Dating My Mother Merges Mother and Son Dating Worlds

The film Dating My Mother follows Danny, played by gay actor Patrick Reilly (Afterglow), as a recent film school graduate who moves back home to New Jersey to live with his mother, Joan, Kathryn Erbe (Law & Order: CI).

The two have an intimate relationship, sharing meals, movies, and even the same bed. But when Joan decides to start dating again, Danny feels dumped. Writer-director Mike Roma (Danny the Manny) serves up a fresh first feature portraying the unique challenges of dating while gay and in the suburbs. His clever depiction manifests Danny's dating app "matches" in the room to illustrate the commodification, isolation, and absurdity involved in dating app culture. Joan strikes gold at her first try on Match.com while Danny strikes out on Grindr.

Kathy Najimy appears hysterically as the unhinged neighbor we'd all want to have, and Paul Iacono has a delightful cameo offering hope for Danny's hapless love life.

The film freshly delivers nuanced observations and cross-generational jokes along with a gay character that breaks stereotypes and provides an example of a queer story with broad comedic appeal.

Dating My Mother screens at NewFest Saturday. Get tickets here.