With “Valentine’s Day,” “New Year’s Eve” and now “Mother’s Day,” director Garry Marshall has officially become the worst thing to happen to holidays since “The Christmas Shoes.” The man who once brought “Love, American Style” and “Laverne and Shirley” to the small screen continues to operate with least-objectionable-programming in mind, making another movie that’s too innocuous to inspire actual rage yet too utterly tepid and bland to elicit a single laugh.
This is the sort of brightly-lit work where everyone from interior designers to struggling waitresses owns spacious, artfully cluttered homes with patios — mean divorced dads live in modernist blocks that resemble bank branch locations — and where suburbanites can fill their backyards with pricey party-store rentals at the drop of a hat. Throw in a Folgers Coffee can with the label turned to camera, and “Mother’s Day” would be a Hallmark Channel original movie.
(Fret not, though, fans of product placement — nearly every public space in this movie offers bottles of Fiji water and TVs tuned to the Home Shopping Network.)
While screenwriters Anya Kochoff Romano (“Monster-in-Law”), Matt Walker and Tom Hines dial the action down from the cast of dozens featured in Marshall’s previous assaults on the holidays, there are still enough characters to ensure every single one will be a cursory outline of a human being.
There’s divorced mom Sandy (Jennifer Aniston), whose friendly relationship with ex-husband Henry (Timothy Olyphant) hits a bump when he gets remarried to the much-younger Tina (Shay Mitchell, “Pretty Little Liars”); widowed Bradley (Jason Sudeikis), is unsure of how to cope with seeing his daughters through their first Mother’s Day since the death of their mom (Jennifer Garner) in Afghanistan; would-be comedian Zack (Jack Whitehall) wants to marry girlfriend and mother of his child Kristin (Britt Robertson), but she has unresolved issues over being given up for adoption by her birth mother, who turns out to be the staggeringly popular HSN host Miranda (Julia Roberts, sporting one of the worst wigs in the history of cinema — or the history of hair, for that matter); and sisters and neighbors Jesse (Kate Hudson) and Gabi (Sarah Chalke) have to ‘fess up about their relationships (Jesse is married to a person of color, Gabi to a woman) when their racist, homophobic mom Flo (Margo Martindale) pays them a visit.
It is no spoiler to reveal that every possible complication or difficulty in this movie resolves itself in the most pat, predictable and dully cheerful way possible, with lessons learned and hugs distributed. Along the way, we are assaulted by unfunny one-liners, groan-inducing slapstick, and a bevy of famous faces either phoning it in or being placed in outright embarrassing situations. Seeing the great Martindale grapple with material this weak is like witnessing a tagger being unleashed onto Mount Rushmore, and certainly someone with the comic chops and timing of Loni Love deserves better than to be subjected to pole-dancing jokes.
The film constantly reveals itself as having no idea how human beings speak or behave, whether it’s the completely contrived hi-jinks involving Jesse and Gabi trying to keep their secrets, Zack’s painfully inane stand-up, or the sad little cardboard diorama that supposedly successful designer Sandy brings with her on a go-see. (“Mother’s Day” seems clueless about what it is that computers actually do, apart from Skype.)
There was a moment early in his film career when movies like “The Flamingo Kid” and the underrated “Nothing in Common” suggested that Marshall might leave the banality of sitcoms behind and mature into a competent comedic director, but his recent output has all the zest of room-temperature oatmeal. Women everywhere deserve equal pay, maternity leave, unrestricted access to family planning, and far better movies about motherhood than “Mother’s Day.”
40 Actresses in Their 40s Who Are Still Conquering Hollywood (Photos)
Celebrate the leading ladies of Hollywood who are still killing it in their 40s.
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Amy Adams (1974) Academy Award-nominated Amy Adams is best known for roles in Disney's "Enchanted" and "Arrival."
