The Mother

The Mother
Starring Jennifer Lopez, Lucy Paez, Joseph Fiennes, Gael Garcia Bernal
Directed by Niki Caro

For most audiences when they hear Jennifer Lopez, they think of her as a romantic comedy lead actress in films like "Marry Me," "Maid in Manhattan," and "Second Act," but in reality her acting resume is rather padded with different genres. Not only has she tackled horror ("Anaconda") and animated ("Home"), but she really hit it big with neo noir thrillers like "Blood and Wine" and "U Turn," along with action-packed films like "Money Train," "Out of Sight," "The Cell," and "Enough." Yet it's been since 2013 after the bomb of "Parker" that Lopez relegated herself to the romantic comedy lead, and now she steps back into the genre that made her a movie star with the Netflix original "The Mother." While it's a welcomed return, the film itself is just alright - a group of cliches all stitched together that is only held by Lopez's impeccable, nuanced, yet excited performance.

The Mother (Jennifer Lopez) was a U.S. military operative who got mixed in with corrupt ex-SAS marine Adrian Lovell (Joseph Fiennes) and arms dealer Hector Alvarez (Gael Garcia Bernal), and after a torrid love affair between both men she decided to deflect and turn to the FBI for protection for her and her unborn child. Yet they're found out and Mother goes into labor, forcing to give her child up so she can live a happy life and not be continuously on the run. She is relocated to a remote Alaskan cabin where her former marine friend Jons (Paul Raci) watches over her, but she told Agent William Cruise (Omari Hardwick) to watch over her child and let her know if any danger comes her way.

She lives in the wilderness for twelve years, honing in on her excellent sharpshooter skills, until she gets a note from Cruise telling her that her child is in danger. She returns to find that her child is now twelve-years-old and named Zoe (Lucy Paez), and is sought after by both Lovell and Alvarez in order to get to her. She manages to rescue Zoe and take her to her cabin, where she begins to train her in how to survive as well as try to find a connection with the daughter she was forced to give up, as well as Zoe coming to terms with who her mother really is, struggling to find her own strength, and live on borrowed time before Lovell and Alvarez find them again.


The Good:
"The Mother" is an adequate action film that doesn't change the mold or delve into any new territory, but sometimes that's a welcomed thing. Sometimes you want to go to the same restaurant to get the same thing, knowing that consistency is safe and secure. There's nothing wrong with that, and "The Mother" really doesn't flub that up either - although its generic and predictable, it's still a watchable film that could be put on repeat when you're doing ordinary household chores and still find time to stop and appreciate the moments you get to re-watch.

As I said in the opening, this is Jennifer Lopez's return to the genre that really broke her out of her musical artist mode. She is fit as ever, and is more than capable to hold her own in bigger action spectacles than this one - maybe this was her dipping her toe in the water again to test and see if she can do it. Not only can she do it, but she needs to find bigger, meatier, more challenging roles than this to up her game. She holds the screen with a no-nonsense resolve as she has to balance being cold as ice yet having a heart of a mother as she both trains and protects Zoe, always afraid to get too close because of the danger she could put her in. Lopez balances this like an expert trapeze artist, pivoting from hard-hitting drill sergeant to subdued mother mode at the drop of a hat.

Her daughter is played by newcomer Lucy Paez, and she really delivers the goods for an up-and-coming young actress. She plays Zoe with an innocence that comes naturally, because she never knew a world like this existed - but she also plays the moody, bratty pre-teen as she constantly verbally spars with her real mother, yet when push comes to shove she learns how to survive on her own.

The action pieces are dizzying and exciting in their own right, even if - again - they're rather generic. Whether chasing through the streets of Cuba, or silently assassinating a slew of nameless henchmen at a palatial estate, or taking down more nameless henchmen in the frozen wasteland of Alaska, the action is shot with precision and tactful nature, always highlighting Lopez as the action star she is.


The Bad:
If you're looking for an action film that really boggles the mind and plays with your psyche, you're better to try somewhere else. There's nothing original in this story, but it doesn't feel tired - just predictable. It's not something you'll remember, but also not something you'll groan about after watching. It's a good movie to watch when you're doing other things and you can look up from time to time and see what's happening and still be in the loop, as long as you know this it won't be as bad as you might think.

When you get the acting talents of Joseph Fiennes and Gael Garcia Bernal, you'd expect them to really take center stage and dominate their performances - but they don't. Their characters are the most bland, cookie-cutter, stereotypical villains out there, and their brief screen time is spent with expository dialogue that we already know about, and neither actor really looks like they want to be there in the first place. An action film is only as good as the villains, and these are so vanilla they blend into the Alaskan snow.

The final fight in the film is also very lackluster and all too brief, and you never feel there's a sense of dread or worry because the film never steps away from the tropes this style is known for, and it feels rushed and far too quick.


The Verdict:
While not stepping out of the generic action mold, "The Mother" is blessed to have the talent of Jennifer Lopez at the center, holding the fabric of this grey-colored blanket together that offers just enough to keep you entertained, but not enough to remember it afterward.


The Score: B