The Good Mother (1988)

Director:

Leonard Nimoy

Writers (WGA):

Sue Miller (novel)
Michael Bortman (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 November 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Can a court determine how we should live, how we should love, how we should raise our children? Now Anna must prove that she is the Good Mother.

Plot:

After finding a sexually liberated boyfriend, a divorced woman gets sued over daughter's custody, by her ex, who claims that her lover has a bad influence on the kid. |

Plot Keywords:

Melancholy | Divorce | Single Mother | Barbecue | Pregnancy

Cast

Diane Keaton	...	Anna Dunlap
Liam Neeson	...	Leo Cutter
Jason Robards	...	Muth
Ralph Bellamy	...	Grandfather
Teresa Wright	...	Grandmother
James Naughton	...	Brian
Asia Vieira	...	Molly
Joe Morton	...	Frank Williams
Katey Sagal	...	Ursula
Margaret Bard	...	Aunt Rain
Nancy Beatty	...	Anna's Mother
Barry Belchamber	...	Anna's Father
Mairon Bennett	...	Young Anna
Zachary Bennett	...	Young Bobby
Scott Brunt	...	Eric

Also Known As:

The Price of Passion (South Africa: English title) (video title)

Runtime:

Brazil:104 min | USA:103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (f) | Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Silver Screen Partners IV

Trivia:

During filming, Asia Vieira became very fond of Leonard Nimoy. While filming she had seen the ending of _Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn (1982)_, and became very upset when she saw Spock had died. Being only six at the time, she thought it was Leonard Nimoy dying in the movie. The next day on the set she was very happy to find out that he was okay and it was just part of the movie. She ran over to him and gave him a big hug, and told him she was glad to see that he was better.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Biography: Leonard Nimoy: Spock and Beyond" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Up Tight (Everything's Alright)

Recommended

Diane Keaton and Liam Neeson are great together, but the subject matter is hard to watch.

The points of view of the different characters are well presented. You can understand everyone's behavior and conclusions.

Would I have preferred a tidy, happy ending? Yes. But this movie doesn't take the easy way out. It tackles a difficult situation caused by "enlightened, progressive" thinking, and leaves you pondering. I so wanted to point out to the characters the early errors so the catastrophic ending could be avoided.

THE GOOD MOTHER presents one of the most honest portrayals of awakening female sexuality and committed love on film.