Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.


Known to Americans for films like “Notting Hill” and “Changing Lanes”, British director Roger Michell reunites with “My Beautiful Laundrette” screenwriter Hanif Kureishi, who wrote the script for Michell’s first film “The Buddha of Suburbia” for the 2003 melodrama “The Mother”. “The Mother” is about a 60-year old woman whose husband had just died lives with her adult children, mostly devoting her time to her creatively fragile daughter. While learning her daughter is having an affair with a married, 30-year old builder, the mother engages in a torrid affair with the man that leads to complication for her children and an ugly confrontation that leads to family breakdowns. Written by Kureishi and directed by Michell, “The Mother” is a harrowing family drama that examines ageism and sexuality in its starkest with a cast lead by Anne Reid, Daniel Craig, Cathryn Bradshaw, Steve Mackintosh, and Oliver Ford Davies. Released in 2003 in Britain, “The Mother” is a provocative, moving adult drama that examines a woman’s desire to be fulfilled at an old age.

For the 60-year old May (Anne Reid) and her husband Toots (Peter Vaughn), their lives seemed to have calmed down after a long marriage. Upon a trip to London, the elderly couple decides to visit their grown son Bobby (Steve Mackintosh) and his wife Helen Anna Wilson-Jones). While Bobby is trying to be attentive, he has children and a business to deal with while Helen doesn’t do much but spend more time looking at a conservatory being built by Bobby’s former college friend Darren (Daniel Craig). Bobby decides to accompany his parents to meet up with older sister Paula (Cathryn Bradshaw) who has a son, Jack (Carlo and Sachin Kureishi), where they all have a nice family dinner. Complaining of chest pains during the visit, Toots finds himself becoming ill and he dies all of a sudden.

The death is a fatal blow to May and her children where May finds herself not wanting to live at her house and wanting to live with them for the time being. The material-obsessed Helen doesn’t want May to live in the house while May decides to stay at Paula’s for a while after getting lost during a walk. May learns that Paula is filled with frustration over her life since she felt her mother has had it easy while she is trying to move her life forward creatively. Later that night, May hears sexual moans in the house where she learns that Paula is having an affair with Darren, who is married with an autistic son. During a visit at Bobby’s house, May learns of Darren’s sensitive, simplistic nature that she is intrigued by.

Paula admits to having an affair with Darren to her mother but also felt its been troubled since he’s still married to a wife he doesn’t live with anymore. During another visit where May makes lunch for Darren, the two take a trip around London where Darren admits he enjoys Paula’s company and being with Jack but finds her to be a bit melodramatic and demanding for him sometimes. After a drink, they take a walk to the beach where Darren suddenly kisses May in the lips and the two didn’t know how to react. After that day, Paula wants to take her mother to her writing class to meet up with an elder named Bruce (Oliver Ford Davies). May knows Paula is trying to have her hook up with Bruce, who she thinks is nice but felt he’s acting very old when May doesn’t feel old. During the class, Paula wanted her group to write something where May suddenly shows a gift for writing something very poignant about her life concerning her children.

The next day during a visit at Bobby’s house, May meets Darren and they talk about the kiss. Darren admits to feeling some comfort when May is around because he has trouble keeping up with Paul’s neurotic behavior. May asks Darren if they can go upstairs and immediately, they engage in sex. The affair gave May some newfound energy where one day at home, she’s singing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” which annoys Paula because of her mother’s uplifting attitude. Paula invites Darren for dinner while the next day, May and Darren continue to have their affair. Then one day when Paula goes to Bobby’s house, she learns that Bobby is losing money and the two suddenly found a drawing book of sketches that shocks them both.

Paula is astounded at what she saw where she went into denial and decided to have a double date with her mother, Darren, and Bruce. The date becomes a bit of a disaster where May later goes to Bruce’s house and engages in sex with May feeling disgusted. Upon returning to Paula’s house, she begins to discover her daughter’s fragile behavior and later in the night, sees Paula burning up her writing. May isn’t sure if she wants to end the affair but learns that Darren is angry since he felt being used by women and is angry with Bobby for the fact that he might not even finish his job due to Bobby’s money problems. Things become more troubling when finally, Paula confronts her mother that leads to some serious problems for everyone in the family.

While “The Mother” isn’t as provocatively shocking in comparison to Hanif Kureishi’s “My Beautiful Laundrette” back in 1985, what is shocking is the idea of a handsome 30-year old man having sex with a woman who could almost be old enough to be his grandmother. The only major flaw concerning the film is its pacing which has a slow, walking pace that kind of drags the film but in tune with May’s elderly lifestyle, it’s the only place it works. The other thing that some people will not enjoy about the film is a very bleak ending because it contains a lot of realism. Still, for Kureishi and Roger Michell, “The Mother” is a very well presented drama that is filled with elements of melancholia and eroticism that isn’t really shocking but has a bit of black comedy in its dialogue and the sketches that May draws in the film.

Helping to present the melancholia for Michell’s swooning, eye-wielding direction is cinematographer Alwin Kuchler who brings a vast, colorful look into London, notably when its sunny and nice along with touches of blue in more melancholic scenes and naturally dark tones for the more intense dramatic scenes. The film’s score by Jeremy Sams is a bit of uplifting jazz for the film’s more upbeat tone while playing a more melancholic score in darker scenes. Even the film’s use of music is filled with a bit of comedy and dramatic scales like Gorillaz’s “Clint Eastwood” and David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”, which is a reference to “The Buddha of Suburbia” that had a soundtrack and score created by Bowie.

While the film has a small cast of actors that included Anna Wilson-Jones, Peter Vaughn, and Oliver Ford Davies in small but excellent roles. The film truly belongs to its four principle actors. While Steve Mackintosh had a nice supporting role, he is excellent as the frustrated Bobby who tries to help and be attentive to his mother but is having trouble dealing with his own life as he’s the film’s most conflicted character confused about who he needs to help more. Cathryn Bradshaw is amazing as the anguished, neurotic Paula with her restrained, melodramatic performance as a daughter who is filled with repressed hatred for her mother along with some self-loathing where Bradshaw brings a harsh, sympathetic performance. Daniel Craig is real standout as the sweet, handsome Darren with his witty charm and simplistic nature who is just trying to live simply without compromise while trying to find love and fulfillment in his already problematic single life. Craig is just outstanding to watch, even in his scenes with Anne Reid that is sweet natured while taking a lot of guts for having sex scenes with a woman in her 60s.

Anne Reid is the film’s most spellbinding performance as May. Reid may be a woman in her 60s and while she looks like a typical grandmother, Reid proves that there’s still a lot of energy in her. While she may walk slowly like a grandmother, Reid brings in a lot of sexual intensity to her performance while displaying a complex amount of charm and heartbreak while we feel sorry for her loss while understanding that even that marriage isn’t perfect. Reid really delivers in a role that many older women wouldn’t want to do and her bravery is just amazing to watch, which is the reason why she got a Best Actress nomination in the British Academy Awards earlier this year. Reid just proves that there is no boundary for sexual freedom, even in age.

While “The Mother” may not be in the accessible, sweet realm of “Notting Hill” or the brash, provocative nature of “My Beautiful Laundrette”, it is still a fine effort from director Roger Michell and screenwriter Hanif Kureishi. With amazing, honest performances from Anne Reid, Daniel Craig, and Cathryn Bradshaw, this is really more of a film for adults and elders who will want to be shocked while having some understanding in the relationships between a man and a much-older woman. While its pacing and bleak ending might be a turn off, “The Mother” succeeds in pushing boundaries in ageism and sexuality.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age