By Karen Chutsky
"Mother’s Day" is a somewhat light hearted look at life’s heart-burn inducing relationships that come to a head for three friends, who are mothers, and their mothers, right around their hallowed Mother’s Day celebrations.
Here's the synopsis: Sandy (Jennifer Aniston) thinks she’s happily divorced, until she finds out her ex-husband (Timothy Olyphant) found the ‘one’ and eloped with the way-younger beauty who is getting annoyingly close to Sandy’s two boys. And she’s not quite ready to share her men.
Two sisters, Jesse (Kate Hudson) and Gabi (Sara Chalke), are stunned by a surprise visit from their Texas redneck parents (fun acting Veterans Robert Pine and Margo Martindale) who go bonkers, literally, when they find out Jesse is married to an Indian doctor and their grandson has skin the color of hazelnut shells, while Gabi is married to another woman. Let’s just say the politically in-correct wisecracks abound at this family re-union.
Kristin (Britt Robertson) is enjoying life as a new mother but is feeling pressure from her ultra-loveable boyfriend to get married. But she will not be ready until she cleans the slate with her real mother who gave her up for adoption as a baby, or in other words, in her mind, threw her away. That secret mom — Miranda (Julia Roberts) a Home Shopping diva host — gets the surprise of her life when Kristen shows up on her doorstep, or Home Shopping TV set, in order to get her life in order so she can tie the knot to comedian boyfriend (Jack Whitehall-a real English comedian), and of course father of her child (whose such a cool guy he makes the baby part of his stand-up act), with a clearer self-image.
The other side of this quadrangle is Bradley (Sudeikis), father of two, trying hard to be the best parent for his two girls since their mom passed away a year earlier, however his idea of Mother’s Day is pretending it doesn't exist at all. Facing the memories are too painful.
What I like about this film is no one takes themselves too seriously and in the end, everyone gets the monkey off their back, just makes amends, and gets on with life. A “hey let’s all meet halfway and turn lemons into lemonade” attitude that makes all the angst they were going through seem a bit overdone. The writer’s resounding point- when faced with divorce or widower-hood, at some point you’ve just got to move on, become a perennial in the garden of love, ready to bloom again or you’re going to wither.
Okay it’s kind of sappy and predictable, but also kind-of-a-charming-romp through the wrinkles of ordinary life, that keep cropping up.
In a 100 flavor world Jennifer Aniston seems to be the plain vanilla gal that is always the comforting choice.
The adorable angst ridden pixie Britt Robertson made a wonderful combo with Jack Whitehall’s goofy loveable I’ll-do-anything-for-you-baby comic relief.
Kate Hudson is like one of those white daisies that pops up in between the greyed sidewalk slabs that you can’t help but find lovely.
Jason Sudeikis, maybe plain vanilla with a few sprinkles.
Julia Roberts plays this role as a Julia Roberts-iconic star cocktail over ice.
Karen Chutsky is a Lucerne Valley writer and cartoonist. To see her reviews, visit www.themovieladyreviews.com.