My First Mister is a 2001 American dramedy film directed by Christine Lahti and starring Albert Brooks, Leelee Sobieski, Desmond Harrington, Carol Kane, Michael McKean, John Goodman, Henry Brown, and Mary Kay Place.
The plot involves a typical high-school goth named Jennifer "J" Wilson (Sobieski) going to work for a lonely, middle-aged clothing store manager, Randall "R" Harris (Brooks) and the two of them soon striking up a friendship that appears to develop into something more. Eventually, the two learn some secrets about one another, that range from shocking to ultimately tragic.
Tropes:
- The Cynic: R's son Randy, Jr., and with good reason; his single mother died from cancer six months prior to the film's events and his father, who was told by the mother that had died before he was born, was not dead but would soon die after meeting him.
- Fell Asleep Driving: Defied. When on a road trip with Randall's son Randy to say goodbye to him before he passes from leukemia, both Randy and J eat coffee grounds to stay awake as well as other entertaining hijinks in their travels.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Between the teenaged J and her middle-aged boss R.
- Love Redeems: Of the platonic variety: the friendship between J and R inspires the former to resolve with her parents and the latter to reach out to his long-lost son.
- Maybe Ever After: The ending implies that J and Randy will become a couple after R's death.
- Not So Stoic: J. While the first half of the film has her as a typical, indifferent goth, once she grows closer to R and namely after his cancer battle makes his health take a turn for the worse, she is far more concerned about life and those in it.
- Odd Friendship: Between angry goth teenager J and stuffy, by-the-book middle-aged manager R. On surface and at the beginning of the film, they have nothing in common, but but eventually strike up a kinship.
- Took a Level in Idealism: J, definitely. She was initially an angry goth with little interest in anything, be it life, school or her parents. Upon meeting and befriending R and learning that he was ill, she begins to take life more seriously, mens her broken relationships with her folks and search for R's son Randy, who also gains idealism by the film's end.
- The Topic of Cancer: R has been living with cancer for several years and is terminally ill, something that J had no idea of until he collapses.
