Here we go — a lighthearted rom-com to follow up the series of holiday movies we’ve grown to know and love. “Mother’s Day” is completely in tune with the arc of “Valentine’s Day,” “New Year’s Eve” and, of course, “Love Actually,” sticking to an easy but delightful recipe.
Grab some well-known stars, give them each their own dilemmas in their love lives and somehow connect them all to solve their disasters in time to celebrate a new holiday.
In a loosely interlaced story, we get to see the ups and downs of love in every form with only a few bad jokes. Throw in some trips to the emergency room and a standup comedy show, and you’ve got a quirky blend of sweet and funny, if only a little chaotic.
Sure, it’s kind of repetitive, but it doesn’t matter. “Mother’s Day” stays true to its hilarious, feel-good goals and reminds us of one of the strongest forms of love — motherly love.
It begins with a scene with Sandy (Jennifer Aniston) wrapped in a towel, running around the house in an attempt to send her two sons off to school in time. Other than reminding us that Aniston is, in fact, the World’s Most Beautiful Woman (it’s People magazine official), we catch a glimpse into the life of a devoted single mom who struggles to share her sons with her ex-husband (Timothy Olyphant) and his new wife (Shay Mitchell), a hot 20-something who is trying way too hard.
Cut to TV star Miranda (Julia Roberts), who throws herself into her career but with Mother’s Day approaching is reminded of one of her biggest regrets — a daughter she gave up for adoption years ago. Though her book signings and photo ops keep her busy, she’s left wondering if her daughter is looking for her too (call your moms, guys).
And because the more the merrier, we’re prodded along to the next storyline and introduced to the film’s first hint of some diversity. Sisters Jesse and Gabi (Kate Hudson and Sarah Chalke) work to hide their love lives from their ever-disapproving Texan parents, who would be appalled to hear about both their interracial and homosexual relationships, respectively.
Then there’s widower Bradley (Jason Sudeikis), who’s still grieving for his wife while trying to be a good dad to his two daughters. He does his best to connect with them as his older daughter’s soccer coach, but it turns out that yelling at referees doesn’t bide well for a relationship with an easily embarrassed preteen. Of course, adding tampons to his grocery list makes it a lot harder to stay upbeat. It was nice to see Aniston and Sudeikis team up again on screen for the fifth time, making us miss a similar budding relationship in “We’re the Millers.”
Though these sorts of rom-com mashup movies are highly entertaining, they do have the tendency to get a bit confusing. The “Mother’s Day” interaction felt a little like being thrown from one world to another without a whole lot of time to adjust.
With more than five stories each trying to get the viewer’s undivided attention, the result was slightly frenzied. Luckily, Aniston has perfected the stressed mom character, which fit nicely with Sudeikis’ appropriately sarcastic remarks. Throw in Roberts’ beaming smile and Hudson’s classic charm, and you’ve got a comedy back on track.
There’s definitely a lot going on here, and this experience doesn’t include deep thought or shocking plot twists. But anyone who’s going to watch this is probably looking for a mindless, tug-at-the-heartstrings movie. They know what they’re asking for. “Mother’s Day,” in all its cheesy, heartwarming goodness, fits the bill perfectly.
“Mother’s Day” will be released April 28 in theaters nationwide.
