult, that she should stay in a wheelchair and collect her disability checks for the rest of her life.

Anne did none of this. She walked with braces and crutches. She joined the Mormon church where she met and married a man. They had three children, all boys. Never once does Black call this man “Dad” – he was accused of marrying a disabled woman to escape being drafted to fight in Vietnam, and eventually abandoned the family while having an affair with his first cousin. The church fixed her up with a second husband who ended up being an abusive lout with homicidal tendencies, something church leaders knew about but kept quiet. His departure was a blessing. Anne was forced to work, eventually beginning a career as a medical technologist. She married a third time, and we breathe a sigh of relief when we meet him, Jeff Bisch. He wouldn’t be interviewed for this documentary if he wasn’t a kind, loving man, to Anne and her three sons.

Point being, Anne is an inspiration to anybody watching this, her story, told vividly by Black. But imagine being her son, and knowing her story, and understanding that she was a woman of extraordinary strength and character – and her holding you to a promise you made on stage at the Academy Awards. There’s no turning back on that one. Black fought and fought for the right for LGBTQ people to marry; we see him giving impassioned speeches that bely his usual softspoken, introverted demeanor. Funny thing is, years prior to that, Anne sat on the other side of the ideological fence – the church didn’t accept gays, so neither did she. But this is where the strength of character took over, because, Black says, she no longer sermonized, but listened, to her son and his friends and members of the LGBTQ community, heard their stories. And she changed. Softened. Accepted. Then Black’s brother came out as gay. And Black went to the Supreme Court, which would soon rule that he had the right to marry another man.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Along with a Milk rewatch, an apt accompanying piece for Mama’s Boy is 8 , a TV movie capturing a live stage performance of a Black-scripted dramatization of the federal trial to overturn Proposition 8.

Performance Worth Watching: Black and several of his family members show admirable openness and bravely while recounting some incredibly traumatic experiences from their lives.

Memorable Dialogue: One of the last things Anne said to Black before she died: “Fight for my life.”

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: Black did not direct Mama’s Boy – that credit goes to Laurent Bouzereau – but the documentary is absolutely guided by his voice and point-of-view. Tonally, it’s like a melodrama, with tearful exhortations, a swelling musical score and Black’s heavy-duty narration, some of which feels like passages lifted from his book. But it’s never indulgent or overly self-involved, thanks to Black using his mother as a guiding narrative thread. Her story is remarkable, and deserves to have a film made about it. Black may be the voice of this piece, but he’s ultimately content to be in the shadow of a woman with flaws, sure, but also a foundation of vigor and compassion.

But, one might argue, isn’t Anne an exception to the rule? The rare person willing to set aside ego and let love dictate her worldview? Perhaps, but she doesn’t have to be. That’s the subtext of Black’s narrative, which is powerful in its message and engrossing in its presentation. Sometimes, the documentary seems incomplete – it seems disinterested in how Black worked from film school to Oscar winner, and doesn’t address whether Anne’s relationship with the Mormon church changed in the wake of coming out and activism.

There’s one point when Black describes the divide between himself and his mother thusly: “Her America: Faithful, Southern, red. And me in California – blue, progressive and queer.” Their story underscores that it’s possible to bridge that divide. Black doesn’t want to point fingers at institutions of power; he proudly shares how he managed to arrange a sit-down with Mormon church leaders, an attempt to break a barrier rather than lob grenades. Black’s an idealist stumping for unity, and in a world of deep political segregation, we need more voices like his.

Will you stream or skip the remarkable documentary #MamasBoy on @hbomax ? #SIOSI — Decider (@decider) October 19, 2022

Our Call: STREAM IT. As a portrait of Anne, a woman of great fortitude and complexity, Mama’s Boy is frequently rousing.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com .

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Where to Watch

Paris Barclay (Self) Dustin Lance Black (Self) Tom Daley (Self) Troy Williams (Self)

Laurent Bouzereau

Centers around the upbringing of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and how his close relationship with his mother led to and inspired his activism.

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Mama’s Boy : A Brief Review

If you have ever questioned Dustin Lance Black’s ability to tell the story of a prominent LGBTQ activist on screen, the opening clip of him accepting a 2009 Oscar for the screenplay of Milk should dispel that concern. In Mama’s Boy , Lance tells his own story, literally, in much of the film, speaking directly to the camera (and at the risk of seeming unprofessional, I must say he’s not hard to look at).

Lance—as he prefers to be called, for reasons he makes clear—already told this story in the book Mama’s Boy: A Story from Our Americas .

The film is also the story of Lance’s mother, Anne, who was raised in poverty in Louisiana. Stricken with polio as a child, she was told she’d never be able to have children (Wrong! Lance was the second of her three sons) and she never regained full use of her legs.

The patriarchal Mormon church made Anne stay with two horrible husbands until she found the strength to rebel against each. The church also provided her with financial assistance when needed. When Lance felt his first gay stirrings at the age of six, the church’s preaching on the subject kept him from coming out until well into his college years at UCLA.

