Meeting your boyfriend’s mother can be nerve-racking enough. But what if she happens to be your all-time favourite actress? And what if she’s a puppet voiced by Rosie O’Donnell? For Louie, the unlucky-in-love protagonist of Ben Lewis’s She Raised Me, this is where things get wonderfully complicated.
The Canadian actor, writer, and director turns an absurd premise into a surprisingly heartfelt comedy about celebrity crushes, childhood comfort, and the complicated business of growing up. Lewis stars as Louie, a struggling writer whose relationship with Xander (Zane Phillips) is on shaky ground. He’s ready to call it quits until he discovers that Xander’s mother is Marilyn Muff, a larger-than-life entertainment icon who happens to be a puppet. Suddenly, breaking up isn’t quite so simple.
When Your Favourite Star Becomes Family
The idea came to Lewis in a dream. He was about to break up with his boyfriend when he learned that his mother was Shelley Long, the actor best known for Cheers and Outrageous Fortune. The dream left him with a funny premise and something worth exploring: why do we cling so tightly to the celebrities who made us feel understood as kids?
For Lewis, that connection runs deep. Growing up as a queer kid, he found comfort in The Rosie O’Donnell Show and The Muppets. Those worlds offered a sense of acceptance that wasn’t always easy to find elsewhere. Marilyn Muff brings those influences together, drawing inspiration from Rosie O’Donnell, Bette Midler, Shelley Long, and Miss Piggy.
Getting O’Donnell to voice Marilyn seemed like a long shot. Lewis sent her a letter through a mutual friend, never expecting much. Just three hours later, she agreed. Her performance gives Marilyn plenty of comic bite, but there’s more to the character than celebrity worship and fabulous hair.
A Puppet With Plenty of Personality
Marilyn could easily have become a one-note joke. Instead, Lewis grounds the film in believable performances and relationships, allowing the silliness to coexist with uncomfortable truths. Phillips has a field day as Xander, a handsome, self-absorbed man who has spent much of his life feeling overshadowed by his famous mother.
The filmmaking helps hold everything together. Cinematographer Chris Westlund brings visual energy to the comedy, while editor Simone Smith adjusts the pace as the story moves between tones. Puppet builder Amanda Maddock and puppeteer Alice Dinnean make Marilyn feel like a character in her own right, not just a gag waiting for a punchline.
After premiering at Aspen Shortsfest, She Raised Me went on to screen at festivals including SFFILM and Palm Springs ShortFest, earning awards at Oak Cliff and Cleveland.
Funny, a little twisted, and unexpectedly tender, the film understands that our childhood idols can be both a refuge and a complicated attachment. Sometimes, growing up means looking at the people who raised us from a different angle. And sometimes, that person is a puppet.
