Motherhood (film)
Encyclopedia
Motherhood is a 2009 independent
comedy-drama film
written and directed by Katherine Dieckmann
and starring Uma Thurman
.
's West Village, a mother's (Uma Thurman
) dilemmas of marriage, work, and self are shown in the trials and tribulations of one pivotal day.
The two films were part of a coordinated effort by iDeal Partners to reduce the risk in investing in film production during the late-2000s recession; they were pre-sold to foreign distributors, cast with "commercially-tested actors" and took advantage of U.S. state tax incentives that encouraged film production. Both also premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. As of January 2009, Jana Edelbaum, co-founder of iDeal Partners, was predicting "at least a 15 percent return for her investors and – if something big happens with Motherhood or Arlen Faber – as much as 40 percent."
apartments on the same floor of a West Village building, with one apartment for the bedrooms, and the other containing a kitchen, office and living room. In the film; Thurman's character "lives in [literally the] same building, in a bisected apartment." Filming took place in New York City starting in May 2008 and lasting about 25 days.
.
In March 2010, the film's British premiere was confined to a single London
cinema: the Apollo Piccadilly Circus
. The box office gross was £9 on its opening night and £88 on its opening weekend; only eleven viewers purchased a ticket, with only one person attending its first showing. Veteran film critic Barry Norman
said "It's a reasonable assumption that there was a marketing and advertising catastrophe, and people didn't know it was showing."
gave the film a positive review, with approximately the same percentage (3 of 15) of its "top critics" doing so; it holds a 20% 'rotten' rating, with the consensus "Despite Uma Thurman
's comic skills, Motherhoods contrived set-ups and cliched jokes keep this comedy from delivering laughs -- or insights into modern parenting." In October 2009, Roger Ebert
gave the film two stars out of four, saying the film is "billed as a comedy, but at no point will you require oxygen. There are some smiles and chuckles and a couple of actual laughs, but the overall effect is underwhelming"; Thurman is "doing her best with a role that may offer her less than any other in her career, even though she's constantly onscreen." A. O. Scott
said Thurman's character is "scattered, ambivalent, flaky and inconsistent – all of which is fine, and energetically conveyed by Ms. Thurman. But what are tolerable quirks in a person can be deadly to a narrative, and Ms. Dieckmann, trying for observational nuance, descends into trivia and wishful thinking....The humor is soft, the dramas are small, and the movie stumbles from loose and scruffy naturalism to sitcom tidiness."
The Times
observed that while Motherhood was only the second-worst flop in British cinematic history; the film that beat it to that honor, the 2007 My Nikifor, which "took £7 on its launch ... was a small independent effort rather than a £3m Hollywood production [like Motherhood]."
Thurman won two awards at the Boston Film Festival
, one for Best Actress for her work in Motherhood and an out-of-competition Film Excellence Award for her career accomplishments.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
comedy-drama film
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...
written and directed by Katherine Dieckmann
Katherine Dieckmann
Katherine Dieckmann is a film and music video director known for her work with R.E.M. and the feature films Good Baby and Diggers.-Music video filmography:*"Shiny Happy People" by R.E.M.*"Stand" by R.E.M.*"Your Ghost" by Kristin Hersh...
and starring Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
.
Plot
In New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's West Village, a mother's (Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
) dilemmas of marriage, work, and self are shown in the trials and tribulations of one pivotal day.
