TxMike
I had heard of this movie when it came out in 1996, I heard that it was good, but never got around to seeing it. Until tonight, with my wife, on Netflix streaming movies. It is a very good movie.Written and directed by Albert Brooks, he also plays the lead role of John Henderson, Science Fiction author living in Los Angeles. He is just coming off his second divorce, and now working on his next book, but he feels "blocked." When he talks to his mother, who lives in Saucilito , he always comes away with a feeling that she doesn't really like him. So one day he decides, he doesn't ask, he will go live with his mother for an indefinite time to get sorted out. His mother is Debbie Reynolds who is just perfect in her role as Beatrice Henderson, John's mother. She is sweet but doting, as mothers often are, and their conversations seldom have a satisfying conclusion.Things are complicated by John's younger brother, Rob Morrow as Jeff , who seems to have an ideal relationship with his wife and with his mother. So John is dealing with both issues, his mother and his brother.SPOILERS: One evening when mom is out on a date John sees a box in the closet, takes it down, it is filled with notebooks of mom's writings from way before the kids came along. The stories were very good. John figured out, mom was mad because of John, when he came along she had to discontinue her writing and be a mom. But now that they both had this figured out, they could get on with their lives. And, as the movie is ending, John meets a fan, a nice single lady, and mom is at the computer, starting to write again. Her first story is about a man who moves in with his mother.
Mr-Fusion
Though I haven't seen all of Albert Brooks' films, this is definitely my favorite, so far. Written and directed by Brooks, he's made a movie that is relatable to just about everyone. Brooks stars as a struggling writer who, after just completing his second divorce, decides to move back home and examine his relationship with his mother (Debbie Reynolds) as an attempt to iron out his love life. The decision is met with confusion by his mother, and jealousy by his brother (the favored son, played by Rob Morrow).Anyone who's ever had a mother can appreciate the frustration Brooks encounters, whether it's his mother's penchant for nervously telling complete strangers about his troubled love life, or her indecisive driving (I can certainly relate, although mine tends toward the reckless). Their relationship is all about pushing each other's buttons; Mother as she picks apart everything in his life, and Brooks as he blames her for being the root of his lady problems. A terrific scene (one that sets the tone for all of their scenes to follow) involves Brooks being flabbergasted by his mother's food stock; the wilted lettuce in her salad, the three-year-old block of cheese, the freezer-burnt "sherbert" (housed beneath the "protective ice"). I've never met someone who can't relate to something akin to this, and it's symptomatic of a well-written "slice of life" screenplay. It also doesn't hurt that the two leads are extremely well-cast. Brooks is all about the miserable neurotic, while Reynolds embodies (with radiance) everything about the irritating mom who judges but doesn't listen. And when the two finally discover the root of their dysfunction in the film's climactic scene, it feels entirely heartfelt and not contrived. There's development to Reynolds' character; she's someone well-rounded, with hilarious results.8/10
merklekranz
Debbie Reynolds is terrific as the Mother who is part of Albert Brooks moving home experiment. Trying to understand his women problems leads the 40 year old, twice divorced, writer to conclude that answers lie in his old room. Though it is light weight in concept, there are many moments that anyone can easily relate to. "Mother" is not as uproariously funny as "Lost in America" or "Defending Your Life", but it is the misunderstandings between Mother and Son that eventually leads to bettering their relationship. This is one that the entire family can enjoy and relate to. ...................... Recommended - MERK
timboytx
If I enjoy a film enough to purchase it, then it means I KNOW I can enjoy repeated viewings of it, and that is certainly the case with "Mother". The story is character-driven, and the comedy is clever and often subtle, rather than being filled with broad, gag-oriented laughs--so it won't appeal to everyone. Debbie Reynolds is wonderfully understated, and does a great job of shedding the glamorous persona we're used to seeing from earlier films and TV roles. Albert Brooks is his standard but enjoyable self, and though his screen characters are known for their complaining, I never found it irritating. Lisa Kudrow has a small but funny role as one of the women Brooks dates early in the film.
AD
