A remake of a Troma movie, directed by Charles Kaufman, that was released back in 1980, I wouldn’t be surprised if few people were eagerly awaiting the release of Mother’s Day with high hopes. I haven’t seen the original movie yet but, from the brief synopsis I have read and a number of reviews, I can safely say that this movie takes the core of that film and then really streamlines the concept into a gritty home invasion thriller that should appeal to modern horror fans.
Three brothers, one of whom is critically wounded, return to their family home after a botched bank robbery. Unfortunately, nobody told them that their family home was sold months ago and now has new tenants. Those new tenants (played by Jaime King and Frank Grillo) find their party rudely interrupted by the gun-wielding brothers and when their mother (Rebecca De Mornay) arrives on the scene it soon becomes clear that she will do anything to protect her boys and get the money together that they need to cross the border into Canada and safety.
Director Darren Lynn Bousman is the man who provided horror fans with Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV and Repo! The Genetic Opera so I think it’s fair to say that he has just as many detractors as fans. Nevertheless, the man can do good work with horror and he’s certainly not one to shy away from taking risks here and there. That’s what makes Mother’s Day quite an unexpected treat. The script by Scott Milam (based loosely on the original and lifting character names, etc) contains a number of genuinely engrossing plot developments and the material is all mixed in to keep things entertaining while also providing moments of twisted nastiness and enough bloodletting to please those who need a certain amount of the red stuff flowing in theirviewing choices.
The cast, overall, do a fine job. This is Rebecca De Mornay’s show, no doubt about that as she commands attention with her horribly warped world view, but every character gets enough attention to become a fully fleshed out, living person. They may not all be likeable but the characters are all admirably developed after some early scenes that show no indication of how things significantly approve once the details of the situation are all sketched out. Jaime King mixes fragility, fear and inner strength and makes for a lead character that you want to survive. Frank Grillo plays her flawed partner who still manages to keep your sympathy. The guests stuck in this nightmare situation are a mixed bag but all watchable – Shawn Ashmore excels as a doctor forced to help the wonded brother, Briana Evigan looks a lot different from her Burning Bright appearance and her strong and sexy appearance helps punctuate the intense atmosphere. Warren Kole is very good as Addley Koffin, the younger and more unstable brother, and Patrick John Flueger impresses as Izaak “Ike” Koffin, the more sensible one of the group. Matt O’Leary has to lie looking horribly wounded for most of his screentime but he does well. And then there’s the always-watchable Deborah Ann Woll as Lydia, the one girl in the family who sticks by her mother’s side and has grown up being told lie after lie in order to keep her from the outside world. Mike O’Brien is also very good in a small, but crucial, role. And anyone who is a particular fan of Alexa Vega will also enjoy seeing her brief moment in the film.
I don’t normally spend this much time reeling off so many of the actors involved in a movie but this film is very much a culmination of a number of excellent performances. The premise is an excellent, if unoriginal, one but things become mesmerising even as they become more unsettling. Seeing how this mother keeps her children in line and seeing how everyone involved reacts when scrabbling for their own survival lifts this a notch or two above many other movies of this type.
Fans of the Saw series will be pleased to see one or two moments in which people are forced to shape their own fates but those who don’t like the influence of that franchise should also find plenty to enjoy here. Let’s not forget, at the very least, that it makes for a wonderful career path for the lovely Rebecca De Mornay – who was such a psychotic surrogate mother in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle and shows in this movie that she can be just as unnerving now as she was then.
Mother’s Day is released on DVD, Blu-ray and iTunes on Monday 24th October. The Blu-ray features almost an hour of interview material, mostly from the main actors involved but it also features chat from producers, executive producers and even the stunt co-ordinator. There’s also a standard trailer included and some b-roll footage that runs for 11 minutes and 11 seconds (a subliminal way to promote 11-11-11, the upcoming release from Darren Lynn Bousman? Maybe). The interviews aren’t too bad but the b-roll footage is quite dull and the trailer has nothing to make it stand out from a hundred other trailers. Being a new release, picture and sound are as good as you would expect.
DIRECTOR: DARREN LYNN BOUSMAN
WRITER: SCOTT MILAM
STARS: REBECCA DE MORNAY, JAIME KING, FRANK GRILLO, PATRICK JOHN FLUEGER, WARREN KOLE, SHAWN ASHMORE, BRIANA EVIGAN, DEBORAH ANN WOLL
RUNTIME: 112 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: USA
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