Mother (1996 film)
Encyclopedia
Mother is a 1996 comedy-drama film
directed by Albert Brooks
, and was co-written by Brooks with Monica Johnson. The film stars Brooks and Debbie Reynolds
.
) is a successful science fiction
writer who is finalizing his second divorce. Perplexed by the issues he has with women, John decides to initiate a project that will help him understand what went wrong in his relationships—he moves back in with his mother (Debbie Reynolds
), occupying the same bedroom he had as a child.
and Doris Day
. Day refused; Reagan loved the script and considered coming out of retirement for her first acting role in more than 40 years, but decided instead to stay home and care for her husband, Ronald Reagan
, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease
. Brooks then asked his good friend Carrie Fisher
if she could send the script to her mother, Debbie Reynolds
, who accepted the part.
areas, with additional shooting in San Francisco.
based on 41 reviews.
and the National Society of Film Critics
Award for Best Screenplay. Debbie Reynolds won a Golden Satellite Award
for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
directed by Albert Brooks
Albert Brooks
Albert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
, and was co-written by Brooks with Monica Johnson. The film stars Brooks and Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
.
Plot
John Henderson (Albert BrooksAlbert Brooks
Albert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
) is a successful science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer who is finalizing his second divorce. Perplexed by the issues he has with women, John decides to initiate a project that will help him understand what went wrong in his relationships—he moves back in with his mother (Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
), occupying the same bedroom he had as a child.
Cast
- Albert BrooksAlbert BrooksAlbert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
as John Henderson - Debbie ReynoldsDebbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
as Beatrice Henderson - Laura Weeks as Karen Henderson
- Rob MorrowRob MorrowRobert Alan "Rob" Morrow is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Don Eppes on Numb3rs and as Dr. Joel Fleischman on Northern Exposure, a role which garnered him three Golden Globes and two Emmy Award nominations for "Best Actor in a Dramatic Series."-Personal life:Morrow was born in...
as Jeff Henderson - Isabel GlasserIsabel GlasserIsabel Glasser is an American actress who has starred in the movies Forever Young, Pure Country and the Law & Order franchise.-External links:...
as Cheryl Henderson - Danielle Quinn as Jill Henderson
- Spencer Klein as Josh Henderson
- Paul CollinsPaul Collins (actor)-Filmography:Film*Evan Almighty as Congressman Stamp*Peter Pan as John Darling*Midnight Lace as Kevin*Without A Trace as Reporter*Funny About Love as Bill Hatcher*Guilty by Suspicion as Bernard*For Richer, For Poorer as Stuart...
as the lawyer - John C. McGinleyJohn C. McGinleyJohn Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
as Carl - Vanessa A. WilliamsVanessa A. WilliamsVanessa A. Williams is an American actress who has appeared in several television series such as Melrose Place and the Showtime cable television series Soul Food. In 1996, she was featured in the television series Murder One...
as Donna - Lisa KudrowLisa KudrowLisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...
as Linda - Anne HaneyAnne HaneyAnne Haney was an American actress, perhaps best known for her roles as social worker Mrs. Sellner in Mrs. Doubtfire, Greta the secretary in Liar Liar, and for her unique, low-octave voice.-Career:...
as Helen - Billye Ree Wallace as Alice
- Peter WhitePeter WhitePeter White, PC was a Canadian parliamentarian.White was born into a family that had established its homestead at the junction of the Muskrat and Ottawa Rivers where the town of Pembroke, Ontario was soon established...
as Charles - James GleasonJames GleasonJames Austin Gleason was an American actor born in New York City. He was also a playwright and screenwriter.-Career:...
as a waiter - Ernie LivelyErnie LivelyErnie Lively is an American actor.Lively was born Ernest W. Brown in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1979, he married talent manager Elaine Lively and took her name. They are the parents of actors Blake Lively and Eric Lively, and he is stepfather of her children from her previous marriage Lori Lively,...
as the man at the rest stop - Matt NolanMatt NolanMatt Nolan is an American actor and singer and a contestant for the role of "Danny" on the televised Grease: You're the One that I Want! competition. He is playing Danny in the 2010-2011 National Tour of Grease. The 2010-2011 national tour of the new Broadway production of Grease will launch in...
as a GapGap-General:* Gap , a spacing between large trees in a forest* Gap , a mountain pass, often carved by a river* Gap year, a prolonged period between a life stage-Places:* Gap, Hautes-Alpes, France* Gap, Pennsylvania, United States...
salesman - Harry Hutchinson as a pet store salesman
- Kimiko GelmanKimiko GelmanKimiko Gelman American actress.Gelman is best known for starring in the television series Rags to Riches from 1987 to 1988, where she played the role of Rose...
as a saleswoman at Victoria's Secret - Richard Assad and Joey Naber as TV installers
- Rosalind AllenRosalind AllenRosalind Allen is a New Zealand-born actress best known for her portrayal Doctor Wendy Smith on seaQuest DSV's second season.-Early life:...
as the woman at the gas station
Production
Brooks wanted a famous actress from the 1950s to play the role of Mother, and originally offered the role to retired actresses Nancy ReaganNancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
and Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
. Day refused; Reagan loved the script and considered coming out of retirement for her first acting role in more than 40 years, but decided instead to stay home and care for her husband, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. Brooks then asked his good friend Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
if she could send the script to her mother, Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
, who accepted the part.
Filming
Mother was filmed on location in and around the Sausalito, Greenbrae, and TiburonTiburon
Tiburon may refer to:Places* Tiburon, California* Tiburón Golf Club Naples, Florida* Tiburón Island, an island in the Gulf of California* Tiburon Peninsula, a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area of California...
areas, with additional shooting in San Francisco.
Critical reception
Mother received mostly positive reviews from critics and currently holds a 90% rating on review aggragator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 41 reviews.
Box office
Mother became the highest-grossing Brooks-directed film to date, with a total of $19.1 million earned at the box-office.Accolades
It also won the most awards of the films which Brooks has directed. Brooks and co-writer Monica Mcgowan Johnson won the New York Film Critics Circle AwardNew York Film Critics Circle Awards
New York Film Critics' Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. It is considered one of the most important precursors to the Academy Awards....
and the National Society of Film Critics
National Society of Film Critics
The National Society of Film Critics is an American film critic organization. As of December 2007 the NSFC had approximately 60 members who wrote for a variety of weekly and daily newspapers.-History:...
Award for Best Screenplay. Debbie Reynolds won a Golden Satellite Award
Satellite Awards
The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1950...
.