Anne Reid's performance as May, the mother, in this film is perhaps one of the finest female performances of the last decade. She played May who with her husband visit their adult children in London from the suburbs. When they get there, her husband who is already not well dies. May doesn't want to return to her old life alone in the suburbs. She returns to London although a lukewarm situation. Her daughter-in-law, Helen, was not happy and her daughter, Paula, needs a babysitter. Her son, Bobby, is busy with work. In the duration, May befriends Darren played by Daniel Craig. As the movie progresses, we see May and Darren's friendship turn into something more. Darren and May begin off as kindred spirits even though he's in a relationship with May's daughter, Paula, an aspiring writer/teacher with a son, Jack. The film slowly unravels May's character as a simple widow like peeling onion layer by layer. Still, Anne Reid's performance deserved an Academy Award nomination for this performance.

The Mother is a solid and well made film that tackles a taboo subject in a relationship movie context. It revolves around its title character, a grandmother, getting involved in her daughters affairs (well, that's one way of putting it.) and the fall out of her actions.To me, these sorts of films (of the indie melodrama kind) are probably best used as a showcase for the talent involved, a vehicle for actors and directors to make an interesting film, a film that would receive high critical praise, but not a film that people would fall in love with so much as to watch on a regular basis. To that end, The Mother succeeds very well, the acting and its partly controversial subject matter making it stand out from the competition.Though I found it compelling viewing, especially from an acting standpoint, I would have liked a better ending to lift the film to an even higher level, but taken as it is, if you want a slow burning, well acted, family drama, this will do rather nicely.

As part of the celebration of the release of Casino Royale, this film with the new Bond starring in it was shown, from director Roger Michell (Notting Hill). I almost turned it off for being a bit boring, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Basically May (Anne Reid) is a single mother of Helen (Anna Wilson-Jones) who hardly sees anyone and has not had a boyfriend in years. Her daughter says that she might want to get married to her new boyfriend, Darren (Daniel Craig, of course). After knowing each other only a few days, May and Darren have a secret affair. And at her age, with a 30-something, and the new Bond?! Anyway, they obviously want to keep it a secret, but May has regrets and wonders if Helen will find out. When she does, Darren gets less hassle than May. In fact, Helen asks her permission to hit her. Also starring Peter Vaughan as Toots, Danira Govich as Au Pair, Harry Michell as Harry, Rosie Michell as Rosie and Johnny English's Oliver Ford Davies as Bruce. Very good!

I tuned in to this movie with the hope of discovering some overlooked gem, a character-study dealing with family relations and dealing with an under-represented subject matter: romance and sexuality among older individuals. Instead, unfortunately, I was left feeling as if I'd just watched a remake of "A Doll's House" written by Darren Star. The performances are strong, but the pacing is excruciatingly slow and the characters are thoroughly unappealing -- mainly selfish, self-absorbed, petty and bitter. The plot concerns a mature (age-wise, anyway), recent widow who falls in love with her neurotic daughter's sleazy, married boyfriend. The widow, feeling she's lead an "unlived" life, is rejuvenated by her much younger lover while the daughter, who feels mum never encouraged her as a child, struggles with the same man who's reluctant to leave his wife. It all comes out, of course, and daughter reacts violently (a disturbing scene) and tosses mum out. Now, I suppose there's intended symbolism with the lover being a handyman renovating the son's house -- but it seems off that it would be the son's house and neither the sister/daughter's or mum's. Anyway, a true clock-ticker and, as with Ibsen, we end with mum leaving her home for good.