Mother!: Garbage!
More stories from Dominic Smith
Writer and Director of Mother! Darren Aronofsky
The film “Mother!” is a piece of vile filth that constantly tempts you to leave the theater in disgust and disappointment. It is an art house movie with a difficult metaphor to wrap your head around and the movie’s message is near impossible to understand. Never before has such a talented cast of stars gone to waste before. “Mother!” is a movie that is overflowing with talented actors and actresses, and it utterly wastes them. Watching such talented actors and actress have to act through a confusing script and tedious dialogue is disheartening. After watching Mother! you will feel personally offended that you had to sit through two and a half hours of literal torture.
The film Mother! has two oscar winners and two oscar nominees for the main cast. The two oscar winners, Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem, are center stage for the entirety of the film, and both seem like they should have their Oscars taken away. Jennifer Lawrence gives two versions of her character throughout the film. She is either pictured as a clueless pretty-face that likes to repair houses, or, she is an over-emotional mess that is constantly abused. Meanwhile, Javier Bardem is honestly trying his best to carry this movie, but fails terribly. Throughout the film he is a strange man who cares about literally everyone else other than his wife, Jennifer Lawrence. Yes, they do address how creepy it is that Jennifer Lawrence’s character married someone twenty-one years older, but it doesn’t make it any better. The other two main characters, and our nominees, are Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris, both exceptional performers capable playing some of the most memorable characters. However, when it comes to Mother! their performances seem a bit more forgettable. At first, the audience gets the feeling that these characters are necessary to a suspenseful plot. But then the movie cuts them out entirely, and you end up forgetting that they were even apart of the movie.
When you look into the details of “Mother!”, you can see why the movie was such a failure. Before anything was shot, it seemed that even the actors found the script either confusing or disturbing. Michelle Pfeiffer admitted that she didn’t understand the script the first time she read it, and called the film, “esoteric”. However, the low quality of the script is easily explained. Director and writer Darren Aronofsky wrote the entire first draft in five days! He called writing the first draft a “fever dream”. Darren Aronofsky’s usual movies are artistic, complex, but are also sometimes downright confusing. His two biggest hits being “Requiem for a Dream”, and “Black Swan”, both of which have raving reviews. However, it seems that “Mother!” has fallen short in that department. The film has recently been given an F CinemaScore. Only thirteen movies have ever have gotten an F CinemaScore. Among “Mother!” are such gems like Nicolas Cage’s “The Wicker Man”, Brad Pitt’s “Killing Them Softly”, and Lindsay Lohan’s “I Know Who Killed Me”.
So, “Mother!” is a garbage movie. But do not just take my word for it. From IMdB, ma_maclean says, “I want my 2 hours back!”. RMS1949 calls the movie, “Self Indulgent disappointment.” However, I think that the simplest and best review for the movie comes from gregeichelberger. He writes, “Absolutely the worst film I’ve ever seen.” These are just a few reviews from a sea of negativity. It seems agreed upon that this movie is just the worst. So if you’re planning on going to see a movie in theaters, avoid “Mother!” at all costs. Try spending money on It, or perhaps “Wind River”. LIterally see anything else other than this movie.