“Motherhood” begs the question asked by the mother of this trying comedy: “Why aren’t there any decent comedies about motherhood?” Writer-director Katherine Dieckmann, a former Village Voice contributor, says in her press notes: “My goal as a filmmaker is to explore the full dimensionality of my characters’ lives with as much humor and empathy as possible.” Maybe if she settled for exploring dimension instead of dimensionality, we would empathize more with Eliza Welch (Uma Thurman) and find more humor in her hectic family life. Dieckmann only asks that the leggy, uncombed Thurman deliver two degrees of frazzled and two gradations of flustered as she plans her daughter’s sixth birthday party in their rent-controlled walk-up. Tourists clog the sidewalk gawking at the exterior for “Seinfield” episodes, and a film crew takes up the parking spots in the West Village. As in “Julie & Julia,” a blog is Eliza’s portal to fulfillment. “I want to finish the laundry and a complex sentence,” she posts. “Is that too much to ask?” No, but it’s more than “Motherhood” can answer. With Anthony Edwards, Minnie Driver and Jodie Foster as a mom pestered by paparazzo. 90m. (Bill Stamets)
Ray Pride is Newcity’s Senior Editor and Film Critic. He is a contributing editor of Filmmaker magazine.
Ray’s history of Chicago Ghost Signs is planned for publication next year. Previews of the project are on Twitter and on Instagram. More photography on Instagram.
Heart: A Review of Soul The real world is soulful, too, in Pixar's bountiful life of the mind.
Seeing The Elephant: A Review Of Babylon The boisterous, brawling yet melancholy "Babylon," is a variation on film history, but more drawing for drama. It's gaudy and mean, celebratory and sorrowful.
Uncanny Ally: A Review Of M3GAN "M3GAN" sells itself in its first handful of seconds in how it introduces the handiwork of roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams, "Get Out") and her present product, PurrPetual Petz from Funki.
Spawn Sacrifice: A Review Of The Creator "The Creator" is richly detailed, punchy, pulpy, punkish entertainment that still has highly serious subjects in mind, without growing didactic and with substantial heart.
A Drag Getting Old: A Review Of Indiana Jones 5 In the protracted opening couple of reels, a very young, computer-crafted Harrison Ford plays a younger cultural marauder who first encounters the dull MacGuffin of the title.
Fine Line: A Review Of Shortcomings It's a season for the comeuppance of a curmudgeon in Randall Park's smart, biting "Shortcomings," adapted by Adrian Tomine from his graphic novel of the same name.
“Motherhood” begs the question asked by the mother of this trying comedy: “Why aren’t there any decent comedies about motherhood?” Writer-director Katherine Dieckmann, a former Village Voice contributor, says in her press notes: “My goal as a filmmaker is to explore the full dimensionality of my characters’ lives with as much humor and empathy as possible.” Maybe if she settled for exploring dimension instead of dimensionality, we would empathize more with Eliza Welch (Uma Thurman) and find more humor in her hectic family life. Dieckmann only asks that the leggy, uncombed Thurman deliver two degrees of frazzled and two gradations of flustered as she plans her daughter’s sixth birthday party in their rent-controlled walk-up. Tourists clog the sidewalk gawking at the exterior for “Seinfield” episodes, and a film crew takes up the parking spots in the West Village. As in “Julie & Julia,” a blog is Eliza’s portal to fulfillment. “I want to finish the laundry and a complex sentence,” she posts. “Is that too much to ask?” No, but it’s more than “Motherhood” can answer. With Anthony Edwards, Minnie Driver and Jodie Foster as a mom pestered by paparazzo. 90m. (Bill Stamets)
