Smother (2008/II)

Director:

Vince Di Meglio

Writers (WGA):

Tim Rasmussen (written by) &
Vince Di Meglio (written by)

Release Date:

26 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Everyone wants to be loved. Just not this much.

Plot:

After he's fired from his job, an everyday guy faces pressure from his wife to have a baby and from his mom, who has decided to move in with the young couple.

Plot Keywords:

Employee | Father Son Relationship | Boss | Mother Son Relationship | Funeral

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Diane Keaton	...	Marilyn Cooper
Dax Shepard	...	Noah Cooper
Liv Tyler	...	Clare Cooper
Ken Howard	...	Gene Cooper
Jerry Lambert	...	Donnie Booker
Selma Stern	...	Helen Cooper
Mike White	...	Myron Stubbs
Steven Christopher Parker	...	Dana
Henriette Ivanans	...	Therapy Receptionist
Frank Crim	...	Bob
Eddie Frierson	...	Ralph
Matt Steinauer	...	Carpet Bazaar Mascot
Rachel Cannon	...	Waitress
Tara Moore	...	Pippi
Lucas Gorak	...	Tommy

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, some drug material and language. (edited; previously rated R for some sexual references.)

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | Taiwan:PG-12 | Finland:K-11 | Singapore:NC-16 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Carsey-Werner Company

Quotes:

Noah Cooper: Is there anything else I should know about? Any other lies?
Marilyn Cooper: You wet the bed until you were six, the noise in your closet at night really was a ghost, and you were held back two times in the first grade.
Noah Cooper: I'm thirty-one?
Marilyn Cooper: Thirty-two.

Movie Connections:

References "Murder, She Wrote" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Fool Says

Not to bad considering Keaton's recent form..but Tyler is ridiculous!

Diane Keaton is going through a really rough couple of years. Lets check her last few movies:Because I Said So-Shocking film and didn't go so well at the box office, Mama's Boy- Shocking film, horrific at the box office and Mad Money-A good movie in my book, but a poor box office return.

So where does that leave Smother? Here we have a mother who moves in with her son causing chaos in her son's life. Its a fun comedy, but with nothing new or exciting that we haven't seen before. Dax Shepherd steers the ship, and is actually not to bad as the lead who's life just keeps getting harder and harder. As for Keaton, well she is a lot of fun as the annoying mother who doesn't want to move out of her son's house. She plays it rather well and her character is actually quite likable. She has great chemistry with Dax and together they make a great team.

So what flaws this movie if not Keaton, who has been out of form for so long? Its Liv Tyler, her performance is so fake and forced that you find yourself cringing at each word that comes out of her mouth. She is not believable at all and in a scene of her being angry she is practically laugh worthy! Its good to see Keaton slowly getting back into form after her shocking last couple of movies, Mad Money not included. But Liv Tyler needs to try harder and she is the real problem with this film. But other than that, Smother is a not bad comedy for a lazy afternoon.