It stars Sissy Spacek, Anna Chlumsky, Aaron Michael Metchik, Maureen Stapleton, and André the Giant in his final film appearance.

Jeremy, Elizabeth, and Harry Martin are three children who are annoyed with their "nagging" single mother, a divorced and strict workaholic who the kids see as rarely spending quality time with them ever since their father had left them for an unknown reason.

After the third mother leaves and hearing that Principal Leeby has contacted the social worker, who suggests to put the three kids in separate foster homes, they seek out Mrs. Cavour again.

Everyone is happy as the children make their mother breakfast and embrace her while she, in turn, reduces their grounding to only one week and informs them that Principal Leeby is coming over for a visit.

Shortly before the credits Principal Leeby reappears and is about to have a chat with Mrs. Martin about the problems her kids caused at school, only to be snared by an animal trap that the nature-hiker mother had made to capture a raccoon.

[6] Siskel personally chose it; both he and Ebert gave the picture two thumbs down, describing it as "Depressing...too dreary and lame to be any fun...All of Spacek's multiple roles are disturbing and awkward; as a result, so is the film.