The new comedy/drama Cubby opens with doting mother Peggy, (Patricia Richardson) driving her schlubby son Mark (Mark Blane) to New York City with hopes of him leaving the nest and coming into his own. The two bicker and banter in opening scenes of infectious chemistry that speak volumes of the relationship between an awkward child and their mother that knows the difficulties they will soon face. Mark is dropped off in Manhattan and left to find his way. Yet for all of the warm fuzzies, innocence and wide-eyed discovery that Mark experiences, Cubby misses the mark due to a lack of polish and a heavy-handed approach to its message.
“…a gay man, dealing with an ambiguous mental disorder that deprives him of a social filter.”
Mark is a gay man, dealing with an ambiguous mental disorder that deprives him of a social filter. More juvenile than most, he moves into a shared apartment and is repeatedly running into his roommates sharing meals and forgetting to invite him. The only solace that Mark gets is in his new job as a nanny for 6-year-old Milo (Joseph Seuffert). Somehow the two hit it off and Mark’s childlike logic meet with Milo’s artistic and advanced mind. A connection develops between the two that is sweet and disarming. With everything coming up roses for Mark, it stands to reason that he would then make a romantic connection with kindhearted Russell (Rodney Richardson) whom he meets in an urban community garden.
Things aren’t all easy. Mark struggles to make his shared rent every month and occasionally debates whether or not to take his medication. It is when life, situations or conflicts become a bit much, that Leather-Man (Christian Patrick) appears in Mark’s waking hallucinations to calm and console.
"…...a connection develops between the two that is sweet and disarming."
