Mother
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Albert Brooks, Debbie Reynolds, Isabel Glasser, James Gleason (II), Kimiko GelmanBrand: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 103 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-02-13
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of Mother
Movie Review: For anyone who ever had a great Mum...
Summary: 5 Stars
For the record, I have always been an Albert Brooks fan. In fact, I really can't think of a film he's either written, directed, did both, and/or acted in that I haven't either really liked or just outright loved a whole lot. "Mother" is no exception, and in fact, this little known, probably rarely seen work of his, is one of my all time favorites of his as well. Which is a shame sort of, because this is at times, one of his most accessible endeavors.
I first saw this on cable or rented it as I recall, in the late 90's, after I reluctantly moved back from Los Angeles (Adventureland) to my old hometown (Pittsburghland), to try to help play "caregiver" to my own aging mom. Seeing freshly this glorious but subtle flick several times since on HBO, and quickly burning it to DVD accordingly for future gratifications, having only recently losing my own mother after a nearly decade-long bout with Alzheimer's, my appreciation for this work has only grown. Albert Brooks has given us many great films over times, but this is among his finest (if lesser known achievements). For it touches upon universally common experiences and instances almost all of us can relate to, any or most of us who had mothers whom despite all their flaws, we essentially loved unquestionably, and mothers who as well, despite all of our own flaws, loved us as well, virtually unconditionally.
While the characters dealt with here I find hard to relate to in their financial and upper strata positions in life, the whole point of this is to reflect upon "Mother." That is, most of our detailed experiences of dealing with our own, and regardless of social status or class, it is without question, simply the best title this movie could have. Because unless we've had some weird and unusual relationship(s) with the woman who gave us birth, there are many, many circumstances dealt with here, which should be familiar, poignant, and lovingly amusing to most of us. I saw a LOT of my own dearly departed mum's traits and characters in Debbie Reynolds, who came out of Hollywood film retirement here to brilliantly play Albert Brooks' mother, and I'm sure my experience as such, should be shared by many viewers, if not most.
In this Albert Brooks film jewel, he plays a rather neurotic, aging 30's-40's something, modestly successful LA sci-fi book author, divorced for the second time, who comes to a point in his life where he deeply questions why exactly he has seemed to miserably fail in romantic relationships with women in general, and with his ex-wives in particular. After a quick low point, a hilarious and disastrous blind-date with a beautiful but air-headed girl (played effectively by Lisa "Friends" Kudrow), whereas we pick up the main linear narrative, our primary protagonist up and decides to just move back into his aging mother's house north of San Fran, trying to somehow connect his ongoing, dysfunctional relationship(s) with women to his mom and discover just what about relating to the opposite sex in general, he's had so such trouble with. That he decides to try such a stunt with his own mother, as opposed to former girlfriends and wives, is what gives the film its overall charm and uniqueness. For his mom turns out to be much more than the surface caricature "mother" he ever imagined.
This basic premise really is genius, but the detailed way it is written and played out, is even more so. Albert's brother, a rather wealthy sports agent, who has his own special relationship with his mom, but quite a different one, figures prominently in the plot, and leads to lots of truly profound but funny as hell, moments throughout. Indeed, before Brooks eventually moves in with his mom (setting up his "old room" in her home, as if he hadn't left since high school), a major factor in his decision is this brother/brother sibling rivalry for their mother's affection, which exists below the surface for both. This in itself leads to many laughs as well as some prudent insights about mother-son-son-brother-brother relationships in general, which I can readily identify with.
Still, the main focus here is about the forced if temporary connection between Albert Brooks and his mom, Debbie Reynolds, and how, beyond the trivialities of favorite ice cream, preferred peanut butter brands, and other frustrating differences between the two, so many mother-son moments ring true. The film goes beyond such minor differences however, because so many of the idiosyncrasies which the son and mother both exhibit to each other in this strange situation of living together again after so many years, will spark recognition of themselves in most viewers. After seeing this several times, I'm certain of that, at the very least. While Debbie's behavior and habits confuse, confound, and at times infuriate Albert, the same can be said of Albert's quirks and his reactions, from her point of view.
This is a film made up of many, many, very, very small details about the typical mother-offspring dynamic, all of which adds up one by one until at various points, it almost feels like this was all based upon a true story. At least it felt like that for me, and I will watch this many times in the future and I'm sure I will find many more meaningful details and truths throughout. There are times within the film where I could swear, from memories of moments in my own life, where my very own mom practically said the exact same things and acted in the exact same ways as Debbie Reynolds does. Conversely. I can remember myself almost mimicking many of the attitudes and lines from Albert Brooks. It is an amazing and amusing feature of this which I'm sure will resonate with most.
While my mom and me personally, and our family and I suppose my siblings (brother and sister) perhaps never came close to the financial wealth generally displayed in this film (we were all a rather poor lot), it comes awfully close enough in so many ways, lines, and situations, and in the end, it all works brilliantly. If you can't see yourself as very analogous to any of the main characters here, I'd just have to wonder just what planet you were born on, because it certainly wasn't/isn't mine.
I do so miss my mother. As I write this, it's only been less than three months, but it seems like years since she left me and her other children, as well as grandchildren, one great granddaughter, and many others who loved her so much. I was hesitant to watch this again on cable when I saw it available, after so many years of having not seen it for so long, and I have to admit to postponing watching it because of its very title, and my loss. But watch it I did recently, and again, and again, and it really is a special film. It adroitly depicts the mother-sibling (especially male) relationship, more genuinely than just about any other Hollywood film I've ever seen. And it all ends up with a wonderful and unexpected surprise last scene.
While the fact that my own sweet, angelic mom only passed recently, and while I consciously take this into account as far as my extremely favorable review of this goes, I did see this long ago, when my mom was sentient and truly alive before her long illness took hold, and loved the movie back then as much as today. And nothing has changed since, really. This movie is not only original but stands the test of time, and my initial positive reactions to it have only been amplified in successive viewings.
I love this film, and I'd like to think my mom, if she could've seen it (which I don't think she did), would've loved it as well. This is a luminous, fun experience with many moments which I think virtually anyone can identify with in some ways at least, and hopefully, as I did, in a generally, true-to-life, life-affirming, yet hilarious at times, manner. A real winner...
Summary of Mother
AFTER HIS SECOND DIVORCE, JOHN HENDERSON REALIZES THAT HISUNSUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH WOMEN DATE BACK TO THE FIRSTWOMAN IN HIS LIFE, HIS MOTHER, IN A HILARIOUS ATTEMPT TO FIGURE OUT WHY, JOHN MOVES BACK HOME.Similar DVD Movies
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