Mother’s Day (2016)

Directed by: Garry Marshall | 117 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Britt Robertson, Jason Sudeikis, Sarah Chalke, Timothy Olyphant, Shay Mitchell, Margo Martindale, Caleb Brown, Jack Whitehall, Brandon Spink, Matthew Walker, Hector Elizondo, Aasif Mandvi, Robert Pine, Ella Anderson, Jessi Case, Loni Love, Lucy Walsh, Beth Kennedy, Brittany Belt, Grayson Russell

Garry Marshall seemed to complete a checklist in the last few years before his death in 2016: after ‘Valentine’s Day’ (2010) and ‘New Year’s Eve’ (2011), he made another film about a holiday in the year of his death, namely ‘Mother’s Day’. As with those previous films, the concept is the same: countless storylines are intertwined, with one overarching theme: Mother’s Day in this case.

And as with the aforementioned titles, ‘Mother’s Day’ also had half Hollywood on set, because Marshall liked to surround himself with famous stars. Not every big star gets to do the same, but lovers of Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Jason Sudeikis will get their money’s worth.

Not every storyline is equally strong or fascinating and a lot of effort has obviously been made to cover all kinds of variants of family situations or compositions: Aniston’s character is divorced, but still has feelings for her ex, until he confesses to having remarried, with a very young woman. She doesn’t like the way this new flame squeezes into the lives of her two sons and there are lessons to be learned for both ladies. Aniston’s friend Jesse (Kate Hudson) is happily married, but is afraid to tell her parents because her partner is Indian. Jesse’s sister Gabi (Sarah Chalke) also lies about her relationship, she is married to a woman… And then there is the widower, who in the run-up to Mother’s Day suddenly has to deal with typical teenage girl things from his eldest daughter. The last important story element is that of the unmarried couple Kristin (Britt Robertson) and Zack (Jack Whitehall), who have just had a daughter. Adopted as a baby, Kristin is looking for her biological mother. Zack really wants to marry Kristin, but Kristin is still unsure…

The storyline with the two sisters is the most over the top and the jokes made in these clips are racist and not funny. The makers think they can get away with it because you can hate the characters who make the racist comments, but that doesn’t work for one meter. The most endearing story is the one with the young couple and Zack is genuinely funny (that he’s trying to break through as a standup comedian certainly helps).

‘Mother’s Day’ is more palatable than the cringe-inducing ‘New Year’s Eve’, but it cannot be counted among the best of Marshall’s films. For those who like to watch a light film with soap elements, filled with attractive people and with a successful joke here and there, ‘Mother’s Day’ is doable. For film buffs who prefer something more original and who prefer not to be able to draw out in advance how a story will end, it is better to look for something else.