Review - Mother's Day

When is a remake not a remake? In the case of Darren Lynn Bousman's Mother's Day which holds about as much similarity to Troma's infamous Lloyd Kaufman's Mother's Day as Top Gun does to Teen Wolf. Both are entirely different films, with only a few sly nods in Bousman's film to the Kaufman film, which makes you wonder why they went down this path.

Mother's Day is brutal affair with some heinous acts committed, only problem is apart from the innocent bystanders, everyone is in this film is about as likable as a paper cut on your eyeball.

The plot - Three brothers on the run from the law head for home, only to discover that their mother lost the house in a foreclosure. Unfortunately for the new owners and their guests, the boys mother shows up and all hell breaks loose.

Mother's Day is very violent, not inventive. However the violence is very effective. Only problem is because the violence is happening to such an unlikable and bickering bunch of victims that it all gets very ho-hum. Victims attempt to fight back, Mother (Rebecca De Mornay) then punishes either them or their loved one. Rinse. Repeat. Unfortunately the element of shock, surprise and fear goes right out the door after a while and inbetween the violence is either some claptrap about the family or Mother doles out the advice. The final few scenes and minor plot twist only serve to make you hate the victims even more, well at least one of them almost confirming what you'd thought at the start of the film.

New Glad Wrap ad - intense. 

To be fair De Mornay does a good job, playing Mother with a restrained yet menacing manner, which ends up being a slight problem as she really does out act everyone else in the film.

Bousman's keeps the action pretty natural, not trying to do anything special and just letting the story play out.

Not a bad film at all but it does become a bit samey after a while, despite the chaotic nature of the film.