Celebrating Matriarchs with Mothers & Daughters

Arriving just in time for May 8th in select theatres and VOD is Mothers and Daughters, a film showing how important family ties is. Not to be confused with the Garry Marshell comedy Mother’s Day, this film is different. It’s also not about Amazons or warrior princesses. Although that would help draw male viewers in, some movies look like it can be better understood by those who have done Women’s Studies as a discipline in college. Very little is known about writer/director Paul Duddridge’s academic background and rise as a filmmaker. While this film is based on an idea of his to look at the lives of several young ladies through the lens of Rigby (Selma Blair), an art photographer, the images presented feels more like a celebration of the special bond the generations have than that of the men involved with each woman’s life.

An all-star cast headlines this film. Wonderful talents like Susan Sarandon, Sharon Stone, Christina Ricci and Courteney Cox appear. I would have liked to see them interact all together in one huge set, but instead, I see them paired up in separate tales. Sarandon’s real-life daughter Eva Amurri Martino appears. In her story, she’s seeking help from mum to help her hubby start a pastry business. It’s tough to convince the matriarch for financial assistance and the resolution looks more at how the two can face other trials together. In Becca’s (Ricci) tale, she struggles at the shock of learning the women she thinks of as a sister is actually her mom.

Although Paige Cameron fashioned the screenplay from Duddridge’s idea, more could have been done in the writers room with input from the performers to make this film bloom. When there are acting families in the room, the better tales should also come from experience too. The ideas offered here feel more like seeds at different states of its genesis. The bouquet of flowers offered here needed further finessing to truly appreciate the themes of unconditional love often shared by children with their parents.

3 Stars out of 5