Mother (1978) Poster

(1978)

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10/10
A delightful little romp starring two icons in dramatic roles
lsinclair-13-78447528 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
A delightful "little film." It is superbly acted by Coleen Gray of the 1940s and 1950s and silent film star Patsy Ruth Miller in the title role.

I disagree with the previous review. The story is simple - a daughter (Gray) wants to have her Mom (Miller) committed to a home for the old and aged. The Mom has a 1916 ticket to a fair. The daughter thinks she's crazy ... but - in the end - the Mom and her pal, do indeed go back in time to the fair. They both avoid the home for the old and aged. Dreams do come true.

The dialogue is real and the emotions displayed by all concerned are real for such a true-to-life subject. I am not sure what "action" there could be. The film was made in 1978 with a heavy TV sit-com influence. It is pretty and dramatic by a very capable cast. Miss Miller came out of decades of retirement to do the film.

There is no room for action - car chases, bullets or guns. It doesn't imply that.

It is just "Mother."
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2/10
Family drama has only one point of interest
davidvmcgillivray2 February 2011
Competent but desperately unexciting family drama has Gray trying to put "senile" mother Miller into a home. Meanwhile Miller intends to go to a town that no longer exists on a train that no longer runs. Perhaps in honour of silent star Miller, the film has piano accompaniment throughout and is composed of mainly static shots with people entering and exiting as though they're in a play. It's all talk, no action, apart from inexplicable footage of a woman being chased with a butterfly net. I'd love to know how teenage producer/director/writer Minette managed to get the two veteran actresses to participate (presumably for free)in such a dull project. But Miller, in what was to be both her comeback and her swan song, isn't bad. In 2009 Minette added a written prologue in which he claims that the film was shot in 5 days in the Plaza Hotel, Montrose, Texas, for $1,500. This version, now available on Video Archive, runs 65 minutes.
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