I was asked to review an advanced copy of the movie Motherhood and I figured sure, why not, a movie with Uma Thurman, Anthony Edwards (my long lost Dr. Green from ER!), and the funny Minnie Driver, what could be bad about that? Plus, it takes place in Manhattan and is about a Mommy Blogger like me!
Here's the synopsis of the movie:
The story takes place in one chaotic day, in New York City. Eliza Welch (Uma Thurman) is a former fiction writer-turned-mom-blogger with her own site, "The Bjorn Identity." Putting her deeper creative ambitions on hold to raise her two children, Eliza lives and works in two rent-stabilized apartments in a walk-up tenement building smack in the middle of an otherwise upscale Greenwich Village. Eliza's good-natured, but absent-minded husband (Anthony Edwards) seems tuned out to his wife's conflicts, not to mention basic domestic reality, while her best friend Sheila (Minnie Driver) understands this - and Eliza - all too well. Starting at dawn, her to-do list is daunting: prepare for and throw her daughter's 6th birthday party, mind her toddler son, battle for a parking space, navigate playground politics and mend a rift after posting her best friend's confession on her blog. Does she survive?
My take on the movie:
Well, yes, Eliza survives, but barely. And boy, did she make being a mom in NYC look awful (ie, unless you have lots of money and a chauffeur!). Crazy neighbors, alternate side of the street parking fights, goofy kids' names, snobby moms, and the impossible nature of getting errands done while riding a bike in the rain! Even though I love NYC and lived there for over 10 years, this movie made me super happy to be raising my kids in the suburbs!
However, what I did like about the movie was its brutal honesty about motherhood. It covered so many honest, heartfelt moments about being a mom like:
- The beauty and serenity of watching your child peacefully sleep
- The curiosity of watching your kid interact with other kids at school
- The mixed feelings you have as your child becomes older and need you less
- The happiness of watching your child blow out the candles on his/her birthday cake
To date, I have never seen a movie that so truthfully shows all of the difficult questions mothers ask themselves almost every day:
- What happened to my mind after I became a mom?
- How could a once successful career woman like me turn into this?
- Will I ever have the same relationship with my husband that I did before kids?
- Does anyone find me attractive any more?
- Can I run away from it all?
- What would I do without my girlfriends?
"Motherhood" was released on February 23, 2010 on DVD and Blu Ray, and it features interviews with all of the stars and the director. Plus, as a special value-added incentive, "Motherhood" comes with $450 of coupons and money-saving offers for "essentials" that every mom needs. For more info, you can check its official website at: http://www.motherhoodthefilm.com/index2.html
