The Mother DVD Review

"THE MOTHER" reviews

DVD

THE MOTHER

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-26 11:16:32

Provider

MRIB

DVD Review

Director Roger Michell takes a break from the Hollywood machine with this melodrama from the pen of screenwriter Hanif Kureishi.

May (Anne Reid) and Toots (Peter Vaughn) are down in London, visiting their grown-up children, when the unthinkable happens - Toots dies suddenly from a heart attack and May finds herself alone. Rather than spend the rest of her days cooped up with only the four walls for company, May decides to move in first with her son Bobby and his family but soon opts for daughter Paula's place when it becomes obvious she's not exactly welcome at the former. Soon though she has embarked on a torrid affair with Darren (Daniel Craig), a young man who her daughter has her eye on.

Having recently been responsible for the likes of Changing Lanes and Notting Hill, the South African filmmaker scales down considerably here - and it works a treat. Similar in style to the films of Mike Leigh, this low-budget drama is a triumph which shows that Michell's foray to Tinseltown hasn't dulled his moviemaking edge while Reid's Bafta-nominated performance is a revelation.

Copyright © MRIB 2005.