Mother's Day (2010)

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

A great movie in my mind is one that draws you into the characters so much that you feel what they feel in the movie. This does just that. I wanted Rebecca DeMornay dead in this movie, she portrayed her role that well. You feel everything, understand everything and get drawn into the drama. Very nicely portrayed, acted and the movie keeps you in it from beginning to end. Wish more movies kept you on the edge of your seat like this one does for the entire thing. Excellent.

When I saw that Darren Lynn Bousman (director of 'Saw 2, 3 & 4') had done another horror/thriller film which had been received well I knew I had to see it. I have to say it was a very different film to that which I was expecting, but I certainly enjoyed it nonetheless. The opening scene of the film (a very well done scene by the way) heavily implies that the tone will lean very much in the direction of horror. In reality though this plays out much more like a situational thriller, and only really some strong moments of violence put it in any way into the horror category.The film's biggest strength is its story arc. With the exception of the opening scene the story starts out very mild tempered and even gets into a bit of a lull at about the halfway point. Then things pick up slowly and evenly and it all builds to an electric final 30 minutes. I really liked this way of telling the story because it makes everything that happens in the end that much more satisfying.There's actually a lot going on here. I was surprised how strong some of the characters turned out to be. That's very rare in these types of films. The character of 'Mother' in particular was quite brilliant and acted like a glue to hold the entire film together. I was thoroughly impressed by 'Mother's Day' and would definitely recommend it if you get the chance to see it.

Three imbeciles are running from the law after a bank robbery and head to the house where they used to live that is now occupied by Beth and Daniel Sohapi. A party comes to a sickening halt when the bank robbers crash the party and threaten everybody's lives when Mother demands to know where the hidden money is, giving out a few harsh lessons in the process. This is a nominal remake of the original. Considering I didn't care for the original, my expectations were minimal for this one. I ended up being pleasantly surprised with this suspenseful and brutal thriller. This one isn't just about vulgarity and shock value like Troma's Mother's Day, this one has many interesting subplots at play, ranging from the loss of a child, adultery, betrayal, fabrication, among other things. It is a much more well-rounded script and let me just say that it will hit you with all the tension and violence. We get a pool ball smashed on someone's hand a few times, nasty wounds from the result of a face bashing. We also get vicious stabbings, but the worst might just be a face that is blown off with a shotgun. The acting is very good. Everyone is flawed in some fashion and far better looking than the Troma version, since it is very modernized and not set in the woods. Rebecca De Mornay is chilling as Mother. What I loved about her character the most was the clever ambiguity. She's a polarizing figure that alternates between sweet and sadistic. It always kept me on my toes. Rebecca is no stranger to crazy roles. Jaime King is excellent as our heroine. Her vulnerability was just perfect and she was easy to root for. Frank Grillo is a bit of a scumbag, but he played his part well. Shawn Ashmore does the nice guy routine very well. Briana Evigan doesn't have as much to do, but she's solid. There is an "Are you kidding me" moment at around 85 minutes in, but the thing that knocked me on my ass the most was the ending. It was downright cruel, but extremely effectiveFinal Thoughts: This one has a mean streak like no other. You'll wince a few times, even if you're a huge horror fan like I am. I personally thought it was a solid movie and much better than the Troma version. Speaking of the Troma version, I'm gonna have to revisit that one. It's been quite a while7.6/10

A cut and paste of a dozen movies you've seen before. Rebecca De Mornay looks beautiful and she tries, really tries to be menacing, and she does just okay. Jaime King looks horrid. Her character was so unlikable that I had trouble judging her performance; maybe that means she was fantastic? I don't know. Shawn Ashmore had the most believable performance. There is probably a good movie in here somewhere but the writing and direction were so artless that it was tedious to watch. Apparently it's a remake of an old Troma film, I've never seen it but it must be better than this (edit: apparently I have seen it, I rated it 6/10 but I don't remember anything about it). If anyone is still reading and really wants to know, Mother's Day (2010) is the story of the dumbest possible people doing the dumbest possible things.