mark.waltz When a middle aged man goes through a mid life crisis, what else is he going to do but return home to mother? In another one of his fun satirical pieces on life as he sees it, Brooks returns home to try to find himself through establishing a different kind of relationship with the woman who gave him birth. But there's a difference between mothering somebody under the age of 20 and being there for somebody over 40, and as I have found out in my own personal experience, sometimes going home for long periods of time, whether out of a financial need or to take care of someone on their own, can have a variety of effects on both parties.Being Debbie Reynolds' first leading role in two decades on screen, there was a lot of excitement from her large cult following, and she delivered the goods. She's basically a quiet woman, dignified yet set in her ways. She has a chunk of cheese in her refrigerator that son Albert Brooks tells her tastes like an old boot, and serves him the protective ice on the top of the sherbet which gives him another minor flaw to make fun of as he gets to know his mom all over again. They are very respectful to each other, and at times, the niceness becomes quietly deafening. They go shopping, and unknowingly treating him like a child causes Brooks to react in a way that brought up laughs on screen but in reflection, I could never imagine doing to my own mother.There will be mixed reactions to each of the incidents that occur in their hopefully temporary reunion, especially when Brooks learns that mom has a friend with benefits. I think that Brooks went above and beyond reality in his spoof of middle aged sons and their still vibrant widowed moms, and this is his view of that type of relationship that not many people will identify with. I had thought of sharing this with my own mother when I came home to stay with her through the winter after my father died, as knowing she was a fan of Ms. Reynolds' thought she might enjoy it. But considering the circumstances, I changed my mind, and put on "Molly Brown" instead. Debbie's "Mother" here is not of the June Cleaver/Carol Brady school of parenting, but indeed Debbie was certainly unforgettable playing this part, deserving all the accolades she received for the role.

echernoffw-1 The first time I saw "Mother" was at a theater in Toronto where my sister and mother from Chicago were visiting. My husband and I and my mother and sister all went to this movie. My sister and I were laughing SO HARD, we fell on the floor! My mother didn't understand why we were laughing so hard but this movie was the story of our lives! The only difference is we are Jewish (as is Brooks) and this mother wasn't, but she was still MY mother. It was like Albert Brooks hid in our house when we were growing up and had written all this down. We especially loved the line that Debbie Reynolds says after they just got back from dinner" Dear, are you hungry'? and then starts pulling out frozen food from the freezer...my mother! All Jewish mother's think about is FOOD! We also thought it to be hilarious that she "freezes" everything, my mother does too. And the way Albert Brooks felt that she loved his brother more, hello...my life!This movie is smart, funny, witty and totally realistic! The casting is great, Debbie Reynolds is marvelous as the mother who can't understand why her son wants to move back home after a divorce, and Albert Brooks is also very believable as the confused son.If you put your self into this movie, you also might see signs of your life with your mother! Funny, funny flick!

capricorn9 Miss Reynolds came out of "semi-retirement", as she likes to say, to star in this Albert Brooks comedy. She is amazing - so underplayed - so deadpan - so funny. Brooks on the other hand can be a whiner at times and you almost want to slap him for what he says to his mother, but like a good mom, she takes it and realizes he loves her deep down and doesn't mean it. The two together in their scenes are right on with pacing and the snappy dialog Brooks has written. Rob Morrow is a hoot as the jealous brother who also wants the mother's attention as well as a young Lisa Kudrow in a small, but very funny, part of a girl he goes out with after his divorce. For anyone with a mother, this film is a must!

ccthemovieman-1 I enjoy Albert Brooks' dry sense of humor so much I almost made this video a "keeper," but it fell just short of that status. His unique brand of humor, ultra-sarcastic at times but very low-key, is refreshing at times.Although this film is almost all talk and there are some lulls, it still maintained my interest. What I didn't like was the worldly outlook on things, a little too much pro-feminist ending and about seven usages of the Lord's name in vain. The latter is too much for a comedy, especially co-starring a classic-era actress in Debbie Reynolds.I enjoyed seeing the town of Sausolito again. I had done some sightseeing in the San Francisco area the year before I saw this film and was very impressed with Sausolito.Outside of those Bay-area scenes and Brooks' humor, however, the movie is nothing special. It's worth a rental.