By Michael Lyons
No one combines cynicism and heart better than Albert Brooks. The comedian has written, directed, and starred in several hilarious films that balance his shrewd perspective on the world with a warmth that slowly builds to the surface throughout the story.
Nowhere is this more on display than in his 1996 comedy Mother, the story of a middle-aged novelist who moves back in with his mom.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of this film (released on December 25, 1996). With Mother's Day approaching this weekend, there's no better time to celebrate this sharply written and underappreciated comedy.
In Mother, Brooks plays John Henderson, a successful science fiction writer on the verge of his second divorce. Wondering why he has had such difficulties with relationships in his life, John decides to experiment: he will move back in with his widowed mother, Beatrice (Debbie Reynolds).
Staying in his childhood bedroom, John hopes that the time with Beatrice will strengthen their relationship and allow him to discover more about himself.
Of course, there is discord between the two: Beatrice, in her demure and sweet way, is critical of John, as she "re-discovers" him, now that they're spending so much time together. John is just driven plain crazy by this.
These smaller, slice-of-life scenes are where we find the majority of laughs in Mother.
When Beatrice offers her son sherbet that has passed its expiration date, John informs her: "You're running a food museum here!"
John and his mother meet up with Beatrice's neighbor in the supermarket. Beatrice introduces John as a writer but notes: "He hasn't written anything in a while, but he's working on a new book."
"Thanks for the intro, mother," grumbles John.
A scene where Beatrice struggles with her phone's call waiting feature is brilliantly hysterical.
Mother even features a "re-boot" of the iconic Simon and Garfunkle song, "Mrs. Robinson," from The Graduate, here sung by Paul Simon, with new lyrics: "Here's to you, Mrs. Henderson, your grown son is moving back today..."
Brooks' trademark, observational humor not only sheds light on the everyday things that seemingly pass us by but on the relationships between John and Beatrice.
Debbie Reynolds, starring here in her first acting role in over 40 years, was robbed of an Oscar nomination for Mother. Walking the tightrope of both adversary and advocate for her son, Reynolds creates a character who is instantly likable and memorable when she's on-screen. She proves why she's a movie legend and still missed to this day.
Through the laughs and pathos, Mother is a film about why no matter how critical, crazy or imperfect they may seem, we need our family as our support system in our lives.
Happy Mother's Day!
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