Some love mother! Some don't.
Friday, September 22, 2017 at 10:15AM by Murtada
The studio behind mother! has pivoted their second week marketing towards the bad word of mouth that the film has been receiving from moviegoers. They stopped selling it as a home invasion horror thriller and instead decided to embrace how polarizing it is.
Some people love it......some people don’t
It’s a bold move and we like it. What they don’t do though, is mention the F cinemascore that the film recieved. CinemaScore is a company that exit polls moviegoers’ opinions on opening night. They have been storing data since 1986, and in that time only 11 other films received the infamous F. Those so honored include Steven Soderbergh's Solaris (2002) and Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly (2012). And make no mistake Darren Aronofsky thinks it's an honor, he told The Frame:
What's interesting about that is, like, how if you walk out of this movie are you not going to give it an F? It's a punch. It's a total punch. And I realize that we were excited by that. We wanted to make a punk movie and come at you.
Did you enjoy Aronofsky punk move? Where do you stand on the mother! conversation?
Reader Comments (28)
Siskel and Ebert were not amused by David Lynch using their thumbs down for Lost Highway as two reasons why you should see the movie in its ad campaign.
I love this new marketing ploy! I think it was odd that they initially framed it as a mainstream horror film -- because that would inevitably let a lot of people down.
The mother! of all sayings that seemingly applies is, A house divided against itself cannot stand. - Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, etc. What an opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons.
I think folks are already done talking about it......
In Brazil, the movie opened yesterday. Populist critics hate the film and cult critics love it deeply and have created many theories to explain the story. The praise for the acting, mainly Pfeiffer, is unanimous. The most popular critic in the country wrote the film lacks a story to be followed, Pfeiffer should win the Oscar but this is going to be difficult due to the film's public reception.
I am going to watch it tomorrow.
I agree with Jamie. I find it fascinating that Aronofsky and Paramount are so defensive about this film. It's almost like they resent stupid audiences for not embracing it as a "work of art." In my experience, very few (none) moviegoers want to see a movie where they feel violated or ripped off. Maybe it would be more truthful to say, "Some critics like it -- but audiences hate it."
I saw it last night and it was definitely a thing that happened. I don't know how I feel about it other than when MP left the screen the movie lost a lot if it's vibrancy. Which is nuts considering how insane the second act got.
I mean, from a marketing standpoint this is terrific. It makes you think "I need to join the conversation," and the "bad" review basically says the movie is insane, which for most people (including myself) would make me want to see it more. Honestly, I would have skipped it (I'm not default for Aronofsky) based on the reviews, waiting for a rental, but then people on Twitter wouldn't shut up about it so I felt I had to catch it before it got spoiled for me. This campaign targets that-well done to Paramount.
I saw it last night and it was definitely a thing that happened. I don't know how I feel about it other than when MP left the screen the movie lost a lot if it's vibrancy. Which is nuts considering how insane the second act got.
Michelle Pfeiffer is a movie star in the most classic sense of the term. The gravity she wields without overacting and simply using her face and instincts is a masterclass for all of us. Please televised precursors this award season do not fail her in the recognition department.
Wear that “F” loud and proud! I wish more movies did this, shame it probably won’t do much to help the film’s box office, though.
I liked both Solaris and Killing Them Softly, so I guess that bodes well for my reaction to mother!
Diehards!! A poor movie is a poor movie. I wish I had liked it, but I did not. JLaw was in a very difficult role and ddi some justice to it. As for the other actors ... absolutely not.
I VERY much enjoyed Mother! I laughed and gasped and was never, ever bored! And I am quite comfortable applying 4 to 5 allegories to it and I can make a good and sound argument for every single one of them. (What fun!) This is bold, daring, balls-to-the-walls film making obviously perpetuated by artists with really strong cinematic skills (lol).
And yes, 3rtful, Ms. Pfeiffer is a power house on screen but I worry about her making the final cut at the Oscars this year exactly because she didn't have a real "show off" scene.
