Mother (1996/II)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Albert Brooks

Writers (WGA):

Albert Brooks (written by) &
Monica Mcgowan Johnson (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

No Actual Mothers Were Harmed During The Making Of This Motion Picture.

Plot:

A neurotic, twice divorced sci-fi writer moves back in with his mom to solve his personal problems.

Plot Keywords:

Neurotic | Old Lady | Supermarket | Mother | Call Waiting

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins

Cast

Paul Collins	...	Lawyer
Laura Weekes	...	Karen Henderson
Albert Brooks	...	John Henderson
John C. McGinley	...	Carl
Debbie Reynolds	...	Beatrice Henderson
Richard Assad	...	TV Installer
Joey Naber	...	TV Installer
Vanessa Williams	...	Donna
Lisa Kudrow	...	Linda
Rob Morrow	...	Jeff Henderson
Isabel Glasser	...	Cheryl Henderson
Danielle Quinn	...	Jill Henderson
Spencer Klein	...	Josh Henderson
Ernie Lively	...	Man at Rest Stop (as Ernie Brown)
Anne Haney	...	Helen

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual references.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:S | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Kentfield, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Since she had received no alimony from ex-husband Paul Simon, Albert Brooks asked good friend and daughter of the movie's star Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher, if she would ask her ex to give Brooks the right to use an adapted version of his famous song "Mrs. Robinson", originally used in the film The Graduate (1967) along with his equally famous partner Art Garfunkel. As "Simon & Garfunkel", both artists refused to allow anyone use of their iconic song. In the early eighties, the duo were offered a lot of money to rework the song for a "Mr. Coffee" commercial. They refused that and all other offers. However, because of his relationship with Fisher, Simon agreed and the song was rewritten using the name "Mrs. Henderson" instead.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When John is reading his mothers transcript of the story she wrote in her youth we see that she has misspelled the name of the Whitman's candy company as Whittman.

Quotes:

Beatrice Henderson: I'm sorry, John. I wasn't listening.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Mike Myers/Aerosmith (#22.16)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

In My Room

Mother love

Albert's Brooks' comedy 'Mother' is frequently hilarious, with some cracking dialogue, and highly perceptive: few viewers will fail to recognise some aspect of their relationships with their family in its portrayal of its eponymous central character and her middle-aged son, played by Brooks himself. But in taking their interaction as its principal subject, instead of using it as a backdrop to a wider story, the film chooses to pursue limited ambitions, and there's a level of contrivance necessary to support this narrow focus: while, at a micro-level, the film is perfect, the overall plot makes less sense, and the ending is a little pat. Not a great film; but one guaranteed to make you smile.