Men Don't Leave (1990)

After the death of her husband, a young widow (Jessica Lange) relocates to Baltimore to look for work and raise her two sons (Chris O'Donnell, Charlie Korsmo). A loose remake of the 1981 French film LA VIE CONTINUE and directed by Paul Brickman (RISKY BUSINESS). It's an uneven film that should have been so much better than it is. The film can't seem to avoid the cliches which mars the good things about it. The film's message seems to be that boys need a masculine influence in their lives and one can't help but feel sorry for poor Jessica Lange as she struggles to keep her family together only to be blocked at every turn. Lange is the reason to see the movie. She's wonderful here, it's the material that lets her down. The film doesn't seem to want to acknowledge the elephant in the room, namely Joan Cusack's creepy nurse who seduces Lange's underage teenage son (O'Donnell), who's still in high school. The movie just portrays her as kooky but good hearted! With Kathy Bates (looking glam), Arliss Howard and Belita Moreno.