The Mother (2023)
6.759 /10
931 Reviews
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A deadly female assassin comes out of hiding to protect the daughter that she gave up years before, while on the run from dangerous men.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Mother
... Zoe
... Cruise
... Adrian
... Hector
User reviews
MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2023-edition
"The Mother is an instantly forgettable Netflix film about a spy mother who must protect her estranged daughter because "bad people from the past". Jennifer Lopez is good, Lucy Paez is GREAT, but none save it from its bland, generic story. Expected more from Niki Caro."
Rating: D+
Director:
Release Date:
2023-05-04
Run Time:
115 min
MMPA Rating:
R
Reviews of
The Mother
MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2023-edition
"The Mother is an instantly forgettable Netflix film about a spy mother who must protect her estranged daughter because "bad people from the past". Jennifer Lopez is good, Lucy Paez is GREAT, but none save it from its bland, generic story. Expected more from Niki Caro."
Rating: D+
Ironically, these tale about a mother and daughter, fails because the male characters have no depth. The villain is evil sure, but also extremely stupid and escaping from her first attempt to kill him in a very unbelievable and unexplained way.
The romantic tension between Cruise and the mother also doesn't work and the age old friendship with Jons is also not given any backstory. I'm enclined to blame the casting here. Well, the story was lacking and oddly edited as well, but it may be because there wasn't much to work with. Either way, it's clear this is supposed to be about a mother/daughter relationship, but also be an action move and the director / writers / actors couldn't make it work. 3/10, 2 points cause I've seen worse, not because I can find something positive in it.
**The Mother is an average straight-to-stream action thriller that does a decent job but won’t last too long in your memory or heart.**
The Mother is a generic assassin turned parent protecting/avenging their child from a mob of drug runners/arms dealers. While in the vein of films like Taken or Peppermint, The Mother makes a critical error the other films didn’t - a 2-hour runtime. Its bigger budget made this movie feel slightly more polished, but stretching its meager story 30 minutes longer than many in this subgenre took its toll. The pacing dragged along between the action sequences, sometimes leaving the movie feeling too long and tedious. The production quality of the action set pieces was decent, but the action itself was fairly basic. Jennifer Lopez is fun as the intense and withdrawn mother assassin and undoubtedly is the best part of the movie. The Mother is nowhere near an awful film, and reviews that say otherwise probably set their expectations too high. It's a run-of-the-mill action streamer that gets the job done, blows some stuff up, shoots some bad guys, and despite being forgettable, didn’t feel like a total waste of time.
In spite of the rather, by now, predictable and formulaic story, woke-ness and a dash of US exceptionalism (for those paying attention) The Mother does have something to offer the viewer.
The first thing, is surprisingly engaging acting, from Jennifer Lopez. I'd always associated her with music, although I was aware of her forays into acting, over the years. Lopez hands in an above average performance as a assassin, with mothering instincts.
Lopez's chemistry with Lucy Paez, who plays her her daughter, really binds this film together and elevates it, beyond its otherwise pedestrian credentials.
Action wise, there's a lot on offer too but its also rather forgettable.
Ultimately, its the performances of the lead cast, that make this film, a modest success.
Cast & Crew of
The Mother
Cast
... Mother
... Zoe
... Cruise
... Adrian
... Hector
... Jons
... Tarantula
... Sonya
... SAIC Eleanor Williams
... Zoe's Adopted Dad
... Marcus Stone
... C-Section Nurse
... New Father
... Fed at Zoe's House
... Cuban OB / GYN
... Medical Clinic Nurse
... Arms Dealer
... Exal Room Doctor
... FedEx Worker
... FBI Tip Line (voice)
... Cuban Cab Driver
... Car Rental Manager
... El Globo (uncredited)
... Afghan Hammam (uncredited)
... Mohamed (uncredited)
... Looper (voice / uncredited)
... Cleaner (uncredited)
... Looper (voice / uncredited)
... Kentucky Sniper (uncredited)
... Looper (voice / uncredited)
... Zippo Vendor (uncredited)
Crew
... Costume Design
... Casting
... Second Unit Director
... Director
... Editor
... Producer
... Producer
... Producer
... Producer
... Supervising Art Director
... Director of Photography
... Producer
... Stunt Double
... Stunts
... Stunt Double
... Stunt Double
... Stunt Coordinator
... Writer
... Stunt Coordinator
... Art Direction
... Screenplay
... Set Decoration Buyer
... Sound Effects Editor
... Producer
... Production Design
... Stunt Double
... First Assistant Director
... Stunts
... Producer
... Writer
... Art Direction
... Stunt Coordinator
... ADR Supervisor
... Stunts
... Sound Effects Editor
... Gaffer
... Foley Supervisor
... Sound Designer
... Executive Producer
... Set Designer
... Dialogue Editor
... Sound Effects Editor
... Assistant Art Director
... Hair Department Head
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Dialogue Editor
... Makeup Designer
... Makeup Department Head
... Makeup Artist
... Set Decoration
... Special Effects Coordinator
... Assistant Art Director
... Costume Supervisor
... Makeup Artist
... Visual Effects Producer
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Production Sound Mixer
... Stunts
... Special Effects Coordinator
... Stunt Double
... Steadicam Operator
... "A" Camera Operator
... Art Direction
... Second Assistant Director
... Set Decoration
... Makeup Artist
... Stunts
... Makeup Artist
... Foley Mixer
... Stunt Double
... Stunt Double
... Costume Design
... Stunt Double
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Stunts
... Makeup Artist
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Art Direction
... Hairstylist
... Set Costumer
... ADR Mixer
... Stunt Double
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Special Effects
... Grip
... Special Effects Technician
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Second Assistant Director
... Second Assistant Director
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Hairstylist
... Colorist
... Utility Stunts
... Set Dresser
... Stunts
... VFX Artist
... Third Assistant Director
... Gaffer
... Visual Effects Producer
... Stunts
... Boom Operator
... Makeup Artist
... VFX Artist
... Set Dresser
... Stunt Double
... VFX Artist
... Lighting Technician
... Sound Effects Editor
... Hairstylist
... Stunts
... Utility Stunts
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Third Assistant Director
... Stunts
... Hairstylist
... Set Dresser
... Special Effects Technician
... Special Effects Technician
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Stunt Double
... Grip
... Grip
... Hairstylist
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