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'Night, Mother

Play trailer Poster for 'Night, Mother PG-13 1986 1h 36m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Jessie Cates packs her belongings into bags intended for donation to charity. She's doing so because, as she tells her mother, Thelma, she plans to kill herself that very evening. This film, inspired by an esteemed stage production, centers on the interactions between an elderly woman and her daughter, whose depression has pushed her to the brink of suicide. As Jessie steels herself for her last act, Thelma gallantly encourages her to opt for life.
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'Night, Mother

Critics Reviews

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Paul Attanasio Washington Post 01/03/2018
Based on Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, it's almost a textbook example of how not to bring Broadway to the screen. Go to Full Review
Michael Bronski Gay Community News (Boston) 09/19/2022
While the film is emotionally wrenching, it never becomes an exercise in masochism. Go to Full Review
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 03/27/2021
3/4
...a decent-enough adaptation that generally works best as a showcase for the thoroughly engrossing efforts of its two stars. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 10/06/2015
B-
A sobering overwrought drama based on Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Go to Full Review
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice 07/10/2003
Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, this drama examines the complex roots of suicide. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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01/31/2022 This is one of the best movies l have ever seen. It had such an effect on my life. See more jon c 09/13/2021 When is the relationship ever easy between mother and daughter? Based on the play by Marsha Norman and starring Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft In this story we see a mom Thelma and daughter Jessie combat each other but also bond more than they ever have Jessie tells Thelma she wants to kill herself but first Jessie wants to pack her things up and donate to charity Her depression has pushed her to suicide and her mother cannot comprehend this decision Thelma will try her hardest to sway her daughter This is a really good showcase of two talented actresses working with some powerful material Yes the movie is a lot of bantering back and forth but Spacek and Bancroft shine immensely It truly does explore the roots of suicide and why it escapes us If two people just listen to each other then taking our own lives can be avoided All it takes is simple communication and understanding See more steve d 07/13/2020 The acting can't make up for the melodrama. See more 05/04/2019 If you think that the fact that there are only two characters in the story, that it only has one place where the drama occurs, that is one hr 1/2 long, it will make for a boring movie, you will be wrong and miss out on two great performances! These two female actors are so powerful in their acting, you forget it is acting! One of my favorite movies along with a sister movie with Richard Dreyfuss; Whose life is it anyway? They seem to be stored in a Hollywood closet and key forgotten because of the subject matter I am sure, because the acting and stories are class A. You never see re-runs on tv, ever, of those two movies. See more 09/27/2017 Undeniably one of the best adaptations ever and so well executed by two amazing actresses. The score is so poignant and appropriate and drives the emotion of the audience. See more 05/22/2015 Translating a great play for the screen is not always easy. That is painfully true here. This screenplay still feels like it was intended for the stage -- and no matter how skilled both Bancroft and Spacek are -- the lines they are given simply require both actors to play it all too big for the screen. I do not see how it is possible to lay the blame on these two artists. Ultimately, the blame must rest with the director and Marsha Norman who simply did not do enough to turn her play into a film. See more Read all reviews
'Night, Mother

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Movie Info

Synopsis Jessie Cates packs her belongings into bags intended for donation to charity. She's doing so because, as she tells her mother, Thelma, she plans to kill herself that very evening. This film, inspired by an esteemed stage production, centers on the interactions between an elderly woman and her daughter, whose depression has pushed her to the brink of suicide. As Jessie steels herself for her last act, Thelma gallantly encourages her to opt for life.
Director
Tom Moore
Producer
Aaron Spelling, Alan Greisman
Screenwriter
Marsha Norman
Production Co
Universal Pictures, Aaron Spelling Productions, Blackbird Productions
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 29, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$384.0K
Runtime
1h 36m
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