My Mom Jayne Review: A Complicated Legacy
Streaming Review - Documentary - HBO Max
Wanting to better understand a parent is a common desire, particularly as we age and perhaps become parents ourselves. Those who lost a parent when they were young may be even more inclined to try to find out about the person they only briefly knew. In Mariska Hargitay’s feature directorial debut, My Mom Jayne, now streaming on HBO Max, she uses television interviews, conversations with her siblings, and words about and from her mother, Jayne Mansfield, to delve deeper into her origins.
The film begins by exploring the early years of Jayne Mansfield’s career, particularly her rise to fame through her sex appeal. Adopting a kind of Marilyn Monroe ditzy blonde affectation, Mansfield broke into the industry as a pin-up girl. However, she discovered that once she entered the field in that way, breaking out of that mold into something else was nearly impossible. Instead of landing the serious acting roles that she wanted, she was consistently cast in roles that showcased her body more than her brain.
Much of My Mom Jayne focuses on Mansfield’s personal life through conversations with her children. Mariska was only 3 when Mansfield died in a car accident, so she has almost no memories of her mother. In photos of her and her mother, she is rarely shown being held. Her baby book, as compared to her older siblings’, is almost entirely bare. When she talks about the breathy, baby voice that Jayne used, Mariska mocks it.
However, through interviews with her siblings and stepmother, Mariska is able to gain a sense of what kind of woman and mother Jayne was, as well as what kind of life she wanted to live, compared to the life she was somewhat forced to live. Through those conversations, we see a different side to Mansfield. A woman who was an accomplished musician, a woman who spoke multiple languages, a woman who loved being a mother.
As the documentary unfolds, Mariska Hargitay learns more about herself as well. Much of what makes My Mom Jayne remarkable is Mariska’s willingness to ask difficult questions, not just about her mother, but about her extended family. Why was she excluded from certain summer activities? What did her grandmother mean when she told Mariska that it was just the two of them? Her willingness to ask difficult questions leads her on a journey of discovery that is both beautiful and inspiring to watch.
One of the interviews featured is when Jayne appears on Jack Paar’s show. She pulls out a violin and plays an impressive concerto, trying to show that she has more to offer than just her curves. When she finishes, Paar comments, “Who cares? Kiss me.” No doubt this was something she encountered in her entire, too-short life, and it undoubtedly impacted how she felt about her children. My Mom Jayne is a powerful film about a woman who was never allowed to truly be herself, and her daughter's journey to make sense of her own life with that as part of her legacy.
Rating: 4/5
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on July 11, 2025.