If Mama Ain't Happy...

Three wildly different movies that share the common theme of motherhood.

Janet Planet

Written and directed by playwright Annie Baker, Janet Planet is a beautifully realized slice of life movie about an 11 year old girl, Lacy (Zoe Ziegler), and her loving-but-codependent relationship with her hippie mother, Janet (the wonderful Julianne Nicholson). The film takes place in rural Massachusetts in 1991 and just feels so perfectly detailed that you feel like you took a trip in a time machine while watching it.

I loved Lacy as a character--a bossy, blunt kid (much like I was) who is also a bit lonely and overly attached to her mom for an 11 year old. Janet is a loving mother, but one that we might look askance at these days. She regularly brings boyfriends and roommates to live with her, and although nothing sinister happens to either Janet or Lacy, Lacy is forced to witness and deal with her mother's emotions in a way we would characterize as codependent and/or parentifying in today's world. The title, "Janet Planet", is not only the name of Janet's acupuncture business, but also a good metaphor for Lacy's life: her world revolves around Janet's in a way that is often sweet and sometimes...a little much.

Streaming on Max, I highly recommend this movie especially to folks who enjoy quiet, natural, slice of life indie movies. It's a really good one (and will make older viewers long for a time before cell phones).

Grade: A

***

The Front Room

The Front Room sure is something else. What a weird movie. I don't actually hate it, but it's also not good. 

Starring Brandy Norwood (Brandy of "The Boy is Mine" fame) as Belinda, a pregnant Black anthropologist who is already dealing with a lot (specifically, a lack of respect at her university job) and Andrew Burnap as her white husband, Norman, The Front Room tackles the most horrific thing in the entire world: mother-in-laws.

I partially kid, but the mother-in-law in The Front Room is truly a megabitch from hell. Solange (played by the hilarious Kathryn Hunter in a very, very vanity-free role) is actually Norman's stepmother and he has terrible memories of her religiously-motivated abuse from his childhood (she wouldn't let him eat unless he sang "Jesus Loves Me" with adequate conviction). When Norman's father passes away, Solange proposes that she will leave her massive fortune to Norman and Belinda if in exchange they let her live with them for her remaining years. Low on funds, they let her move in.

Hunter plays Solange as a melodramatic, racist, southern-fried religious nut. She immediately takes control of their lives, even presumptuously suggesting they change the unborn baby's name from Fern to Laurie. Once the baby is born, Belinda has to take care of her newborn AND an incontinent, condescending biddy while her husband is at work as a public defender. 

The Front Room is directed by Max and Sam Eggers, brother of the incredibly talented Robert Eggers. However, this film is...er...not as good as Robert's films. Not by a long shot. Hunter's performance as Solange is amusing at first, but quickly grows tiresome. The movie is marketed as a horror film, but it's more gross (see the incontinence mentioned above) and cringe than scary. I really can't recommend it unless you have a morbid curiosity. Brandy deserved better than this!

Grade: C

***

Mothers' Instinct

A melodramatic thriller directed by Benoit Delhomme about a friendship between two mid-twentieth century women that turns deadly. 

Anne Hathaway is Celine Jennings and Jessica Chastain is Alice Bradford--two picture-perfect wives and mothers in 1960 suburban America. When a tragic accident occurs, their friendship sours...and then goes off the rails completely.

I won't spoil anything, but this definitely isn't a film you need to see unless you love the lead actresses (and, to be fair, who doesn't?) or love soapy melodramas. Mothers' Instinct is essentially a more polished Lifetime movie with star power. 

Uh, that's it. That's the review. 

Grade: B-