Weekend Watch: The Mother, The Muppets Mayhem
One tough mum, and a band of utter muppets
Image Credit: Netflix
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, J. Lo must fight to protect her child while the Electric Mayhem go with the flow. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite
Pitched as a treat for mother’s day viewing, it’s a little surprising that Netflix would be recommending this for cosy mother/son, mother/daughter or whatever family combo viewing, as a trigger-happy action thriller doesn’t exactly scream “perfect post-afternoon tea viewing” for mums.
And it’s not likely to thrill most other audiences, either. Jennifer Lopez’ latest attempt to switch movie tracks ends up in disappointment, coming across as a bland, basic version of Taken or any number of B-movies featuring blokes firing weapons on the poster. Despite a compelling hook of a mother-daughter dynamic aside from the usual macho posturing, this has paper-thin characters and lacking action.
12 years ago, an unnamed woman (Lopez) is being questioned by the FBI in a safe house that soon becomes anything but. She’s been brought in because she has connections to a couple of violent arms dealers –– Joseph Fiennes’ Adrian and Gael García Bernal’s Hector –– whose trade she helped facilitate but got out when she discovered they were also trafficking children.
Oh, and she’s pregnant with a daughter by one of them. But when the attempt to protect her goes violently wrong, she’s left with little choice but to give the newborn up to foster care and relocate to the wilds of Alaska, lest her old suitors track her or the child down and finish their vengeful mission.
But wouldn’t you know it? 12 years later, Hector does end up finding the kid (Zoe, played by Lucy Paez) and The Mother will have to employ all the sniper and other skills she picked up in the military and working with the two baddies in order to save the girl –– and herself.
Lopez does what she can with the role but almost everyone else save Paez as her daughter, Zoe, is strictly on autopilot. The Mother also wastes the likes of Bernal, Fiennes, Paul Raci and especially Edie Falco, the latter trapped on a one-scene exposition fest. Only Omari Hardwick, as The Mother’s FBI confidante and Zoe’s nominative protector before her Sarah Connor-alike mother must take over gets anything approaching a character.
The action, meanwhile, is rote compared to the likes of John Wick or Everything Everywhere All At Once. Even with director Niki Caro infusing some authentic emotion, that doesn’t help. It’s embarrassing when Lopez’ previous effort, Shotgun Wedding (which blended a much needed helping of comedy in with its action, whereas The Mother opts for straight-ahead, stripped-down bullet time) is more effectively entertaining. And did three writers (Misha Green, Andrea Berloff and Peter Craig) really come up with this bare-bones script?
You can certainly see what the filmmakers were aiming for, but unlike the title character, it rarely hits its target.
The Mother is on Netflix now.
Image Credit: Disney+
Something I’m much happier recommending for anyone who enjoys Muppet-y goodness, sight gags, chaos, call-backs and star cameos is The Muppets Mayhem.
As with 2021’s TV special Muppets Haunted Mansion, Mayhem puts you in mind of Jim Henson’s iconic creations at their best, here given free rein to just be entertaining.
The group, in case you were unaware, consists of band leader Dr. Teeth (big hair, bigger teeth) on vocals and keyboards,Animal on drums (who, let’s face it, more people will recognize because he’s regularly seen among the more mainstream Muppets), Sgt. Floyd Pepper (big orange ‘tache) on bass and vocals, Janis (long haired hippie type) on vocals and lead guitar, Zoot (blue hair, flat cap) on saxophone and Lips (yellow hair) on trumpet.
They were designed by Muppet creator Henson, alongside Bonnie Erickson and Michael K. Frith, and made their debut on ‘The Muppet Show’ pilot episode and have popped up in shows and movies ever since.
This new series, which refreshingly gives the usually side characters the spotlight, sees Nora (Lilly Singh), an aspiring record producer, who with the help of her social media influencer sister, Hannah (Saara Chaudry), and Electric Mayhem super-fan, Gary “Moog” Moogland (Tahj Mowry), helping (or trying to help) the band record their first-ever album.
Co-created by Muppets veteran Bill Barretta and college friends Jeff Yorkes and ‘The Goldbergs’ creator Adam F. Goldberg, the new has all the funk and madness you might expect from the band. And unlike some Muppet misfires, the human side of things gels well with the felt goodness.
If you were put off by the lacklustre The Muppets TV series that ran for one season, rest assured this is more along the lines of Muppets Now or the anarchy of the original series.
All episodes of The Muppets Mayhem are on Disney+ now. I’ve seen the first two.