The Good Mother

Like the consensus says, the movie indeed does have dramatic potential, a talented cast, and deals with important subjects. Somewhat underwhelming story, but really not too shabby. All cast members are very good in character and the cinematography is not all that bad. I rather enjoyed it, something different to what we are used to, don't you think?

Dull with no ending.....

It's a somber, heavy and somehow unpleasant story about the twists and turns of human suffering after the loss of loved ones, consequential substance abuse and drug trafficking, all intertwined in a way that leaves one wonder who are the good and the bad guys/gals. The movie ends "right" for all the wrong reasons, and "wrong" for all the right reasons. There is a slumber permanent tension throughout the movie, having you wondering how it will eventually climax. But that climax never comes leaving your mind in a strange limbo. Fantastic shooting, thanks to the way above average cameraman and for most parts pretty good director (one scene though was really screwed up as the director wanted to up the tension with the banging of a dangling cement brick when there was no reason like extreme wind or a person actually swinging the cord. A very idiotic move). Anyway the movie is an excellent look into people's minds, giving the spectators a deep entry into the basic instinct of the movie. 7/10 points.

Unfortunately, the ending does kind of tank the movie that's built around how Swank will respond. Her response to adversity (losing her son, pregnant ex-junkie girlfriend of dead son, grandbaby) IS the film. So to not see her choose in the end was...not cool.

Mi piace molto che Hilary si esibisca in questo

Hilary Swank and Olivia Cooke lead this dark crime drama about grief. Director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte's crime drama The Good Mother (2023) is pretty solid with a riveting lead performance from a forlorn Hilary Swank. I kept thinking about how much The Good Mother reminded me of Death Sentence, You Were Never Really Here, or In the Fade. The problem is it's not an exciting thriller like those, but rather a grief stricken slow burn drama about drug addiction and gun violence closer to Mass. Joris-Peyrafitte keeps the character drama front and center with gritty realism and heartfelt emotions. The Good Mother is not very exciting, but I found the dramatic acting more compelling. I saw the twist coming a mile away, but it is certainly well done and established that still has a shocking impact. Writers Miles Joris-Peyrafitte and Madison Harrison focus on mutual grief and moving on in life after a mom is obsessed with a drug addict son's murder. The grieving parent counseling sessions are touching as are the moments between Hilary Swank and Olivia Cooke working through their feelings. There is a strong commentary on corruption that I found hit hard among all the doubt and pain of the family. Sean Gradwell's lighting has cool shadowy darkness, colorful tinted shots, but his lighting can be too dark that you cannot see enough for my tastes. The crisp cinematographer looks nice and steady camerawork helps this feel less cheap. The editing could have tightened up conversations or shown us more in the flashbacks. The electronic, chill hop, and dark ambient score gives off a sullen, melancholic look. Hilary Swank is subtle and touching as a bitter grieving mother named Marissa Bennings. Swank portrays grief with a stiff upper lip as she's very hardened and unassuming. You can almost never tell what she's thinking as she hides away her feelings, then she opens up her emotions as she figures out the dark mystery surrounding her son's murder. Olivia Cooke is wonderful as the recovering drug addict and expecting mother Paige, who dated Swank's son Michael. Cooke portrays grief and recovery with a striking realism. I thought her scenes opposite Swank were very strong. Jack Reynor is excellent as the reassuring, if suspicious cop Toby. He feels sinister as he welcomes people in as the officer son of Swank. He plays it calm and collected. Dilone is pleasant as the cop Toby's expecting wife Gina in her brief scenes. Hopper Penn is great as the scared heroin junkie and dealer Ducky, who is on the run and afraid of everything. Norm Lewis is nice and honest as Swank's bunt boss Jim. Sound guy Jose Ramirez adds tons of nice ambient noises for some atmosphere. Makeup artists Annick Chartier and Katie Callahan do great natural looks for the actresses like hairstylist Amanda Pepin's long wavy haircuts. In short, The Good Mother is a good drama with great acting, but could have developed stronger clues and connections to the drug related murder mystery element. 90 minutes went by pretty fast for me.

A great cast that suffers from a terrible predictable script.

I got tired of wishing she'd curl her hair...that's how invested I was.

"The Good Mother" had the potential to delve deeper into the intriguing backdrop of the crime at its core, but unfortunately, it fell short of fully exploring these hidden aspects. Initially, I anticipated that the film would take a direction where the exceptionally talented former journalist, portrayed by Hillary Swank, would rekindle her career by uncovering a captivating story. However, the movie took a somewhat different path, with her character partly pursuing the story while also grappling with personal struggles, including assisting the expectant mother of her future grandchild. **Spoiler Alert**: The demise of the crucial character, the baby's mother, left me feeling like she was abruptly discarded, rather than receiving a more comprehensive storyline to explain her murder. "The Good Mother" seemed to introduce numerous plotlines that lacked sufficient development. Despite these shortcomings, as a fan of suspenseful thrillers, I found myself engrossed in the movie and watched it through.

This movie was one of the most boring movies I've ever seen. I don't know how you turn a story with a criminal son and a cop son who team up to sell drugs basically and the whole thing goes South with the criminal son dying into something boring but it was managed by this movie. Plus, the mom says like five words the whole movie and she's the main character. It was horrible.