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The Mother

Play trailer Poster for The Mother R Released May 16, 2003 1h 51m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
79% Tomatometer 90 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
May (Anne Reid) is a middle-aged grandmother who lives in Northern England with her husband, Toots (Peter Vaughan). When Toots dies while the couple is visiting their children in London, May begins to feel a sense of isolation and falls into a deep depression. Needing something new and vital to cling to, May takes refuge in the arms of Darren (Daniel Craig), a burly handyman who is not only half her age and married, but also sleeping with her daughter, Paula (Cathryn Bradshaw).
The Mother

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Critics Consensus

Reid gives a fearless, realistic performance in depicting an older woman's sexual blossoming.

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Critics Reviews

View All (90) Critics Reviews
Neil Norman London Evening Standard Quite apart from her unclad courage in the sex scenes, 62-year-old Anne Reid conveys the dilemmas of her age and her hesitant path to liberation with extraordinary and moving subtlety. Jan 11, 2018 Full Review Empire Magazine Rated: 2/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Eleanor Ringel Cater Atlanta Journal-Constitution A troubling film about the need to be wanted. Rated: B Aug 26, 2004 Full Review Kristin Battestella InSession Film The destructive performances make this an intriguing look at the unfortunate way we treat older relatives and how maturing sexuality and empowerment can disturb us. Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed All of it is ingeniously drawn to a close with an unexpected ending that is so powerful in its simplicity. Apr 29, 2009 Full Review Jim Lane Sacramento News & Review Rated: 1/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (167) audience reviews
Uynga U very great action and emotional Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/24/24 Full Review Bahad j In my opinion, I felt that the movie was very good, behind all this, the filmmaker was able to come up with the right festive details to congratulate the members of the behind-the-scenes team. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review Munkhjargal A This movie is an interesting adventure. It turned out to be a sad but interesting film starring the singer. I was able to give a good emotional feeling while watching it, thank you to the team of the film Thank you Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review Edward B Very realistic acting and relatable family life and conversation. Slightly taboo subject for some.. no doubt (not me though however). Fantastic acting by Anne Reid produces a very strong lead performance in this film. The fact that younger men can be attracted to older women is becoming increasingly popular due to the modern women's complicated attitude.. however a calm submissive feminine women is really what all men desire Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/03/23 Full Review matti k Unbelievable rubbish, even on Netflix standards! It must have been trolls to rank this nonsense with four stars here in RT. Lousy acting, from under acting to over acting to no acting within seconds. Script is useless and plot has man size holes shot all over it. Only good part are the skillful snowmobile drivers at the end. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 05/14/23 Full Review isla s 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 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. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Mother

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Movie Info

Synopsis May (Anne Reid) is a middle-aged grandmother who lives in Northern England with her husband, Toots (Peter Vaughan). When Toots dies while the couple is visiting their children in London, May begins to feel a sense of isolation and falls into a deep depression. Needing something new and vital to cling to, May takes refuge in the arms of Darren (Daniel Craig), a burly handyman who is not only half her age and married, but also sleeping with her daughter, Paula (Cathryn Bradshaw).
Director
Roger Michell
Producer
Kevin Loader
Screenwriter
Hanif Kureishi
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
BBC, Renaissance Films
Rating
R (Language|Graphic Images of Sexuality|Brief Drug Use)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 16, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2019
Runtime
1h 51m
Sound Mix
Surround