Having been taught by his mother to fight for what he believes in, Lance put most of his post-Oscar energy into political activism on behalf of same-sex marriage and other causes. Rather than protesting, he initiated dialogue with opposing forces, including the Mormon church.

As inspiring as it is informative, Mama’s Boy , streaming now on Max, made me cry more tears—happy and sad—than any film in years.

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AVAILABLE NOW

Tv-ma | drama | 1 hr 42 min | 2007.

HBO documentary Mama's Boy, directed by Laurent Bouzereau (HBO’s Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind ), centers around the upbringing of the Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of Milk , Dustin Lance Black. Traveling back to the places where he grew up, Black explores his childhood roots, gay identity and close relationship with his mother, who overcame childhood polio, abusive marriages and Mormon dogma, while becoming Black’s emotional rock and, ultimately, the inspiration for his activism. With a wealth of personal photographs and candid memories from Black’s family, colleagues, and friends, Mama's Boy embraces the personal to tell a universally hopeful tale of resilience and reconciliation through the power of love and shared stories.

Adapted from Black’s 2019 memoir “Mama’s Boy: A Story from our Americas,” the documentary is a provocative and powerful journey through America as well as a moving tribute to a mother’s courage and a reckoning with the strength she instilled in her son to fight for his beliefs. The film features interviews with screenwriter Dustin Lance Black; members of Black’s extended family; Black’s husband, Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley; filmmaker Paris Barclay; former president of the Human Rights Campaign, Chad Griffin; and executive director of Equality Utah, Troy Williams.

HBO Documentary Films presents Mama's Boy , LD Entertainment presents an Amblin Television Production, a Playtone Production, in association with Nedland Media. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau; produced by Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon, Steven Shareshian, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey; executive produced by Gary Goetzman, Michael Glassman, Beau Ward, Mehrdod Heydari, Laurent Bouzereau, and Markus Keith.

Learn more about organizations working to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people around the country.

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Mama's boy.

2022 Directed by Laurent Bouzereau

Our differences will not divide us

Traveling back to the places where he grew up, Dustin Lance Black explores his childhood roots, gay identity and close relationship with his mother, who overcame childhood polio, abusive marriages and Mormon dogma, while becoming Black’s emotional rock and, ultimately, the inspiration for his activism. With a wealth of personal photographs and candid memories from Black’s family, colleagues, and friends, this documentary embraces the personal to tell a universally hopeful tale of resilience and reconciliation through the power of love and shared stories.

Dustin Lance Black Tom Daley Paris Barclay Troy Williams

Director Director

Laurent Bouzereau

Producers Producers

Mickey Liddell Steven Shareshian Pete Shilaimon Justin Falvey Darryl Frank

Original Writer Original Writer

Dustin Lance Black

Editor Editor

Jason Summers

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Gary Goetzman Laurent Bouzereau Michael Glassman Markus Keith Mehrdod Heydari Beau Ward

Composer Composer

Raphaelle Thibaut

LD Entertainment Amblin Television Playtone Nedland Media

Releases by Date

18 oct 2022, releases by country.

Digital HBO Max

102 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Allison M. 🌱 ★★★★★

I had a very emotional viewing of Mama's Boy .

I remember when Dustin Lance Black won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for Milk at the age of 29. The documentary is based on Black's book Mama's Boy and follows his incredible journey. His father figures were either absent or abusive and he had an incredible love for movies. As someone who grew up in an LDS household, he felt conflicted between his faith and the fact that he was gay. Eventually he would become an activist to ensure gay rights and protections on a national level.

As someone who grew up in a conservative home and didn't come out as bisexual until my late thirties, I deeply identified with the story. It provided such hope and empathy and inspiration.

Review by Cary NewYorker ★★★

A very personal story of Oscar-winning writer and gay activist Dustin Lance Black’s upbringing with his mother, who was stricken with polio as a kid and became a Mormon. It’s an interesting, informative and sad story but not very cinematic. Perfect for HBO Max.

My take on films shown at this year’s NewFest.

Review by DreamScape40 ★★★★

Powerful and Emotional doc

Review by alch_bass ★★★★

Powerful and deeply moving. Oscar winning sreenwriter (for Milk, 2008), Dustin Lance Black narrates and hosts this autobiographical story that relates his memories of early childhood, membership of the Mormon church, family and neighbourhood poverty, his mother's tragic polio diagnosis and his later civil rights battles for gay rights as well as his move to Los Angeles. Touches on his career in film but the focus is more firmly on family and other relationships. A fascinating documentary that is extremely personal and deeply emotional with Black proving a profound and impactful narrator. If you are interested in watching Dustin's beautiful Oscar acceptance speech for his screenplay of Milk, here it is: youtu.be/vfPXcCroPJc Click here for all my queer themed lists and reviews: letterboxd.com/alch_bass/tag/queer/

