Stage Mother

Maybelline directs a church choir in Texas when she learns that the son she has not spoken to in years has died. Arriving in San Francisco, she finds the inheritance is the drag club he ran. The club is in debt, the staff do not trust her, and she knows nothing about her son's life. Thom Fitzgerald handles this setup as gentle comedy. Maybelline's change comes fast and easily; the film chooses reconciliation over deepening the conflict. That is a deliberate choice rather than an oversight. Jacki Weaver leads, with Lucy Liu as her son's friend and Mya Taylor among the club's performers. Who it's for: Viewers who like light-toned queer drama, second-chance stories and Jacki Weaver. Who it's not for: Grief and acceptance stay on the surface, and drag culture largely functions as decor. Anyone after a hard or realistic portrait will not find it.