Mother (Widescreen): Amazon.ca: Albert Brooks, Debbie Reynolds, Kimiko Gelman, Isabel Glasser, James Gleason (II), Anne Haney, Harry Hutchinson, Spencer Klein, Lisa Kudrow, Ernie Lively, John C. McGinley, Rob Morrow, Joey Naber, Matt Nolan, Danielle Quinn, Richard Assad, Billye Ree Wallace, Laura Weekes, Vanessa Williams: DVD

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Amazon.com Essential Video

When Albert Brooks cast Debbie Reynolds to play his mother in this acclaimed 1996 comedy, the veteran singer-dancer-actress hadn't had a leading film role in nearly 30 years. Brooks had to pour on the charm to persuade her to make a comeback. The results were triumphant for writer-director Brooks and his on-screen mom, who earned some of the best reviews of their respective careers. The movie's about a science-fiction writer named John (Brooks), who's just weathered a second divorce and blames his failure with women on his dysfunctional relationship with his widowed mother (Reynolds). He decides that the best way to improve his romantic future is to move back in with his mother and resolve their simmering differences--a wild leap of logic that seems outrageous to John's brother (Rob Morrow), who has always been their mother's favorite son. As this domestic experiment unfolds, Brooks uses hilarious dialogue to convey a wealth of observant detail about familial tensions and annoying quirks of behavior. Mother is a movie about people who know how to push each other's buttons--all the wrong buttons--and the comedy will be recognized by anyone who's ever been exasperated by one or both of their parents. That means just about everyone, doesn't it? --Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Debbie Reynolds IS the universal Mom!, May 6 2004

By

Ron3853 (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mother (Widescreen) (DVD)

Debbie Reynolds should have won the 1996 Academy Award for "Best Actress" for this film. I saw it when it opened in theaters with my own mother, and as the situations unfolded, watching Miss Reynolds' performance, I couldn't help thinking, "My God, they're twins!"

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4.0 out of 5 stars Mother and Child Reunion, Feb 13 2004

By

Gregor von Kallahann - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mother (VHS Tape)

You would think any movie entitled MOTHER would either have to be the ultimate schmaltzfest or the penultimate psychodrama. Surprise! Albert Brooks film is neither. In fact, Brooks' specialty seems to be taking potentially weighty themes and making smart, but still lighter-than-air films on them. What DEFENDING YOUR LIFE did for the afterlife, MOTHER does for family relations. And that's a good thing.

Brooks has a deft, understated comic flair. You chuckle more often than you laugh out loud. Contrary to what others have posted below, Debbie Reynolds "Mother" character is not a black and white character at all. She's as conflicted and complicated--and as it turns out, just as smart--as her neurotic son(s). That's the beauty part. Brooks allows all his characters their humanity. He doesn't oversimplify things (frustrated son vs. castrating mother). Mother had her own issues--dating back to her own childhood and adolescence. Brooks' writer character John finally makes that realization and, in a very real sense, it proves liberating for him. But that almost makes MOTHER sound like more of a "message movie" than it ever was intended to be. In the end, MOTHER makes a gentle plea for self-realization for all. But that message just kind of sneaks up on you. What makes Albert Brooks kind of refreshing is that he doesn't have to lay it on with a trowel.

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4.0 out of 5 stars You DON'T have to be over 40 to enjoy this movie, Feb 11 2004

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GiadaEQ (New Orleans, LA (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mother (Widescreen) (DVD)

I think the realistic, yet funny, mother/child relationship has a lot to do with why this is such a pleasant movie to watch. Someone commented that this movie will probably not be enjoyable to those under 40 years of age, but I would have to disagree with that. I'm 19 now and was even younger when I first saw this movie, yet I still think it's one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen.
Everyone has different taste when it comes to movies, but I think everyone should watch this movie at least once. It will bring back memories, and I'm sure you will enjoy it regardless of your age.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars On a very short list of my favorite movies!
Debbie Reynolds sparkles! Albert Brooks is, as always, hysterical. I could swear that they were spying on my mother and myself when writing the screenplay! Wonderful!

Published on July 6 2003 by Kurt Reno

3.0 out of 5 stars You Might Like It If You're Over The Age Of 40
Every movie has a target age demographic and audience, and I think I might have been too young to fully appreciate this kind of movie. Read more

Published on Feb 2 2003 by BookMania