The Mother

Name: The Mother
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: May 28, 2004
Duration: 112 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Anna Wilson-Jones, Daniel Craig

2004

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

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8.0

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

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The Mother

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Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: May 28, 2004 | R

Starring: Anna Wilson-Jones, Daniel Craig

Summary: May is an ordinary grandmother from the suburbs. When her husband dies on a family visit to London, she recedes into the background of her busy, metropolitan children's lives. Stuck in an unfamiliar city far from home, May fears that she has become another invisible old lady whose life is more or less over. Until she falls for Darren, aMay is an ordinary grandmother from the suburbs. When her husband dies on a family visit to London, she recedes into the background of her busy, metropolitan children's lives. Stuck in an unfamiliar city far from home, May fears that she has become another invisible old lady whose life is more or less over. Until she falls for Darren, a man half her age who is renovating her son's house and sleeping with her daughter. (Sony Pictures Classics)… Expand

Director: Roger Michell

Genre(s): Drama, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 112 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Kevin Thomas

Every element of The Mother, directed by Roger Michell and written by Hanif Kureishi, fits together with perfection. The film's staging -- the way its settings create a world that allows for striking images that echo the psychological interplay of its people, the way in which every performance could not be any better -- is awe-inspiring. Read full review

100

M. E. Russell

Powerful, subtle, quietly terrifying film about the consequences of a widow's stab at a May-December romance. Read full review

Roger Ebert

The Mother peers so fearlessly into the dark needs of human nature that you almost wish it would look away. It's very disturbing. Read full review

Ty Burr

In reality, it's messy in the way that life is, and with a rare and welcome obstreperousness. Read full review

Dennis Lim

By turns expansive and astringent, The Mother is a portrait of a woman who, with the dazed courage of someone finally awakened to the world after decades of passivity and repression, keeps on walking. Read full review

Stephen Hunter

You may not enjoy The Mother (I certainly didn't), but it's a movie so heavy on truth, its spell cannot be denied. Read full review

Kimberley Jones

A certain inevitability hangs over The Mother – as if any of this could end well – but if Kureishi's framework is perhaps predictable, his knotty, complex characters are not. Read full review

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User Score

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User Reviews

DawdlingPoet

Nov 22, 2021

I quite liked this film in terms of its very humdrum setting. It takes a while for the plot to become apparant but in this instance its no bad thing. I thought it was a good character driven drama and I liked the way the camerawork is done, in a way which makes you (the viewer) feel likeI quite liked this film in terms of its very humdrum setting. It takes a while for the plot to become apparant but in this instance its no bad thing. I thought it was a good character driven drama and I liked the way the camerawork is done, in a way which makes you (the viewer) feel like your peering in on the life of the houses occupants from the background. I thought it was surprisingly moving towardsa the end, although it is a bit of an uncomfortable watch at times due to the sexual element of it but its certainly not a film thats primarily about sex scenes - it didn't feel exploitative or very pornographic, thankfully, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend watching it in full with your own parents perhaps!.

I thought it was interesting to see such a story portrayed from the point of view of the newly widowed mother. I remember I liked the subtle/low key music in the background at quiet moments.

Both Anne Reid and Daniel Craig give decent performances and I would certainly recommend this to others, if it interests you. Its a film that may well make you think about family dynamics, loss/grief and self doubt to an extent, I suppose.… Expand

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EvanS.

Feb 27, 2006

Wonderfully crafted, top-drawer acting with great grandma-on-007 action. While there's really no redeamable characters in this family drama, you're pulled into May's quest to stay alive when her self-centered adult children could care less. If it weren't set in a bright, Wonderfully crafted, top-drawer acting with great grandma-on-007 action. While there's really no redeamable characters in this family drama, you're pulled into May's quest to stay alive when her self-centered adult children could care less. If it weren't set in a bright, lovely London summer, this tough picture would be relentless viewing.… Expand

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94	#94 Best Movie of 2004
77	#77 Most Shared Movie of 2004