A couple live in a big, isolated country house: a poet with writer's block (Javier Bardem) and the young wife quietly restoring it around him (Jennifer Lawrence). Then strangers start turning up, and they won't leave. Darren Aronofsky's mother! premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2017 and opened in US theaters on September 15, and few films that year split people so sharply. Early festival reviews were glowing; by release week, Rotten Tomatoes counted about 74% of critics as positive.
What critics loved
The loudest praise came out of Venice. Jessica Kiang at The Playlist called it Aronofsky's "most bombastic, ludicrous and fabulous film," and joked that the title fully earns its exclamation point. Ben Croll at IndieWire described a slow burn that builds into a furious blaze, working both as an allegory and as a plain thrill ride. Fionnuala Halligan at Screen Daily called it a feverish, restless provocation, and Travis Johnson at Film Ink went as far as calling it the best film of Aronofsky's career.
Lawrence was the other big talking point. The AP's Lindsey Bahr called her performance truly stunning and the film an audacious fever dream that will get under your skin. David Sexton at the Evening Standard admired how the handheld camera never leaves her face, and Ann Hornaday at the Washington Post, though unconvinced by the film, said Lawrence proved once again what a commanding presence she is. Barry Hertz at the Globe and Mail called it a masterpiece, while admitting he'd never want to sit through it again.
Where critics split
The doubters took issue with what the film does to its audience. Owen Gleiberman at Variety admired the skill but found it a showy provocation with little real feeling underneath. Todd McCarthy at the Hollywood Reporter was gripped early on, then lost by far-fetched plot turns and an overreaching ending. Marlow Stern at the Daily Beast read it as a portrait of a male artist who drains everyone around him, and found the film itself remarkably self-absorbed. Hornaday called it intriguing but frustratingly undisciplined, with a climax she found off-putting.
Even fans warned it wasn't pleasant. The San Francisco Chronicle's Walter Addiego called it assaultive and "not for everyone," Collider's Brian Formo said some viewers would feel cheated, and Kristy Puchko at Pajiba called it daring while unsure whether she'd liked it. Audiences were harsher still, handing it a rare F CinemaScore.
The consensus
Most critics agreed mother! is a bold, skillfully made piece of filmmaking with a fearless lead performance, which puts it high on QC, held back a little by complaints about its plotting and self-indulgence. Fun sits lower: this is a deliberately punishing, claustrophobic ride, and even its champions described it as something to endure and argue about afterwards rather than enjoy.
Sources
- TheWrap: 'mother!' is Darren Aronofsky's most bombastic film, and 6 other wild reviews (The Playlist, Film Ink, IndieWire, Screen Daily, Evening Standard, The Daily Beast, Collider)
- Newser: Mother! will get under your skin (San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, AP, Globe and Mail)
- ScreenCrush: mother! early reviews (IndieWire, The Playlist, Screen Daily, The Daily Beast, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Collider)
- AwardsDaily: mother! Venice review roundup (Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Vanity Fair, The Playlist, IndieWire, Screen Daily)
- Pajiba: Audiences hate Jennifer Lawrence's mother! (Pajiba, CinemaScore)