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Just in time for Mothers Day and none too soon, Vince
Di Meglio's Smother is not exactly unequivocal accolades
for the mom in your life, nor is it Mommie Dearest packing
closet hangers. But there's a decided appreciation for the
woman who raised you, warts and all. And while certainly
not a spin on the less pleasant details in guiding you along
that slippery slope from birth to adulthood, there's quite
a bit of charming when not gross-lite damage control and
debriefing of an assortment of lingering childhood grudges.***
Diane Keaton is nutty when not nagging Marilyn, mother
of twentysomething Noah (Dax Shepard), a glum spouse who's
just been laid off from his job as a physical therapist
for not figuring out ways to overcharge the patients. Harboring
resentments from a childhood spent with a needy and nosy
in the extreme mother in the household, Noah has also been
avoiding sex with his wife Clare (Liv Tyler) because he
fears that particular repeat performance of raising depressed
and unforgiving tots of his own.***
Family dysfunction issues reach a boiling point when
Mom shows up one Hallowee night uninvited, accompanied by
her many dogs, and dressed as a jack-o'-lantern. It seems
that she suspects her husband of cheating, and has moved
out to live with her clearly displeased son for who knows
how long. Following a variety of additional assorted mayhem,
including mother and son simultaneously finding employment
at the same store and being summarily fired together, pet
peeves, canine and otherwise, are sort of resolved. And
with all parties concerned taking some blame in heartwarming
ways, for the usual Mommy blame game rampant on screen these
days.***
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