Review by John M. Delia, Jr.
Mother’s Day is a heartwarming story that features four different family situations and how they cope with them. The acting, direction and cinematography all come together nicely for a nice entertainment experience culminating on the family eventful day.
Sandy (Jennifer Aniston) has been divorced from Henry (Timothy Olyphant) for several years now and they have two children that keep them connected. They still have a close friendship together and never keep secrets from each other. Henry surprises Sandy by informing her he just got remarried to an old girlfriend named Tina (Shay Mitchell). To say the least, things start to become a little overwhelming for Sandy.
Jesse (Kate Hudson) is married to Russell (Aasif Mandvi) who’s from India and they have one child together. Her sister Gabi (Sarah Chalke), who lives next door, is in a lesbian marriage with Max (Cameron Esposito). Her partner has one son and they have been keeping this a secret from Gabi’s parents, Earl (Robert Pine) and Flo (Margo Martindale), for some time now. Living so far away from them, it hasn’t been too hard Jesse and Gabi to keep secret from them.
Bradley (Jason Sudeikis) lost his wife recently and has two daughter’s. It has been over a year and he is still struggling with the loss, taking care of the girls and not being able to move on. His 16 year old daughter Rachel (Jessi Case) has begun to start dating without her father’s consent, adding more heartbreak to the motherless family.
Kristin (Britt Robertson) and Zack (Jack Whitehall) recently had a baby, but they are not married. Kristin is afraid to get married because she is struggling with abandonment issues since being told she was adopted and never knew her mother. In the middle of the struggle to find her birth mother is Miranda (Julia Roberts) a host of the HSN Shopping network. She has never been married and spends most of her time improving her career.
All these stories bring about many different emotions and circumstances that eventually come to exciting conclusions. Along the way you will have many laughs and should enjoy all the very interesting and true to life topics right up to the film’s fascinating endings.
Director Garry Marshall crafts another encouraging and touching storyline that is sure to appeal to the ladies. I like the way he handles each segment and how they all come together. Each story had its own personality that ends up all tied together with Mother’s Day. If you like his previous films like Valentine’s Day, Dear God, and The Princess Diaries you’ll love Mother’s Day.
Final Grade: Personally I give this an A for its heartwarming storyline and enjoyable performances.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Britt Robertson, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Hector Elizondo, Jason Sudeikis, and Aasif Mandvi
Directed By: Garry Marshall
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language and some suggestive material
Running Time: 1 hr. and 58 min.
Release Date: April 29, 2016
Distributed by: Open Road Films
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
