The Mother (2004)
80%RT Audience Score: 73%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The Mother is a film that explores the complexities of aging and the human need for connection and intimacy. Anne Reid delivers a bold and challenging performance that captures the dilemmas of her age with extraordinary subtlety. The film dispels the myth that seniors don’t have sex drives and challenges the audience to examine their own emotional, intellectual, and moral responses to the characters on screen. Kureishi’s intelligent and empathetic script avoids the pitfalls of titillation and instead delivers a thought-provoking and engaging story. While some may find the film counterintuitive to the general thrust of the narrative, the unexpected and powerful ending draws the story to a close with simplicity and grace. Overall, The Mother is a film that will leave you thinking long after the credits roll.
The Mother is a film that will make you question your feelings about the characters on screen, but don’t worry, it’s not bad porn. Anne Reid’s performance is bold and challenging, especially in the sex scenes that showcase her unclad courage. The film tackles the myth that seniors don’t have sex drives and dispels the larger one that the years bring wisdom. It’s a troubling film about the need to be wanted, but it never fails to engage. Plus, the unexpected ending is so powerful in its simplicity that it will leave you speechless.
Production Company(ies)
Dreamworks Pictures, Pacific Data Images Dream Works Animation,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2004
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 51m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 16, 2003 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2019
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Anne Reid, Daniel Craig, Steven Mackintosh, Cathryn Bradshaw, Oliver Ford Davies, Peter Vaughan, directed by Roger Michell, written by Hanif Kureishi, Comedy, Drama, R, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Neil Norman, Eleanor Ringel Cater, Peter Rainer, Jay Boyar, Marta Barber, Terry Lawson, Felix Vasquez Jr., Jim Lane, David Noh, Victoria Alexander, Nathaniel Rogers, Tony Medley, Anne Reid’s performance, May’s sexual blossoming, older woman, younger man, depression, isolation, sexual relationship, family drama, graphic images of sexuality, brief drug use, Kevin Loader produced, Sony Pictures Classics distributed, English language, Surround sound mix
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Daniel Craig – Darren
Steven Mackintosh – Bobby
Cathryn Bradshaw – Paula
Oliver Ford Davies – Bruce
Peter Vaughan – Toots
Director(s)
Roger Michell
Writer(s)
Hanif Kureishi
Producer(s)
Kevin Loader
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (91) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (20)
Quite apart from her unclad courage in the sex scenes, 62-year-old Anne Reid conveys the dilemmas of her age and her hesitant path to liberation with extraordinary and moving subtlety.
January 11, 2018
Neil Norman
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
A troubling film about the need to be wanted.
August 26, 2004 | Rating: B
Eleanor Ringel Cater
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP CRITIC
There is in The Mother a rich understanding of where old age takes you. Along with the myth that seniors don’t have sex drives, the film dispels a larger one: that the years bring wisdom.
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
It challenges you to figure out how you feel about the people on the screen — emotionally, intellectually, morally.
July 23, 2004 | Rating: 5/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
The Mother never fails to engage.
July 9, 2004 | Rating: 3.5/4
Marta Barber
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
It sounds like the stuff of soap operas or bad porn, but Kureishi’s script is too intelligent and empathetic to titillate.
July 9, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
All of it is ingeniously drawn to a close with an unexpected ending that is so powerful in its simplicity.
April 29, 2009
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 1/5
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
Isn’t very exciting or involving.
March 1, 2007
David Noh
Film Journal International
A bold, challenging performance by Anne Reid.
November 28, 2004
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com
…extremely well-played in individual scenes. But much of the film feels counterintuitive to the general thrust of the narrative.
October 15, 2004 | Rating: B-
Nathaniel Rogers
The Film Experience
October 7, 2004 | Rating: 7/10
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com…
Plot
After her husband dies, middle-aged grandmother May falls into a deep depression and seeks comfort in the arms of Darren, a burly handyman who is half her age, married, and also sleeping with her daughter. As May navigates her newfound sexual liberation, she must confront the consequences of her actions and the disapproval of those around her.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels notes that Anne Reid gives a “fearless, realistic performance in depicting an older woman’s sexual blossoming” in The Mother.
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