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Kerry Washington (1977) Kerry Washington broke out in films like "Ray" and Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," but really came into her own on the small screen, picking up Emmy nominations for her work in Shonda Rhimes' "Scandal" and for playing Anita Hill in the HBO film "Confirmation." In 2020, she starred with Reese Witherspoon in "Little Fires Everywhere."
Zoe Saldana (1978) Zoe Saldana is best known for starring in the science fiction franchises "Avatar," "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Star Trek."
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Reese Witherspoon (1976) A star since her teenage years, Witherspoon has expanded her profile with the Draper James fashion and home line as well as producing projects (that she often also acts in) such as "Wild" and HBO's "Big Little Lies."
Jennifer Hudson (1981) The "Dreamgirls" star became the 17th entertainer to earn the rare EGOT honor — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — in 2022 for producing the play "A Strange Loop."
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Rose Byrne (1979) The Australian actress can do drama (the series "Damages") or comedy ("Bridesmaids," "Neighbors" and "Physical"). In 2020, she even played Gloria Steinem in the limited series "Mrs. America."
Angelina Jolie (1975) Academy Award-winning Angelina Jolie has starred in "Girl, Interrupted," "Maleficent" and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." She has also written and directed several films, including "Unbroken" and "First They Killed My Father."
Eva Longoria (1975) Besides starring on "The Young and the Restless" and "Desperate Housewives," Eva Longoria launched her own production company, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, in 2016.
Penélope Cruz (1974) The Oscar-winning actress has graced screens in films such as "Belle Époque," "Sahara," and "Murder on the Orient Express." She received her fourth Oscar nomination for her role in 2021's "Parallel Mothers."
Jessica Alba (1981) As a Golden Globe nominated actress, Alba has tackled everything from "Fantastic Four" to "Sin City" to "LA's Finest."
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Jessica Chastain (1977) Jessica Chastain, who won the Best Actress Oscar for "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" (and nabbed previous nominations for "Help" and "Zero Dark Thirty," made her film debut in 2008's "Jolene" and has gone on to star in "Miss Sloane," "Molly's Game" and "IT: Chapter Two."
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Stephanie Beatriz (1981) Her debut as Detective Rosa Diaz in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" earned Beatriz the role of Carla in the hit musical film "In the Heights."
Charlize Theron (1975) From "Mad Max: Fury Road" to "Long Shot," this Academy Award-winning actress can do it all.
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Natalie Portman (1981) The "V for Vendetta" star received an Academy Award for her performance in "Black Swan." She also starred as Jane Foster in "Thor" and "Thor: The Dark World," and hoists the hammer herself in "Thor: Love and Thunder."
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Sutton Foster (1975) After winning two Tony awards for her work on the Broadway stage, Sutton Foster broke into Hollywood through her leading debut in "Younger."
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Kate Hudson (1979) After her Golden Globe winning performance in "Almost Famous," the actress and Fabletics founder has starred in "Bride Wars," "Music" and Rian Johnson's "Glass Onion."
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Alicia Silverstone (1976) The "Clueless" star has also starred in "Batman & Robin" and "Miss Match," along with publishing two vegan cookbooks.
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Michelle Williams (1980) The "Dawson's Creek" actress has starred in "Brokeback Mountain," "The Greatest Showman" and "My Week with Marilyn." She's been nominated for four Oscars and won an Emmy for playing dancer Gwen Verdon in "Fosse/Verdon."
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Bryce Dallas Howard (1981) Besides costarring in the massive "Jurassic World" films, she has also directed episodes of "The Manadalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett." She is also making her directorial feature film debut with "The Flight of the Navigator."
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Amy Schumer (1980) Comedian Amy Schumer is best known for her roles in "Trainwreck," "I Feel Pretty," and "Snatched," and co-hosting the 2022 Oscars.
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Uzo Aduba (1981) Best known for her Emmy-winning role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on "Orange Is the New Black," Aduba also won an Emmy for playing Shirley Chisholm in "Mrs. America." SHe currently stars in the HBO drama "In Treatment."
