Our take
Unlike the other documentaries depicting “Hollywood’s smartest dumb blonde”, My Mom Jayne takes on a different approach to Jayne Mansfield. Already the title tells you that it’s from the perspective of one of her children– namely, her youngest daughter Mariska Hargitay– so naturally, it takes a more respectful depiction than what’s been shown of her peers. Hargitay and her siblings present a different kind of retrospective, reassembling the remaining fragments with a more personal touch and an unexpected family mystery. My Mom Jayne is such an excellent portrait of Jayne Mansfield, one that opens surprising layers to the person behind the bombshell persona.
What it won
Nat. Board of Review
1 win
The story
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
Elsewhere
"The Tuscan landscape looks lovely, and the film demonstrates a generosity toward its characters that, let’s face it, feels like a balm when the real world can be so stupid and rough."
— Bilge Ebiri
"A wish fulfillment in feature-film-shaped form and little else, “You, Me & Tuscany” isn’t especially memorable or surprising, but there’s a soothing, smoothed-over quality to this film that makes it a suitable candidate for your next airplane viewing."
— Ryan Lattanzio
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
The details
If These Walls Could Sing
Mary McCartney
John Candy: I Like Me
Colin Hanks
The Real Charlie Chaplin
James Spinney & Pete Middleton
Good Night Oppy
Ryan White
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
Jeff Dupre & Jeffrey Dupre
Indie Game: The Movie
James Swirsky & Lisanne Pajot
Mr. Bachmann and His Class
Female director & Maria Speth
The League
Sam Pollard
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