Cast
- Uma ThurmanUma ThurmanUma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
as Eliza Welsh, the married mother of two - Minnie DriverMinnie DriverMinnie Driver is an English actress and singer-songwriter. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, as well as for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her work in the television series The Riches.- Early life...
as Sheila, her best friend - Anthony EdwardsAnthony EdwardsAnthony Charles Edwards is an American actor and director. He has appeared in various movies and television shows, including Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Top Gun, Zodiac, Revenge of the Nerds, Northern Exposure and ER.-Early life:Edwards was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Erika...
as Avery, her husband
Production
Motherhood and Arlen Faber (later renamed The Answer Man) were a pair of films independently financed and produced by the New York City-based iDeal Partners Film Fund.The two films were part of a coordinated effort by iDeal Partners to reduce the risk in investing in film production during the late-2000s recession; they were pre-sold to foreign distributors, cast with "commercially-tested actors" and took advantage of U.S. state tax incentives that encouraged film production. Both also premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. As of January 2009, Jana Edelbaum, co-founder of iDeal Partners, was predicting "at least a 15 percent return for her investors and – if something big happens with Motherhood or Arlen Faber – as much as 40 percent."
Inspiration
The writer/director's "real life was the inspiration for the film"; Dieckmann's home consists of two rent-stabilizedRent control in New York
Rent control in New York refers to rent control and rent stabilization programs in New York State, USA. Each city may choose whether to participate or not, and , 51 municipalities participated in the program, including Albany, Buffalo and most famously, New York City, where over one million...
apartments on the same floor of a West Village building, with one apartment for the bedrooms, and the other containing a kitchen, office and living room. In the film; Thurman's character "lives in [literally the] same building, in a bisected apartment." Filming took place in New York City starting in May 2008 and lasting about 25 days.
Release
Motherhood received a limited North American release in October 2009 by Freestyle ReleasingFreestyle Releasing
Freestyle Releasing is an independent film studio founded in 2003, specializing in helping other people/companies to release their films theatrically for getting distribution fees...
.
In March 2010, the film's British premiere was confined to a single London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
cinema: the Apollo Piccadilly Circus
Apollo Cinemas
Apollo Cinemas is a locally focused, independently owned multiplex cinema operator in the United Kingdom. Its stated mission is to welcome, engage and delight local audiences with a variety of onscreen entertainment and well designed, comfortable cinemas...
. The box office gross was £9 on its opening night and £88 on its opening weekend; only eleven viewers purchased a ticket, with only one person attending its first showing. Veteran film critic Barry Norman
Barry Norman
Barry Leslie Norman, CBE is a British novelist, impresario, film critic and media personality. He was the BBC film critic on television from 1972 to 1998.-Early life:...
said "It's a reasonable assumption that there was a marketing and advertising catastrophe, and people didn't know it was showing."
Reception
The film received generally negative reviews; only 10 out of 39 critics sampled by 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...
gave the film a positive review, with approximately the same percentage (3 of 15) of its "top critics" doing so; it holds a 20% 'rotten' rating, with the consensus "Despite Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
's comic skills, Motherhoods contrived set-ups and cliched jokes keep this comedy from delivering laughs -- or insights into modern parenting." In October 2009, Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film two stars out of four, saying the film is "billed as a comedy, but at no point will you require oxygen. There are some smiles and chuckles and a couple of actual laughs, but the overall effect is underwhelming"; Thurman is "doing her best with a role that may offer her less than any other in her career, even though she's constantly onscreen." A. O. Scott
A. O. Scott
Anthony Oliver Scott, known as A. O. Scott , is an American journalist and critic. He is a chief film critic for The New York Times, along with Manohla Dargis.-Background and education:...
said Thurman's character is "scattered, ambivalent, flaky and inconsistent – all of which is fine, and energetically conveyed by Ms. Thurman. But what are tolerable quirks in a person can be deadly to a narrative, and Ms. Dieckmann, trying for observational nuance, descends into trivia and wishful thinking....The humor is soft, the dramas are small, and the movie stumbles from loose and scruffy naturalism to sitcom tidiness."
The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
observed that while Motherhood was only the second-worst flop in British cinematic history; the film that beat it to that honor, the 2007 My Nikifor, which "took £7 on its launch ... was a small independent effort rather than a £3m Hollywood production [like Motherhood]."
Thurman won two awards at the Boston Film Festival
Boston Film Festival
Boston Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September....
, one for Best Actress for her work in Motherhood and an out-of-competition Film Excellence Award for her career accomplishments.