Mother and Child – A TVA Films’ Release

http://www.sonyclassics.com/motherandchild/

DVD Release Date: January 4th, 2010

Rated 14A for sexual content and coarse language

Running time: 127 minutes

 

Rodrigo García (dir.)

 

Rodrigo García (writer)

 

Edward Shearmur (music)

 

Naomi Watts as Elizabeth

Annette Bening as Karen

Kerry Washington as Lucy

Jimmy Smits as Paco

Samuel L. Jackson as Paul

 

Our reviews below:

_____________________________________________

Mother and Child DVD Review By John C.

** (out of 4)

Mother and Child follows three women who have all been touched by adoption.  Karen (Annette Bening) gave up her only child when she was just 14.  Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) has lived her life not knowing who her mother was, only that she was the child of a teenage pregnancy.  And Lucy (Kerry Washington) is on the market for a newborn.  The characters all come full circle, in a way that is predicted long before it happens.

 

The performances by the talented cast are all fine in writer/director Rodrigo Garcia’s film, but the script has more melodrama than a drugstore paperback.  There are a few nice moments here – all courtesy of scenes with Annette Bening, but without proper character development in certain areas of the story, portions of the bloated 127 minute running time unfortunately seem akin to watching paint dry.

 

The DVD includes no bonus features.

___________________________________________________________________________

Mother and Child DVD Review By Erin V.

** (out of 4)

Mother and Child tells the story of a woman who gave up a child as a teen mother at 14, of her daughter now a lawyer in LA, and of a young family who can’t have kids of their own and want to adopt a baby.  It is kinda predictable and often you figure things in the plot out far before we get there.  This is one where you may be glancing at your watch more than once.

 

It has fine acting, and some parts of the story are sweet, but oftentimes the characters aren’t all that appealing.  Also, at 2 hours, 7 minutes long, my biggest emotional feeling while watching this film is boredom.  I don’t mind long films, but this spent time on things that didn’t matter, took too long to get places, and then for things we did want to see, like relationships developing, we get skipped ahead several months.  It’s like all of a sudden, a character has changed, but we don’t see it happen.  If you have a film this long, at least give us something to watch…  This is one worth a rental at best.

___________________________________________________________________________

Mother and Child DVD Review By Nicole

** (out of 4)

Mother and Child is a slow moving film that profiles three women touched by adoption.  Karen (Annette Bening) gave up her baby in the 1970’s, when she was only 14 years old.  Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) is a lawyer who grew up adopted.  Lucy (Kerry Washington) and her husband are a barren couple who want to adopt a child.  A series of events leads the three together in a rather contrived and melodramatic way.

 

What could have been a good film was instead a mediocre and boring one, as it spends too long on some things, but doesn’t build the characters well.  The story doesn’t flow, due to the predictable but convoluted plot.  While the last few minutes are touching, this film is only mildly worth a rental.

___________________________________________________________________________

Mother and Child DVD Review By Maureen

** (out of 4)

It can be a real challenge for a writer and director to weave together a group of seemingly unrelated characters in a believable and emotionally affecting manner.  Writer/director Rodrigo Garcia seems to have just missed the mark with Mother and Child.  The premise of three women, Karen (Annette Bening), Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) and Lucy (Kerry Washington) sharing the common theme of adoption is a good one.  The problem here is, many of the connecting circumstances seem contrived and predictable.  With a running time of over 2 hours the story drags on taking too long to really develop the characters.

 

There are some nice moments in Mother and Child.  When the character of Karen is finally allowed to develop, her romance with co-worker Paco (Jimmy Smits), adds some much needed sweetness and emotion to the storyline.  Annette Bening does a really nice job portraying the initially cold and difficult character.

 

Overall this isn’t a bad movie, it’s just that you really have to be in the mood for over 2 jours of slow-moving melodrama.  On a slow, dull day with a pot of your favourite tea, Mother and Child is not the worst way to pass the time, especially if you are a fan of any of the talented cast.

___________________________________________________________________________

Mother and Child DVD Review By Tony

**1/2 (out of 4)

Mother and Child follows three women, particularly in their roles as mothers and daughters. Karen (Annette Bening) wonders about the daughter she had 37 years prior at fourteen and never met, as she cares for her own mother in her final days. Karen is extremely wary and intolerant of anyone who doesn’t meet her standards, until softened by the kind attention of her new coworker Paco (Jimmy Smits). Elizabeth (Naomi Watts), who we realize implicitely is Karen’s daughter, is a brilliant lawyer who will stop at nothing to get ahead with her new boss Paul (Samuel L. Jackson). Lucy (Kerry Washington) is negotiating the adoption of a baby.

 

Though generally watchable with its fine cast, Mother and Child seemed rather long at over two hours. The script could have been tightened by leaving out several characters and situations, such as Elizabeth’s father and a blind neighbour, introduced merely as plot devices. Moreover, the way in which the main characters converged in the end, though sweet, was rather contrived.

___________________________________________________________________________

Consensus: Despite the very talented cast, at over 2 hours Mother and Child is a contrived and overlong melodrama, that ultimately lacks enough character development for true emotional connection. ** (Out of 4)