Review by Amber Atkins ★½

At the risk of sounding mean or rude, I thought this documentary was quite terrible. I had seen this director's previous film, a documentary about Natalie Wood, and walked away from it feeling equally underwhelmed and unenthusiastic, so I am starting to think that he is simply a really crappy filmmaker who chooses to tell stories about famous families where there just isn't much to care about. Look, it sounds like Dustin Lance Black had a difficult upbringing between having an absent father and a violent first stepfather. His mother, an extremely religious Mormon, was a loving parent who had health struggles due to having contracted polio when she was younger. Black managed to leave his Southern roots behind, got…

Review by ZacharyBinx ★★★½

Dustin Lance Black takes the role of narrator, main interview subject, and writer of the book this is based on. Unfortunately that means that although it's a powerful story, everything feels very rehearsed including his storytelling. I would have preferred a more natural approach but Mama's Boy has plenty of moments that will still resonate with viewers. Black's connection with his mother, Anne, and the rest of his family are relatable and when they endure adversity, you feel it in your own body. For 102 minutes this is your family. That's really something special and it makes it easier to forgive some unfortunate format choices.

Review by Daniel Bayer ★★★

Roseanne Bisch was a phenomenal woman, no doubt about it. Immobile from the chest down after a childhood battle with polio, she spent her life defying the odds. Her story is absolutely an inspirational one worth telling, as is Dustin Lance Black's. The problem is that, in the film, their stories are told in the most straightforward way possible, and mostly from the mouth of Black himself. This gives Mama’s Boy the perhaps unavoidable feel of a vanity project: A Hollywood insider getting a documentary made about himself and his mother just because he has the means to do so. The fact that Black wrote the book that the film is explicitly adapting can lead to his interview portions sounding…

Review by Haiku Dan ★★★½

two americas, queer man and disabled mom. filled with so much love

Review by BRII! ★★★★★

im so serious i have never wanted to hug someone more in my life than Lance i had to pause it several times just to weep this man is so moving

Review by Ian Casocot ★★★

A bit too performative for Black, but its heart is in the right place.

Review by Jackson

Tell stories. Fight for your life.

I remember watching Dustin Lance Black’s Oscar acceptance speech. It was 2009, I was a semester away from graduating high school, and I was watching the Oscars live with my mom and dad. I was a closeted queer kid and almost burst out crying when he said that God loved me and all the other gay and lesbian boys and girls. I didn’t think I’d ever hear someone say that. I held back so I wouldn’t out myself to my parents, and finished the rest of the show, but never forgot his speech.

Later that spring, I found myself at an open casting call in Holland, MI for a little indie called What’s Wrong…

Review by Giada ★★★★★

"And she just wrapped her arms around me and held me so incredibly tight. It was the first time my mom had ever held me and loved me for me. Every bit of me" 💙💙💙

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Mama's Boy Reviews

...there's certainly no understating the ineffectiveness of Heder's relentlessly (and irritatingly) over-the-top performance...

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | May 21, 2009

Ana Faris is the best thing in this predictable, often silly Jon Heder movie about a spoilt son trying to sabotage his mother's new relationship

Full Review | Aug 9, 2008

The film is as grating as the people who inhabit it.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Jul 2, 2008

Things sadly come to a grinding halt when the schtick wears thin and starts to repeat itself.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 1, 2008

The picture is merely series of loose gags stumbling into each other while Heder makes faces, Hamilton spends more time on his soundtrack selections than his storytelling, as the rest of the cast waits patiently for their paychecks to clear.

Full Review | Original Score: D- | Jun 23, 2008

I expected to laugh a lot harder and more frequently. Mama's Boy isn't what I'd call a terrible movie. Instead, it's a movie that assembles a lot of interesting elements that never gel.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 9, 2008

...unless you are related to Keaton or Heder, I wouldn't advise you go out of your way to see it.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | May 31, 2008

It's not that the movie is utterly bereft of arresting moments. It's just that each of these prominently features one of the aforementioned supporting cast and not the so-called star.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Dec 14, 2007

Mama's Boy is the ultimate, definitive, supremo bad movie, the universal black hole of suckage bad movie, the celluloid anti-Christ bad movie of bad movies -- not to put too fine a point on it or anything.

Full Review | Original Score: 0/5 | Dec 14, 2007

Matters quickly regress into an antic romantic comedy, potentially buoyed by a strong cast but soon thwarted by a screenplay as leaden as it is predictable.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Dec 14, 2007

Haphazardly conceived and clumsily executed, this aggressively quirky yet gratingly unfunny comedy appears set on the fast track to vidstore bins.

Full Review | Dec 3, 2007

When the writer's this far off, the actors and the audience pay the price.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Nov 29, 2007

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‘Mama’s Boy’ review: Dustin Lance Black doc just barely balances line between being uplifting and a stilted vanity project | NewFest

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