Mother’s Day – the day that many of us use to celebrate the women in our lives who have taken on the immense responsibility of motherhood, and to remind them of exactly what they mean to us. However, three individuals feel very differently of the purpose of this specific day – mild-mannered but overbearing Gillian (Patricia Arquette), jet-setting, materialistic socialite Helen (Felicity Huffman) and reserved widow Carol (Angela Bassett) gather every year to celebrate Mother’s Day amongst themselves, because no one else seems willing to share it with them, especially not their sons, who have taken advantage of the freedom that comes with adulthood, and flown the coop, starting their own lives in the big city, and neglecting the very women that raised them. Growing tired of the lack of attention they receive, our trio of protagonists set off for Manhattan, where they will spend the next five days confronting their sons and reminding them precisely that they may be adults now, but there’s no way they can ever escape the grasps of their mothers. Over the course of their visit, the women not only try and forge meaningful connections with their sons but come to learn a great deal about each other and themselves, undergoing a journey of wonderful self-discovery, all while having a great time doing it.

Otherhood is a mixed bag of a film and something that doesn’t strike you as particularly unique, even if it is a very resonance film. From the outset, I’ll mention that I really loved this film – it is certainly flawed, and it has some massive problems that are almost irredeemable, to the point where it begins to impinge upon the film, albeit not in a way that is disastrous. However, for every fault, there is a merit, and it would be dishonest to say I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it from beginning to end, finding a lot of sweet sentimentalities embedded within the story. It is important to note that this film is not particularly serious fare, nor is a groundbreaking work of contemporary fiction. Rather, its a breezy, entertaining comedy that may stick to some extremely familiar conventions, fall into the exact same kind of narrative pitfalls films like this normally do, as well as often being increasingly lazy in its representation of certain themes, but is also a charming little film, an exuberant comedy that is nothing more than an upbeat distraction, perfect for a momentary diversion from reality, as we submerge ourselves into the predictable but no less endearing life of three middle-aged women going in search of their sons, and without knowing it, themselves as well.

There is a lot that Otherhood should’ve done a bit better – for example, the biggest issue with the film is that it feels like it was constructed from a manual written on creating the quintessential family comedy. It hits every narrative beat you think it would, and follows the structure set out by countless similar films to the smallest detail. This film, unfortunately, is too focused on having commercial appeal to actually try any form of reinvention, which does mean that the viewing experience is somewhat diminished, even if viewers weren’t looking for anything particularly stimulating. It creates an unsettling cycle when films are as predictable as this – the formula has been proven to work, and audiences clearly do respond to this kind of film, and rarely ever notice that this is the exact same story told over and over again throughout the years. Ultimately, it leads to more narrative idleness, whereby changes to the successful formula are seen as a risk, and the story is kept firmly within the confines of preceding films in this genre. It would be pointless to get into the minutiae on this topic, and would also do Otherhood a great disservice, as there are merits to the film, but when it comes to actually making a concerted effort to do something differently, considering the potential this film had, it’s disappointing that it remained so vapid, when it could’ve been great.

Not to invalidate this idea, but rather to provide a counterpoint to my own argument, Otherhood is obviously not a film that anyone would expect to be a revolutionary masterpiece going into it – this film made it very clear through the marketing and promotion that this was just going to be a bit of fun, rather than some exciting, subversive masterwork. Going into this film, the audience knows what to expect – and this is probably where you can call Otherhood a success, because while it may not do anything differently, it rather does what it does extremely well, and meets audience’s expectations without actually exceeding them. Considering this film could’ve been a lot worse, the fact that it remained relatively par for the course as to what it wanted to be, we can’t deride it. This is just a minor distraction, a comedy that doesn’t take itself seriously enough to warrant much attention, and when it comes to being nothing more than an entertaining comedy, Otherhood is a relative success. It aims to please, and it hits the target with ferocious force. It doesn’t make sense to criticize a film like this for failing to be something that it was never trying to be and should be appreciated for what it actually was.

One of the biggest merits in regards to Otherhood is that it was marketed solely on the performances of the three leads, and I doubt anyone can watch this movie and not be utterly charmed by the trio of brilliant women leading the cast. Three of the great character actresses of their era – Patricia Arquette, Angela Bassett and Felicity Huffman – feature in the major roles, and seem to be having the time of their lives. Each one of them is very good in their own way – Bassett is at her most vulnerable, Arquette demonstrates her unique comedic talents that are rarely utilized, and Huffman is the epitome of high-camp, in what is probably my favourite performance of the film. The three women are absolutely exceptional – from beginning to end, they take every opportunity presented with them and deliver astoundingly great performances that are often better than the film around them. Otherhood realizes that it has a weaker premise, and instead of trying to convince us that it is a lot better than it is, it compensates for its narrative shortcomings by bolstering the performances of its leads, giving them characters that are, at the very least, relatively well-written and resemble real human beings. Whether delivering witty one-liners with the kind of delicious ferocity they are known for or when conveying the film’s more sympathetic moments, the trio is excellent. If anything, Otherhood proves how they are absolute gems of performers, and should be cherished and utilized more often, as they are just so good, and deserve a lot better than a film that is entertaining, but can’t avoid moments of slight insincerity, especially when it comes to some of the character choices, with the actresses rising above them admirably.

Otherhood is the kind of film you don’t go into with any expectations other than wanting to have a good time. This film isn’t necessarily aimed at a particular demographic, and it certainly will entertain broader audiences (you don’t need to be a mother to enjoy it, but I guess it would help), and in spite of its narrative issues, it doesn’t ever relinquish a certain heartfulness that makes it such a delightful, charming film that doesn’t really try anything we haven’t seen before, but also never wavers from its intention to just be as fun as it possibly could be, sometimes even prioritizing its quirky attitude over moments of genuine sincerity, although this is not a particularly major problem. It sometimes may struggle to find a point, and some of its more dramatic moments not only seem predictable, but highly melodramatic, but it compensates through flourishing into a delightfully sweet comedy about motherhood, one that takes a dedicated stand to what it wants to say, and even if the execution of some of its ideas are less than ideal, the heart and soul of this film are very much present, and make it absolutely worth viewing, if for nothing else than a pleasant, charming distraction, and a way to pass the time on a lazy afternoon. The laughs are plentiful, the tears will flow steadily, and the sweet nature of the film prevents it from ever being a full failure, because when something means as well as this and actually puts some effort into its story, how can anyone not like it? A love story between mothers and sons is always going to be very special for anyone who falls into either of those categories, and Otherhood, if nothing else, is just a sweet ode to one of the most beautiful kinds of relationships in existence.