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Chrissy Metz (1980) For her role as Kate in "This Is Us," Chrissy Metz has earned nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy.
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Carrie Coon (1981) Carrie Coon is best known for "Gone Girl," "The Leftovers," "The Gilded Age," and "Ghostbusters: Afterlife."
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Isla Fisher (1976) The Australian actress, who broke out in "The Wedding Crashers," stars in and executive produces the Peacock series "Wolf Like Me."
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Kirsten Dunst (1982) The star of "Bring It On," "Spider-Man" and several Sofia Coppola films was finally nominated for an Oscar for her performance in "The Power of the Dog." In 2016, she received an Emmy nomination for her role on "Fargo."
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Kate Winslet (1975) The Oscar-winning "Titanic" star earned two Emmys (for the HBO mini-series "Mildred Pierece" and, more recently, for her her role as a dogged smalltown detective in 2021's "Mare of Easttown"). She's been nominated for seven Oscars.
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Rebel Wilson (1980) The Australian actress is best known for "Pitch Perfect," "How to Be Single," and her leading roles in "Isn't It Romantic" and "Senior Year."
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Constance Wu (1982) The star of "Crazy Rich Asians" and ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" also starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in "Hustlers."
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Tiffany Haddish (1979) The comedic star of "Girls Trip," "Tuca & Bertie" and "The Afterparty" has also proven herself adept at drama in films like Paul Schrader's "The Card Counter."
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Christina Ricci (1980) The former child star who made her mark in the '90s with "The Addams Family" and "Now and Then" went on to costar in "Monster," "The Matrix Resurrections" and earned an Emmy nomination for her 2006 guest turn on "Grey's Anatomy." And she terrifies us, in the best way possible, as Misty on "Yellowjackets."
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Melanie Lynskey (1977) Between "Yellowjackets" and "Candy," this New Zealand actress is killing it. It's about time the "Heavenly Creatures" star got the acclaim she deserves.
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Rebecca Hall (1982) This British actress, who we loved in "The Town" and "The Night House" and topped critics' lists with her harrowing performance in 2016's "Christine," made her directorial debut in 2021 with the acclaimed period drama "Passing."
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Ruth Negga (1982) The Ethiopian-born Irish actress was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar and won an Independent Spirit Award for her role in "Loving," and received universal praise — and a BAFTA nomination — for her performance opposite Tessa Thompson in 2021's "Passing."
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Keri Russell (1976) The former "Felicity" star made a very convincing spy on "The Americans," which earned her three Emmy nominations. She also costarred in the films "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.
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Jenny Slate (1982) The actress co-created, wrote and produced the children's short film and book series "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On," which became an A24 feature film. She also charmed us in "Gifted" with Chris Evans and "I Want You Back," and won numerous critics awards for her lead role in 2014's "Obvious Child."
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Natasha Lyonne (1979) The "American Pie" star scored a hit with the Netflix series "Russian Doll," which she co-created with Amy Poehler. She is also the showrunner.
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Maggie Gyllenhaal (1977) After receiving a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for the 2009 film "Crazy Heart, in 2021 she made her directorial film debut with "The Lost Daughter," which earned Oscar nominations for her screenplay, as well as acting nods for stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley.
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Rosario Dawson (1979) The actress who made her acting debut in the 1995 indie drama "Kids" has gone on to star in "Sin City" and five Marvel/Netflix series including "Daredevil." She's also set to star as Ahsoka Tano in the live-action Disney+ series, “Ahsoka.”
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Natsha Rothwell (1980)
The actress, who plays Kelli on HBO's "Insecure" was also nominated as a supervising producer on the series. Her other TV shows include "The White Lotus" and "Archer."
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From Amy Adams to Reese Witherspoon, these actresses aren’t letting four-plus decades slow down their career
Celebrate the leading ladies of Hollywood who are still killing it in their 40s.