Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Mother's Day Blu-ray Movie Review

Grisly visuals and a mostly flat story yield a serviceable Terror flick.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 10, 2012

Momma's comin'.

Foreclosures are tough on everyone: the people who lose their house, the people who live around a foreclosed house, and now, Mother's Day shows that buying a foreclosed house can be hell, too. Director Darren Lynn Bousman's (Saw IV) remake/re-imagining of an old Troma picture of the same name (seriously? People are now remaking Troma? What's next, a remake of The Asylum's 2-Headed Shark Attack?) delivers gore aplenty and a few thrills and spills and chills, and it's a step up to be sure from the typical ultra-low-budget Z-grade splatter pictures that infamously define the typical Troma experience. The new Mother's Day enjoys a solid, polished, moderately-budgeted look and feel, casting a few "names" and playing with a smooth purpose as it tells -- and graphically shows -- a story of robbery, confusion, anger, hate, bitterness, murder, self-defense, and revenge. But even as it severely deteriorates its characters both inside and out, the story never much excels beyond a generic, shallow Home Invasion-styled motif that hinders the picture from achieving excellence but at least allows it to remain as a halfway entertaining gore-fest.

Mother knows best.

Three deadly bank robbers -- Ike (Patrick Flueger), Addley (Warren Kole), and Johnny (Matt O'Leary) -- have returned home following a daring bank robbery gone wrong. Their accomplice has gotten away with all the money, one of the brothers has been severely wounded, and their world is crumbling around them. They enter the home only to find that it's not as they remember it. It seems it's been remodeled or sold. Either way, they're there now, and it's as good a place as any to stay low and wait for their mother (Rebecca De Mornay) and sister Lydia (Deborah Ann Woll) to arrive and help settle the situation. Matters are complicated when the brothers discover a handful of partiers in the basement, including new homeowners Daniel (Frank Grillo) and Beth (Jaime King) Sohapi. What was for the Sohapi's and their guests a relaxing evening turns quickly into a nightmare. The brothers are deadly serious about keeping their new hostages in line, and with mother's arrival, it's a whole new ballgame. With the authorities closing in and the outlaws in need of quick cash to secure their escape, they go to any lengths to get what they need from the new homeowners and their most unfortunate guests.

Mother's Day will more than satisfy gore aficionados but might not quite appeal to those more inclined to watch a Thriller for story and character development, not simply gore and violence. To be sure, Mother's Day does its best "real Thriller" impersonation, constructing a rather convoluted and complex backstory -- or, better said, series of backstories -- that all come to a head the closer towards the climax the film moves. Unfortunately, it's all rather scattered. Revelations come left and right and sometimes at breakneck speed. Complex affairs are sorted out on hunches and instinct, it seems, as much as through fact and hard revelation. Yet for all of the hubbub that works its way into the plot, much of it seems for naught as the picture never quite manages to build up most of its characters to a satisfying level. One problem is that there's too many of them -- the more the merrier for violent fun, the more the less time the picture has to adequately shape them -- and it seems everyone has something to hide or negatively contribute, be it knowingly or accidentally, to the greater game. The movie never seems to quite settle down, either visually or thematically. The hard violence is met with rapid-fire revelation, the latter of which really only works for one character.

That character, no surprise, is "mother." Here deliciously portrayed by a freaky (in a good sort of way) Rebecca De Mornay, the character scrapes on the audience's nerves and crawls under its skin. She's one of the more diabolical villains in recent memory, yet also one of the more endearing. The performance uncannily captures the raw Jekyll-and-Hyde persona with remarkable clarity. De Mornay perfectly blends together kindly motherly instincts and even a glimpse of goodness with unspeakable evil and a mind made for pain and despair, which she often hides behind bright eyes and a big smile. Never has terror looked so friendly and warm as it does here. De Mornay's ability to mesh the psychotic with the caring motherly instinct is easily the film's best asset, just ahead of its boundary-pushing violence. Mother's Day shows in gruesome detail the after-effects of shooting, stabbing, smashing, burning, melting, and any number of other grotesque treatments of the human body. The movie's absolutely ruthless, and the juxtaposition between the violence and the almost charismatic and charming mother really pushes the movie well ahead of what it really is. Add an occasional real sense of fear and panic -- on both sides of the situation -- and the movie adequately masks its thematic shortcomings and rounds itself into a serviceable Thriller that might lack the absolute white-knuckle, edge-of-seat tension of the best the genre has to offer but that still delivers the goods on a base level.