And I disagree with you, natalie - although Ms. Lawrence was quite good (as always) she had a role that mostly required her to look confused, shocked and horrified. Mr. Bardem's role required little range as well. And even Ms. Pfeiffer wasn't asked to play a whole lot of colors. I actually think Ed Harris had the biggest challenge and I think he did it quite well.
billybil
I did not say I enjoyed JLaw's role... I said she did the role justice. You must agree as you said you enjoyed the movie so much.. she was shot with close up throughout the movie.
some people on the site like to argue for arguing sake. Even /3rtful has toned down... at least for the moment!
Professor Spouse and I thought it was a load of crap. Pfeiffer was vibrant and fascinating and surprising, but I can't speak highly about the rest of the acting. JLaw gave it her all but spending two hours being the subject of that bad dream where you're wearing your nightgown and no one listens to you isn't compelling.
Aronofsky says he's embracing the "punk", but he also gave a careful, detailed interview in which he solved every one of the movie's mysteries. By doing so, he effectively silenced the conversation. That's not punk, that's fear.
I still feel all this talk only keeps Michelle in the conversation,anyone think she can win NBR.
I'm mixed on the movie, but yeah, definitely see it.
not as clever as it thinks it is, but i have to admit that i'm glad movies like this exists. it's great to occasionally sit through a movie where you're half mesmerized and the other half can't stop wtf-ing.
This is all about Paramount wanting to recoup their financial loss. So pretentious and dishonest.
Your review said everything I felt. In retrospect I think I love it, but I wasn't so sure at the time. It's just such an onslaught of a movie that you can't wrap your head around it until much later. I can't wait to see it again.
I thought it was really good though it's also got some flaws in terms of its allegory and moments that end up being unintentionally funny.
Deborah - agree, he has talked and explained way too much.
I remember when Dancer in the Dark came out, and its website included blurbs from highly positive "masterpiece" level raves as well as zero star pans. When a movie is this polarizing to critics and audiences, you own it. Kudos to the mother! team. I think it's a terrific movie and a definite conversation-starter - and also a film that's highly cinematic and deserves to be seen on the big screen.
This is all about Paramount wanting to recoup their financial loss. So pretentious and dishonest.
Paramount advertised Mommie Dearest as camp once critics and audiences got a look at it in after its first week of release.
I'm fairly puzzled about how "Black Swan" went over so well with general audiences but this one hasn't. I don't think they're all *that* different - both are feverish, nightmarish thrillers about obsession and violation centered on terrorized women portrayed by bravura performers. This is the best work Lawrence has ever done, and if Portman wasn't only nominated but actually won for her film, I think Lawrence should be a shoo-in here.
The best is still when LOST HIGHWAY put "Two Thumbs Down - Siskel & Ebert" followed by "Two more great reasons to see LOST HIGHWAY" on their print campaign.
Maybe Aronofsky & Lawrence will finally get some Razzie recognition?? One can only pray lol..
Pfeiffer still has one last shot this yr w Murder on the Orient Express
Saw mother! tonight in a moviehouse with less than 20 people. Maybe I was expecting too much from it after reading the discussions in TFE from those who have seen it but I wasn't as blown away by it like I thought I would for this kind of movie and advance hype. But there were a lot of truly majestic, almost celestial cinematography that took my breath away. Jennifer Lawrence acts like a glue to keep the film from bursting at the seams, even if textually that's what happened in the second half. But I like her in it and she actually reminded me again how I used to truly truly like her in films such as Winter's Bone and that sweet supporting role in Like Crazy.
I thought the movie is like an illustration of Anthropocene's second stage. And the film hinted at the third stage in the concluding portions. The film is like a cross of High Rise particularly the bacchanalian last third and this super strange Aaaaaaaah! from 2015 starring Toyah Wilcox and Julian Barratt. There are also well-chosen Kieslowski touches that are beautiful. Then there also are winks at Albee's A Delicate Balance and even Children of Men. But I do appreciate the symbolisms of the beating heart, the destruction of the intimate spaces of home and the feast of the savages.
Ed Harris was quite good in his few scenes. Michelle Pfeiffer is also memorable although I am not sure if it is the best female supporting turn of the year. But then again I have not seen that many films yet.
And oh, Patti Smith's a capella intro to Timi Yuro's End of the World was performed quite well even if I wished music consultant Johann Johansson chose a subtler song in the film credits.