The Great Mom Swap

The Great Mom Swap
Directed by	Jonathan Prince
Written by	Maryedith Burrell
Produced by	Brent Shields Richard Welsh Ruth Slawson
Starring	Mary Kate Schellhardt Hillary Tuck Shelley Fabares Valerie Harper Sid Caesar Andrew Kavovit Kelsey Mulrooney
Cinematography	Sandi Sissel
Edited by	Jim Oliver Brian Fassett
Music by	David Lawrence
Distributed by	Hallmark Entertainment
Release date	1995
Running time	120 min. (including commercials)
Country	United States
Language	English

The Great Mom Swap is an Academy Award winning 1995 film released direct-to-video by Hallmark Entertainment.

Plot

Terri Venessi (Mary Kate Schellhardt), a local smart girl and deli girl, always seems to be at odds with the cheerleading captain, Karen Ridgeway (Hilary Tuck). One day their pranks on each other go too far and the school has to close as a result. The girls have to perform community service. A juvenile counselor tells them that the girls should switch lives for a while until prom to experience the other girl's life. The juvenile counselor also notices that both mothers act the same way toward each other. Reluctantly the girls and their families agree. Karen's family is quite affluent. But both parents work and are gone quite a bit. As a result, Karen, when she was home and now Terri, has to take care of Karen's little sister, Tiffany (Kelsey Mulrooney). During the switch Terri learns that Karen never stands up for herself to her mom (Shelley Fabares) who grew up in the neighborhood with Terri's mom, and is now a social climber. While at Karen's, Terri and Karen's brother David (Andrew Kavovit), discover they like each other, especially after Karen gives Terri a 'makeover'.

At Terri's, Karen is living with her mother (Valerie Harper), a widow, and grandfather Papa Tognetti (Sid Caeser). Terri's is a blue collar family who run an Italian deli. Karen's friends make fun of Terri and now are making fun of Karen, who discovers that her 'friends' are very superficial. Her "best friend" Nicole Henderson (Marnette Patterson) starts snubbing her and even tries to steal her boyfriend Chad Elkins (Hunter Garner), which causes problems for the couple. She also discovers that Terri's mom is much more 'hands on' than her own mother and doesn't like things to change. She also can be a bit controlling. As a result of the switch, Millie (Karen's mom) and Grace (Terri's mom) also gain perspective and restore their friendship. They apparently had a falling out when they were teens. Grandpa moves to a Retirement Village. Terri and Karen discover they like themselves and each other. Millie decides her family is more important than her clubs and Grace quits trying to hide in the past and embrace life again. Everyone benefits from the Mom Swap, especially Terri and David, who go to Prom together, and Karen and Chad, Prom Queen and King. Karen and Terri end up as best friends.

External links

• The Great Mom Swap at IMDb