I’ve been playing catch-up with a lot of the 2025 movies I missed throughout the year, and that exercise recently led to me watching My Mom Jayne. Mariska Hargitay’s outstanding and profound HBO documentary about her late mother, Jayne Mansfield, and how the Hollywood star’s impact can still be felt nearly 60 years after her tragic death, is honestly one of the best docs I’ve seen in quite some time.
In the weeks since watching the documentary film that’s equal parts Hollywood history and exploration of the impact of family and legacy, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about its biggest and most powerful moments. I’ve been thinking about how watching My Mom Jayne taught me to be a better son and father. Allow me to explain…
First Off, I Didn’t Expect My Mom Jayne To Make Me So Emotional
Law and Order: SVU star’s tribute to her late mother would be an emotional experience. However, I didn’t know it would make me as emotional as it did (I wept multiple times both watching and talking about a few scenes). Knowing that Hargitay’s mom died so young after being in a horrific car crash that also injured Hargitay and her siblings, I thought I was prepared for what was to come. I wasn’t.
so many memories with my mom. She kept meticulous notes in my baby book, has a record of pretty much every art project from school (she sends pictures constantly), and has always made it her top priority to support her three sons no matter what it takes. Watching the old footage of Hargitay and Mansfield, either on TV shows or home movies, gave me a greater sense of appreciation for those memories I share with my mom and how lucky I am to be able to make new ones with her today.
Though I don’t call my mom as much as I should, and I only get to see her a few times a year, I know that we have 37 years of shared memories that we both cherish dearly. Those memories, the stories we share, mean so much to me, and I hope they mean just as much to her.
All in all, My Mom Jayne is one of the best experiences I’ve had all year, and this critically acclaimed documentary is a must for sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, and everyone else with a beating heart.