I spent the actual Mother’s Day with my wife and both of our families, and in the evening we watched the film Mother’s Day. Getting together with family on the holidays and having a meal has always been a tradition, whether we go out (like the brunch we had yesterday) or stay home (like the bbq we had later yesterday). Birthdays were the same too, go for a meal somewhere that has a huge table, not based on the food. I seem to recall ending up at a few truck stops, sometimes because they had super long tables and we needed all 20+ people to all sit side by side. Always made me think of a Seinfeld episode where one person didn’t know who else was at the table if they weren’t right beside them or across from them. It might have been more fun to have smaller tables and play some kind of musical chairs game when we decided to mix up who you sit beside. Might have saved me from repetitively spitting my drink out laughing at my older relatives but it also would’ve prevented me ending that streak when I turned into a milk sprinkler.

I did not see it in theatres when it was released last year, we saw it at home on dvd, cuddled with the cats and I drank out of a 7-11 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra cup with Sienna Miller on it. This kind of ensemble comedy has its place in cinema but I think it feels like a few episodes of a tv show back to back. Within the first 20 minutes (episode 1) we are introduced to all of the main characters, and basically know their primary strength and weakness (and they say stereotyping doesn’t help). There are so many different plot threads in an under 2 hour long film, they pretty much have to keep things moving at a quick pace. In the next 20 minutes (episode 2) you see more about each set of characters almost like they have a checklist to make sure no one gets missed and I can’t imagine scheduling a film like this except for filming everyone on green screen. Much like a pass the baton relay race, the movie is as good as the average of the team, and does not have to rely on any one lead character. That may or may not be to your liking but I did not mind watching Julia Roberts after Kate Hudson after Jennifer Aniston after Jason Sudeikis…odd choice for a mother on that last one.

Budget – $25

This movie is sadly Director Garry Marshall’s last film as he passed away 2 months after the film was released. Garry was no stranger to Julia Roberts, having directed her in 1990’s Pretty Woman and 1999’s Runaway Bride (both with Richard Gere). He had also directed Kate Hudson before in 2004’s Raising Helen and Mother’s Day completed a trilogy of sorts after Valentine’s Day (2010 also starring Julia Roberts) and New Year’s Eve (2011) both following the ensemble, intertwined story lines. There were 3 writers for this movie, 2 of which had collaborated with Garry before. Jennifer Aniston was last seen in Horrible Bosses 2 (also starring Jason Sudeikis) and would next be seen Office Christmas Party, not staying away from flexing her comedic muscles. Also in 2016, Kate Hudson did voice work for Kung Fu Panda 3, and was in Rock the Kasbah (starring Bill Murray) and Deepwater Horizon (starring Mark Wahlberg). Julia Roberts sandwiched this film with 2 more dramatic productions in Secret in Their Eyes (with Nicole Kidman) and Money Monster (with George Clooney). Jason Sudeikis kept busy in 2016 with film releases Race (about Jesse Owens), The Book of Love, Masterminds, Colossal (with Anne Hathaway), and did voice work in The Angry Birds Movie.

I liked Valentine’s Day (the movie) better but this one was right up there in terms of star power and laugh away the tears moments. This movie I found took shortcuts, probably due to run time, and it took away from the impact of the moments and lessens the feelings I was starting to have. Valentine’s Day seemed to gel a bit better and I was more invested with each character in it, perhaps due to only 1 writer and not 3 like in this film. That film had more of a planned ending where Mother’s Day seemed to build to a point then want to get everything wrapped up in a hurry, it could have benefitted from adding 1-2 minutes in a couple places. Setting the film in Atlanta was nice, (not just another LA or NY story), and acted as a heartfelt commercial for Kate Hudson’s activewear line. The movie had a tough time when it was released in theatres when the opening weekend came in 4th place. Keanu (starring Key & Peele), The Huntsman: Winter’s War (another female driven cast), and the live action The Jungle Book (which took 1st place in it’s 3rd week) all bested Mother’s Day.

IMDB – 5.6   Box Office Mojo    Wikipedia

(please do not continue reading if you have not seen the movie and do not want to read a spoiler)

One of my favorite parts of the film was the home shopping show hosted by Julia Roberts’ character. You got to see the behind the scenes moments of a show like that, (makeup crew jumping behind the couch after a commercial break touch up), and then she turned on the charm to sling some jewellery. Julia has the ability to turn hearts on a dime, I wonder if the film had centered around her instead of the ensemble/mostly Jennifer Aniston role. In the past 5 years, Jennifer has pushed the boundaries of what we thought Rachel from Friends could do, especially in both Horrible Bosses as well as We’re the Millers (co-starring Jason Sudeikis). In this movie and in the past, Jennifer seemed to say what we are thinking and we loved her for it, (no doughnuts for breakfast, the clown scene, and teasing the twitter talking generation). The reference to Julia’s character using the salad fork was a nice nod to Pretty Woman and Hector Elizondo has appeared in every Garry Marshall film in theatres. The gag reel on the dvd was funny but I don’t like when they introduce every clip, you shouldn’t have to explain a joke, just let it play. Pacing is important in special features too.