What Kind of Mother Are You?
What Kind of Mother Are You? (Mon.(18), 9-11 p.m., NBC-TV) Filmed in Toronto by Alexander/Enright and Hallmark Entertainment. Exec producers, Don Enright, Les Alexander; producers, Joe Broido, Kate Rubin; director, Noel Nosseck; writers, Kathleen Knutsen Rowell, Anne Gerard; camera, Joao Fernandes; editor, Neil Mandelberg; production designer, Gerald Holmes; art directors, Alistar McRae, Bill Layton; sound, Ao Loo; music, Lawrence Shragge; songs, Bruce Somers, Tim Jones; casting, Ellen Lubin Sanitsky, Nelleke Privett. Cast: Mel Harris, Nicholle Tom, Alex Carter, Jason Cadieux, Patricia Collins, Venus DeMilo Thomas, Alicia Bergman, Deborah Pollitt, Sarah Sahr, Stuart Stone, Martin Roach, Mary Mara, Marion Gilsenan, David Ferry, Amanda Tapping, Barbara Gordon, David Huband , Djanet Sears, Richard Zeppieri, Ron Gabriel, Vic Cummings, Johnie Chase, Michael Reynolds, Jeffry Max Nicholls, Mary Jo Eustace, Michelyn Emelle, Daniel Enright, Lloyd White, Jodi Pape, Lauren Piech, Peter Snider, Zerha Leverman, Hayley Lochner. Proposed as a gritty look at misunderstandings between a passive , soft-spoken mother and a 16-year-old daughter who's tough because she feels unloved, "What Kind of Mother Are You?" also tries exposing juve hall hells, a resentful second husband and an unanchored teenage boy. The heavy load sags into symbols and cyphers. Laura Hyler (Mel Harris), whose first husband was an abusive drunk, is now remarried to a weak salesman (Alex Carter) and is mother of their baby. Laura is having troubles with teen daughter Kelly (Nicholle Tom). Kelly doesn't know that her father was a boozer and had beaten her mother; all she knows is that they were divorced and that he killed himself. However, Kelly suddenly recalls seeing her father, when she was young, striking her mom. The light sputters on. Kelly by now is playing truant and hurtling around town with no-good Jake (Jason Cadieux, an impressive young actor) as he breaks the law. A cop brings Kelly home, sees the girl strike her mother, and calls it assault. From then on, everyone is testy. Kelly is stashed away in a detention hole, then bumped up to an adolescent center. Her counselor is nasty, insinuating Marcy Hackman (Mary Mara, wonderfully sly and tricky), who torments all the girls and particularly victimizes Kelly. A gallery of institutionalized types ranging from a sweet, pregnant young thing to a demented creature become her companions, but they're routine props. Director Noel Nosseck manages good, tight scenes out of the teleplay, even a closeup of Kelly's hands as she struggles with a situation, but Laura's character remains mostly unsympathetic. Not till two-thirds of the meller has passed does a halfway decent male appear, but the vidpic presses on while Kelly laments being locked away and Laura gathers up her gumption to do something. Her second hubby is not much interested in the Kelly reconditioning process, but has a turnabout as the credits draw near. Harris is assured as a meek character refined to the nth, and Tom shows good character shadings Patricia Collins as Laura's smart-mouthed mother should have been hauled in for more work it's a refreshingly real character played well. Stuart Stone puts in nice duty as Kelly's stepbrother who's on her side. Telefilm looks slick, tech credits are fine, and Lawrence Shragge's non-interfering score supports appropriately. Tony Scott
