Is there something Jennifer Lopez can’t do?
It’s always inspiring when a woman is the lead in a thriller-action movie, especially when she’s a complex character ready to fight everything and everyone for keeping her daughter safe. If the movie is an action drama, though the action aspect needs to be excellent, sadly many movies with this kind of content miss their goal, remember Lou?
Jennifer Lopez plays the mother, her character is only known by this name, a military-trained sniper who is forced to leave her newborn daughter, Zoe, in the care of strangers after being attacked while pregnant, and while in the custody of the FBI. She retreats to the frozen wilds of Alaska to live out her days in solitude. When Zoe’s life is threatened by the same people who came after her 12 years earlier, the mother decides to come out of hiding and protect the daughter she left behind. That means taking out assailants with a sniper rifle, snowmobile chases through the backcountry, a mother-daughter survival training montage, and much more.
Lopez stars alongside Gael García Bernal, Joseph Fiennes, Paul Raci, Omari Hardwick, and Lucy Paez, who plays her estranged kid Zoe.
The Mother is a classic, cliché thriller action movie with a deep and emotional mother’s love theme at its core. The love the mother has for her daughter is palpable since her attack in the shower, only for her daughter‘s safety she decides to give up her parental rights. When Zoe, a teenager now, is in danger she doesn’t hesitate, she needs to protect her at all costs.
The action scenes represent one of the main problems, they don’t stand out, nothing new or engaging, they are quite generic typical of so many B action movies. They completely lack tension.
What really strikes is the emotional and sentimental theme in this thriller. Lopez has an amazing chemistry with Paez, who did an incredible job. Their scenes together, especially those in the icing wilderness are the most effective in witnessing their relationship grow and solidify
Lopez is the only reason to watch this movie, she is carrying it on her shoulders almost only by herself. She was impressive, convincing and gives an emotional performance, giving facets and depth to her character. She should do more thriller or drama compared to the many rom-coms we are so used to seeing her in.
Worth mentioning the movie is too long, almost two hours for something that should have been 90 minutes.
The Mother is a watchable movie, good but not great. The story had potential but falls into the typical thriller- drama cliché. The most memorable parts are the mother-daughter scenes, Lopez’s role, and the maternal love theme, at the heart of the whole film.
The Mother is an action drama film directed by Niki Caro with a screenplay by Misha Green, Andrea Berloff, and Peter Craig, from a story by Green.
Duration 115’
The Mother premieres on May 12, 2023.
CAST
- Jennifer Lopez as The Mother
- Lucy Paez as Zoe
- Omari Hardwick as William Cruise
- Joseph Fiennes as Adrian Lovell
- Gael García Bernal as Hector Alvarez
- Paul Raci as Jons
- Jesse Garcia as Tarantula
- Yvonne Senat Jones as Sonya
- Edie Falco as SAIC Eleanor Williams
