Single mom Maggie Cooper (My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s Nia Vardalos) loves her son Lloyd beyond all reason—quite literally. Her efforts to protect and champion Lloyd range from mildly cringe-inducing to outright embarrassing. But somehow she is imbued with so much warmth, humor, and genuine heart that you immediately want to have cocktails with her and hear all the wild stories of her rebellious youth. Newcomer, Jason Dolley, as Lloyd balances Vardalos’s patented wacky charm with a laid-back, dry wit well suited to life as the son of a gregarious extrovert, and their affectionate dynamic sustains this endearingly loopy story of Maggie’s eccentric efforts to secure funding for Lloyd’s college education.

Fixating on Lloyd’s as-yet-undecided sexual orientation, Maggie decides for the both of them that Lloyd is gay and, unbeknownst to him, submits his academic records to a scholarship intended for out gay students. Now Lloyd not only has his mother to handle; he also has to juggle an inquisitive scholarship scout, his recently materialized rocker dad, and the prom! Boosted by exuberant support from veteran character actress Gillian Vigman as a perfectly bitchy PTA monster-mom, Kate Flannery (The Office) as a fellow beleaguered PTA mom, and a cheeky cameo from ’90s indie-rock poster girl Lisa Loeb as Lloyd’s admiring English teacher, this brassy, sassy comedy endears with snappy wit and infectious gusto.

— Leah LoSchiavo

AT&T Audience Award Text Voting Code: F124

Through a partnership between Frameline, The GLBT Historical Society, and Wells Fargo, California students with a valid student ID will receive free admission to the GLBT History Museum for the entire run the Frameline Film Festival, June 19-29.