Mother's Day Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mother's Day features a consistent and satisfying 1080p Blu-ray transfer. It's certainly not at the top of the picture quality heap -- it rarely "pops" and occasionally offers a flat, soft appearance -- but if anything the image is very technically sound. The image retains a natural light grain structure, providing a true film-like texturing that only accentuates fine details. Viewers will see suitably natural facial and clothing details, while general objects around the house appear nicely defined and film-accurate. It does have a light softness to it, at times, and one could not rightly call it "razor sharp," yet in the whole this is a quality presentation. Colors, like the detailing, never quite ascend to the level of high definition brilliance, but balance is true and various shades appear consistently steady in presentation, even as the movie favors a slightly dark and warm tone. However, viewers will note De Mornay's blue eyes standing out in every scene in which she appears. Black levels are solid and skin tones are reflective of light sources. There are no major blemishes of which to speak. Mother's Day isn't a go-to transfer for high definition brilliance, but this is a steady, film-accurate presentation that will satisfy casual viewers and videophiles alike.

Mother's Day Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mother's Day slashes onto Blu-ray with a sound Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. As is the case with the video presentation, this one doesn't really stand out from the crowd, but it's technically accurate and aurally satisfying. There's little in terms of raw atmosphere, but listeners will feel as if a bystander in a hospital where an alarm klaxon rings out and penetrates the listening area clearly and realistically. Scenes of easygoing revelry in the basement before the invasion immerse the listener in the room, whether chatter and laughter or music, all of which fill the soundstage with ease. Music throughout the picture enjoys a naturally fine presence, good spacing, acceptable clarity, and a capable low end. However, bass devolves into rattly, unkempt vibrations at the very bottom end. Gunshots ring out with some volume, but sound far from real-life accurate, particularly considering those shots emanating within a closed-in environment. Listeners will rightly squirm at a high-pitched sound during the "ear attack" scene. The bulk of the picture is constructed by dialogue, however, and delivery is steady and true through the center channel. The track's biggest downfall are those unrealistic gunshots, but everything else is in good order, resulting in a solid audio presentation from Anchor Bay.

Mother's Day Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Mother's Day contains only one supplement, an audio commentary track with Director Darren Lynn Bousman and Actor Shawn Ashmore. The commentators deliver a standard commentary, speaking on shooting locales, cast chemistry and the work of the actors including De Mornay's performance, the history of the project, stories from the set -- including a run-in with the police following a case of mistaken identity -- edits and changes from the original script, influences and outside ideas, and more. Fans will find some value in this commentary.

Mother's Day Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mother's Day cuts to the bone as deeply as any Thriller out there. It's ultra-violent but lacks the absolute tension and terror of the genre's best. It's more about the violence than the people who make or suffer through the violence, despite an effort to the contrary. The number of characters cuts down on the opportunity for superior development, and with so many interconnections and revelations it all tends to jumble together and get lost in the abundance of chaos and bloodshed. The cast is adequate, but Rebecca De Mornay shines in her portrayal of one sick and twisted character who's as outwardly pleasant as she is inwardly evil. Mother's Day doesn't redefine its genre, but it settles in comfortably as a midlevel picture with lots of gore to share with its viewers. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Mother's Day features fine video and audio but contains only one extra. Casual viewers will be best served with a rental, but genre aficionados and fans of the film can feel safe in making a purchase.