The Mother (2023) 

The-Mother-(2023)-
The Mother (2023) 

The “movie star,” or that enigma who has the ability to illuminate the room with his presence such that everyone is pulled into them, is on the verge of extinction. Jennifer Lopez happens to be a movie star of epic proportions who is the on-screen counterpart of an ultra-rare snow leopard. Lopez can effortlessly take over a film and her newest work, “The Mother,” is fortunate to have her. 

But the film “The Mother” by Niki Caro, who also directed Mulan, and the Underground Misha Greens team of screenwriters would sink like a rock without a star cast for their Netflix movies. They more than serve the purpose of functioning when there is a desire to do some cleaning or reply to some emails. Since the spy-movie setup is sometimes just generic enough for multitasking, inferring their motives becomes easy, but still not detail driven which is what the plot does not call for. 

Watching “The Mother” with the critics via this immersive setup provides a more enjoyable experience in comparison to watch Lope fix Holocast engineering. The same methodology makes critiquing the other parts of the Paint by Number plot in a theater much more enjoyable.

These are but some unusual formal choices that are equally intriguing in this version: the recurring visual motif of wide-angle shots with blurred edges and certain odd jumpy edits that seem to compensate for what cohesive coverage does not exist on set. 

But it also means a more fulsome depiction of the film’s wide ranging locations such us the remote beauty of Tlingit Bay Alaska, the blistering existence of Havana, and, uh, Cincinnati Ohio. (Every spy has to have a blot where they lie low for a while.) More intimately, it’s more square footage for Lopez’s relentless pursuit of the spotlight. 

More often than not, that billion-dollar mug is set into an illusion of languid removal in “The Mother,” which starts with an unnamed FBI informant (Lopez) and her handler Cruise (Omari Hardwick) severely injured in an ambush at the makeshift Indiana FBI safe house. The informant soon assumes the identity of The Mother, an ex-spy who gets pregnant and while recuperating at a civilian hospital after surgery for her wounds is forced to give a child up for adoption. She has two options: Either escape with the infant and stay on the run forever or sign over her parental rights so her daughter can have a normal life. She chooses the latter.

She does not personally endorse the idea of committing herself emotionally, nevertheless. Zoe is ever hopeful that one day, her past will help shape the life of young Zoe (Lucy Paez). Simultaneously, The Mother is informed that it’s time to act. Shortly after Zoe’s 12th birthday, Jons (Paul Raci), one of The Mother’s acquaintances, arrives at her recently secluded cabin in Alaska with an alarming message: Zoe is in peril. 

Lopez transits from thrillers to horrors while managing to add some level of intelligence to every scene and with her being a choreographer, this elicits a feeling of laughter. Similar to how one feels in “Hustlers,” so too, does one feel in “The Mother. Indeed, much of the weight rests on Lopez’s shoulders. In her action sequences, Lopez is significantly more captivating than what the casting of Lopez as a pole dancer would ever imply. She swings fists in knife hand-to-hand counters, leaps roof to roof in a city foot chase, and even when she rolls her torso over the edge of a building to load and aim a sniper rifle, she’s stunned. 

As Zoe and her mom journey into the wilderness, it’s not all about fun. Rather, the actively fun bonding time precedes the heavy action finale of the movie.

‘The Mother’ has a running time of 115 minutes, which some may consider excessive. But it’s difficult to decide what scenes should be deleted. In her quieter moments, Lopez is quite effective as the tough mentor, and her young co-star Paez is also convincing as the pouting student.

What would have improved the film is having more of those moments, which were genuine unlike the comic book-style villains Joseph Fiennes and Gael Garcia Bernal play. We’re told that either man could be Zoe’s father, but it is their obsession with The Mother that drives the rest of the narrative. Get in line, fellas.

For More Movies Like The Mother (2023) Visit 123Movies

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top