Mother

(Paramount Pictures)
Director: Albert Brooks
Producers: Scott Rudin, Herb Nanas
Co-Producers: Barry Berg, Adam Schroeder
Screenwriters: Albert Brooks, Monica Johnson
Director of Photography: Lajos Koltai

Cast: Albert Brooks, Debbie Reynolds, Rob Morrow, Lisa Kudrow, Isabel Glasser, Peter White

QUICK REVIEW: Debbie does Albert. Debbie Reynolds, in the title role, steals this movie cold. Ostensibly, MOTHER is about Albert Brook's search for the solution to his problems with women and his general self-destructive tendencies. He suspects it's his mother's fault, so he moves back in with her, recreates his teenage room, and observes her routines with a passion. That focuses our attention on her as well. What we see is the most credible role Debbie Reynolds has created in several decades of movie work and a character that seems real even to this critic, who lost his mother at age three. Here's the surprise: Debbie, known for her perky energy, UNDERPLAYS this role to perfection. There is a center to this character that venerable dramatic actors like Anthony Hopkins can only admire. Brooks' humor, as always, is delightful, but on this project he'll be known as the man who directed Reynolds to an award-winning performance. It's an enjoyable comedy, even though nothing else in the film rises to Debbie's level.

Rating (on a four-star scale):

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Interview with Debbie Reynolds.
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