While the instinct for revenge is one of the easiest, most human character motivations to understand in film, the popular subgenre is in no way a straight line. Distinguished through its complex, multilayered goals that run through a deep cut of emotions, the need for revenge from a sharp class of anti-heroes has become one of the most enticing forms of storytelling. Though there are movies that stand out in the genre like Kill Bill: Vol. 1 or The Nightingale, Netflix’s latest offering, The Mother starring Jennifer Lopez, is one that comes pretty close to being an adept action-packed thriller featuring a female lead hell-bent on revenge. But as the film showcases Lopez in a more intense light outside her bubbly rom-com sweetness to kick major ass, the character-driven action epic from director Niki Caro is at times imbalanced and lacks subtlety. Yet, like its lead, it manages to get the job done.
In the film, which clocks in at almost two hours, Lopez stars as a deadly female assassin simply known as “The Mother” on the run from two very dangerous men, arms dealers Adrian Lovell (Joseph Fiennes) and Hector Àlvarez (Gael García Bernal). In the film’s opening sequence, we also learn in a shocking plot twist that one of the men is the father of her unborn child. Looking to make things right, The Mother teams up with the FBI but fails to assassinate Adrian for them, whom she also served in Afghanistan with as he was her former captain from a cavalry and sniper regiment. Seeking help from the bureau while holed up in a safe house somewhere in Indiana, the debriefing goes awry and a bloodbath ensues, with Adrian’s team killing every agent except William Cruise (Omari Hardwick), who is saved by The Mother after one very thoughtful gesture during their cross-examination.
After the two make it out, The Mother entrusts William with her newborn baby, asking him to find the child a safe, boring home. Requesting he update her every year and only call when trouble ensues, it’s 12 years later that William reveals photographs of Zoe, also known as The Daughter (Lucy Paez), have been found in the men’s belongings following internal investigations suggesting that both Adrian and Hector know her child is alive. In keeping a close eye on her daughter from afar and her sharpshooting sniper expertise in full swing, The Mother attempts to stop her daughter’s abduction but fails, teaming up with William to get her back. Frustrated by the two using her daughter as leverage to draw her out, her maternal instincts are amplified as a protective, dangerous force to anyone in her way that threatens her child.
With the film flipping the script on the typical revenge thriller that normally focuses on male leads, The Mother does something very different in rewriting the genre by placing a complex woman into that kind of world. While Lopez has never headlined a movie of this magnitude with its global attractions all in one, she does a great job of personifying The Mother and giving her enough nuance for audiences to be intrigued by her every move. She is absolutely magnetic to watch. Getting to see her do a film like this where she is taking names and kicking ass is fun and exciting, and something she could definitely do more of. Thanks to the writing giving her a lot to work with in terms of an intimate, emotional story placed in an ambitious high-octane world, Lopez balances the inner demons of her character while repairing the broken relationship she has with Zoe. Additionally, in reflecting on how we never learn The Mother’s real name, one can’t help but wonder if the multitalented star’s characterization of this unnamed, strong maternal archetype alludes to the instinct and impulse every mother could potentially see in herself for a connection to the audience.
However, while Lopez is good and the best part of this movie, there are times you can see she is holding back, and some scenes just feel more put on than anything. In some ways, it’s as if she’s just scratching the surface of what she can really do. She’s absolutely phenomenal when she lets loose. While she has great chemistry with her on-screen daughter, Paez, the same can’t be said for her time spent in scenes with Hardwick, Fiennes, and Bernal. In all honesty, The Mother would not work if it didn’t have Lopez in it. With a script written by a team of incredibly talented screenwriters in Misha Green (Lovecraft Country), Andrea Berloff (The Kitchen), and Peter Craig (The Town), it feels like there was too much happening and a lot got missed out on. It’s a good story with a lot of potential, but there are also some undercooked elements that cannot be ignored. The villains were just not strong enough and more a testament to the writing as the actors could only do what they are given.
Fiennes was decent as a villain but in many ways, fell into that James Bond cliché, especially after a fire physically scars one side of his face. We don’t get to see more of why we need to hate him, nor any kind of backstory without The Mother in check to understand his motives, his feelings, and why he is the big baddie. Yes, we learn about all the gross, heinous things he does starting with stabbing The Mother when pregnant even knowing the child could be his. But that is through the eyes of The Mother only. In fact, Adrian and Hector are villains only when in scenes with The Mother, but they don’t exist for our understanding outside her purview. While that might not be intentional per the writing, it comes off imbalanced as there is no fleshing out the others outside of Lopez’s character.
The same goes for Bernal, who is incredible in everything he does. However, while he gave this performance his all as the creepy contractor The Mother meets in Guantánamo Bay, there is just not enough of him to bother about. In fact, remove him from the equation as a character, and we could have had more screen time to flesh out a stronger dynamic between The Mother and Adrian. As for Hardwick, he is charming and appealing to watch, especially as he shares scenes with Lopez and really rises to the occasion to support her character. But there is just not enough of him and a lot that makes you wonder, how come we didn’t get to see more? In conversations between The Mother and Zoe, and the pre-teen’s interactions with William, we learn he’s an avuncular character in her life. But that very relationship creates plot holes and the question of how much Zoe’s adoptive family knows about who this child really is. Though Hardwick’s William puts it all on the line to help protect Zoe, he also has an underlying relationship with The Mother that deserves some more exploring, especially in how he cares for her daughter and what it means to her.
Paez as The Mother’s daughter Zoe is definitely one to watch. The young actress gave a stunning performance that is open and responsive to Lopez’s of a child thrown into a world that is chaotic and muddled with darkness. It is no doubt challenging to find an actor that young to balance the global megastar’s enduring magnetism but Paez manages most wonderfully to challenge the star in scenes that carry immense emotional weight, which helps really elevate the story and understanding of the love between a mother and daughter.
The Mother is one of those movies that starts off great and has these wildly fun moments but then lags at certain spots. There are a whole host of bumpy pacing issues as these characters trot off to exotic locales around the world, including snowy vistas in Alaska, simmering sunshine in Cuba, and the rugged terrains of the Afghanistan mountains. The film has some amazing action sequences, including a thrilling chase around Cuba that rivals The Bourne Identity and a one-to-one combat scene between Lopez and Fiennes that will have you at the edge of your seat.
Yet as the movie soars with its action, it runs flat in certain spots and ends up being bumpy as it tries to get back on track. While these kinds of movies usually offer some level of catharsis, don’t expect that here because the conclusion is a bit abrupt. With the villains not being strong enough and a character like Bernal’s more like a flash in the pan, there are parts of The Mother that just seem unnecessary but are only saved by Lopez. Caro, who has directed movies like Whale Rider and Mulan usually does a fine job in her films, but it seems like even with the writing, she couldn’t pull things together for a more cohesive, compelling story. The Mother might feel like something we’ve seen before with revenge movies, but it still works without feeling like a cookie-cutter of its predecessors. The film is good, but never manages to be great and suffers from some missteps that drag itself into an average range that leaves you feeling mildly disappointed. The Mother might seem like an incredulous story, but it’s Lopez who elevates it to a level of watchability and is believable as a mother who sets out to do anything for her child.
Rating: C+
The Mother begins streaming May 12 on Netflix.