MOTHER 1997
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
1 :-) for the maternal spirit
Cast: Albert Brooks, Debbie Reynolds, Rob Morrow Director: Albert Brooks Producer: Scott Rudin and Herb Nanas Screenplay: Albert Brooks and Monica Johnson
Forty, single and several failed relationships marks a mid life crisis. The "male menopause" is no longer a myth. The years begin to show as pockets of cellulite begin to emerge in the most unusual places; the receding hair line and bald patch now crowns the once manly follicle endowed head; the once energetic body slows metabolically until it is comparably slower than the younger sex. What is there to look forward to, when the trail left behind is littered with a long succession of missed opportunities, and the path ahead looks like a much needed face lift. Moody and slightly depressed, you begin to wander whether you have achieved anything significant with your life, or will your tombstone merely say "Here lies Jo Bloggs. He ate, He slept, then He died".
If feeling this way, there are several options. A friend of mine decided he needed to discover his ancestral roots before he could reclaim his identity. He travelled to Canada and met up with some distant relatives; traced his heritage back to England; and discovered a war monument of an ancestor somewhere in Australia - ironically it was a soldier who got run down by a car before reaching battle. Anyway, somewhere along this journey of self-discovery, he found himself again and is now happily married with 2 children.
The other option, is to follow the context of this movie. Albert Brook's thoughtful screenplay, suggests that one's problems with sex, life and relationships are somehow related to your relationship with mother. So his character, a divorced middle-aged man with writer's block, journeys home in search of answers. This is an intriguing concept, but too simple with it's solution. We are forgetting about the paternal part of the picture, and the important role of sibling rivalry. Otherwise, Debby Reynold's radiant portrayal as mother is a milestone in her "Golden Years". She shows strength of character behind a fragile, docile exterior. Rob Morrow gets to whine again post "Northern Exposure", but this story belongs to Albert. This movie is a journey of self-discovery for him in mid-life crisis. Here he finds reasons for why he is, and after clearing the air with the first woman in his life, moves forward into a brighter looking future.
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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