The Good Mother

Painful as this film is - especially for women - it is accurate in its portrayal of the intrusions of the state on the lives of parents. Laws and practices vary by state, but Massachusetts is notable for its readiness to separate parents from their children for minor infractions or parenting the state disapproves of. It is a warning to parents to stay away from protective services if their beliefs are progressive in ways the state does not agree with.

JJack100 couldn't be more ridiculous in her/his assessment of this film. "The Good Mother" is a wonderfully acted, beautiful little film that is completely underrated. Very basically, it illustrates the problems that sometimes might ensue due to simple "clashes" of culture and social morais, even though both are western (she's American, he's Irish). It might have been interesting to see how the daughter describes to her biological father what actually happened with the boyfriend. But beyond this single observation, it is to some degree a very interesting little character study of a single mother finding her way and stepping into the world of dating. The relationship between the mother and the daughter is solid, and it is this very relationship that the mother has invested so much of her life cultivating, nurturing, and perfecting. But now, she is confronted with the possibility of losing the one accomplishment, this relationship, to which she has committed herself and about which she feels very proud. Overall, this is a quiet, very well acted, and ultimately heart-wrenching film.

I'm cautious about films with a message: they are too easily heavy-handed and preachy, or on the other extreme capable of producing a mass "understanding" that is actually untrue ("The Klansman/Birth of a Nation" comes to mind). Films dealing with sexual attitudes can very glibly preach either "damnation for transgression" or "freedom from repression" with equal superficiality. This film is remarkable for painting all its characters with dimension: no one is evil, but everyone can be weak, afraid, and make poor decisions with good yet fearful intentions. The acting is terrific, so you feel satisfied at having seen a movie of quality at the same time you feel frustrated, infuriated, and finally exhausted by the outcome of the plot. Another example of Leonard Nimoy's excellent qualities as a director, forever lost - I'm afraid - in the strange perception that his work in Star Trek makes all of his career somehow lightweight.

Not particularly pleasant to watch. The events at the heart of this movie are supposed to be thought of ambiguously, as maybe not such a big deal. I don't know about 1988 Boston, but I live in the South in 2005. I think that here and now, if these sort of things came to light, there would be a lot more going on than a custody dispute. Probably a major criminal investigation, at minimum. Anyone has the right to live a bohemian or libertine lifestyle, but not necessarily the right to subject children to such things.

The movie could have developed the character of the ex-husband a bit more. As it stands you really don't know if his motivations are reasonable concerns about his child, or if he simply intends to stick it to his ex.

Everything else about the film, aside from the material was just fine. The lead acting, the child actor, Leonard Nimoy's direction were all good. Katey Sagal was good and looked scrumptious in a small part.

Worth checking out if you are willing to forgo the car chases and alien wars, and think about something. But don't expect to enjoy it.

Divorces are so messy, it is hard to watch for me, because I see too many messy divorces, more than any enough for a child to deal with, this includes my parents and some other families around me.

The conclusion I got from it, these kind of custody battles aren't about the children well being, it's about your feud with your ex-soupse and to get some kind of revenge, none of this to do anything with the children, and you cause more harm to them, so can you can give yourself as high five and be proud you did it and tell yourself you did for your child.

I think this movie represents this really well, and the easiest situation to get custody and revenge on your ex, because people can't handle nakedness and openness in these situations, just simply can't, and no matter how sexually liberated we are, this would be the absolute worst thing for many people.

Not the best Diane Keaton performance unfortunately, but the script wasn't that good, to her defense. I can't decide what this movie wants me to think about the Liam Neeson character, villain? A person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Kinda one dimensional, messy-artist-type. Their relationship with Diane and the child wasn't really developed for me to make sense, none of the relationships are well developed to begin with. I prefer if the movie uses the time to develop these while we try to get to the point of custody battle, which we are all here for. If I don't have to deal with one dimensional characters, I can invest more in them and not just let my childhood trauma tell how it is supposed to be or feel about them. The movie touches on many subjects, but doesn't really say anything about them, there too many threads and once there are too many you can't collect them all and make a whole.

You can find better movies out there about divorce, mother daughter relationships and mothers who end up in a bad situation, because they did something the society tells you it's a mistake and have to fight for their children.

I am confused about what to say about this movie, as much as the movie about itself and on which subject it wants to make a point and a strong opinion about, a critique. This movie ''doesn't hold water'' to anything it tries to say.