The Good Mother (1988) User Reviews

Good Job, Bad Mother

[ftfchris · 7/10 · 2 November 2012]

Solid acting and i get what he movie was trying for but imo if you have half a brain or kids of your own you'd feel no sympathy for the mom.

The Mother discovers joy through sexuality with her new (KEY WORD BEING NEW) lover and her daughter get's caught up in it (Not in a rapey way).

I get it. Mother is enjoying being a new liberated sexual being. But how long have you known this guy? If you're going to allow him to go around naked in your home, have sex with him on the same bed as your young daughter etc etc your answer better be YEARS and that you trust him with your daughters life. Because that's basically what your doing.

I know what others say this movie is about but i saw this as a movie where the Mother didn't love her Daughter enough to put her child above her own happiness and put her at risk of rape or worse. While no one is supposed to be the villain of the movie the Father is kind of put in that role but i didn't understand. Any Parent in their right mind would do the same thing and sue for custody.

If it was the Father with a young son and was letting the son go around and touch his girlfriends private bits you don't think the Mother would go apeshit crazy? Or if the Father let his Daughter touch his private bits because she was curious rather then let her touch some strangers cock? I think the Mom would've gone crazy for that too.

OK, non-commercial film, a bit unpleasant

[smatysia · 5/10 · 18 July 2005]

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.

Good Film (spoiler)

[geenam · 7/10 · 27 January 2014]

I saw this movie recently, although it was released in 1988. Diane Keaton plays a divorced woman with a young daughter. Liam Neeson is her boyfriend whose casual attitudes "free's" Diane.

I had to think back to the 1980's when this movie was released and compare it to what our attitudes towards child molestation are now. I was amazed that Liam Neeson's character wasn't arrested immediately when the incident occurred with Diane Keaton's daughter. Nowadays, it just wouldn't be a custody issue, but he would have been thrown in jail. That said, I was also surprised at Diane Keaton's character. She appeared to be a good mother, but to let her young child spend time with a man that she may not really know was not a good idea. Maybe it was the time period. All I know is that the situation would be totally different now.

If you are looking for a good film, with good acting, take a look at this. You'll be surprised at Liam Neeson, who probably was just starting out, how young he looks!

Excellent, compelling, infuriating, underrated.

[guoke · 7 July 1999]

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.

Interesting drama

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 27 February 2012]

Story about a divorced woman (Diane Keaton) who has custody of her daughter (Asia Vieira). She starts dating a sexually liberated man (Liam Neeson) and they get serious. At one point the child touches Neeson's penis (not shown) and her ex (James Naughton) finds out and starts a custody battle saying she's an unfit mother.

I like this movie a lot--but I am prejudiced. It was shot in Cambridge MA and I lived in that area back then so it was great to see it on a big screen. That aside the story is unpleasant (for obvious reasons) but compelling. It shows each side of the issue and really makes you think. It doesn't end happily but realistically and I applaud that. Acting is great by the leads and Jason Robards shines in a role as an understanding lawyer. Some may find this slow and depressing but I was fascinated. Worth a look.

Unpleasant and troubling single mother's custody tale

[roghache · 4/10 · 18 April 2006]

Though it is a well crafted film with wonderful actors, I'm not much of a fan of this movie's messages. Its main characters believe that uninhibited folk who feel free to go about their house nude in front of their kids represent a more enlightened form of humanity than the more modest (sexually repressed?). In this era where child molestation by step fathers & live in boyfriends is all too common, it casts the boyfriend's admittedly well intended behaviour in a sympathetic light; he's the misunderstood & tarnished victim of the piece. My main complaint, however, is that the film supports the misguided notion that this wonderful new sexual discovery this mother is experiencing should be at least as important in her life as her child.

The story revolves around a laboratory worker & part time piano teacher, Anna, who is divorced from her husband, Brian, a lawyer, and has custody of their young daughter, Molly. Anna embarks upon a passionate affair with Leo, a sculptor, and basks in her newfound sexual discovery. One day Molly curiously & innocently inquires whether she might touch Leo's penis. He consents, so as to convey to her that there is nothing shameful or embarrassing about one's body. However, the ex-husband, Brian, learns of the event and sues for custody, declaring Anna an unfit mother. The acting is superb, with Diane Keaton compelling as Anna and Liam Neeson charismatic & appealing as the bohemian Irish lover, Leo.

True, no one in this story means any harm, with the possible exception of Brian who may simply be vindictive. On the other hand, what father in his right mind wouldn't sue for custody if confronted with this tale? It is indeed heart wrenching that Anna loses custody of the daughter she dearly loves, but frankly, she put her own sexual fulfillment ahead of her maternal role. Call me old fashioned, but I have a BIG problem with lovers living in or boyfriends sleeping over in any case, but especially where children are involved. Anna & Leo definitely shouldn't be having sex in the same bed with Molly, whether she's sleeping or not. Leo is kind to Molly, but his behaviour here is ill advised at best, and one cannot blame the courts for coming down on the side of the situation's obvious appearance.

There are certainly wonderful step people so I don't want to tar everyone with the same brush, but there's also far too much child molestation going on in second marriages & love relationships. The biological parent must assume absolute responsibility for ensuring that their new love interest isn't victimizing their child. Leo is perfectly innocent here, but Anna hasn't known him long and she's pretty trusting in leaving him alone with her little girl. Frankly, if mothers were a little less trusting of their new boyfriends AND PUT THEIR CHILD FIRST, there might be a lot less abuse going on.

As another noted, I think the moral of the story is that if the mother wants to live a bohemian lifestyle, she should be very leery of involving her child. Frankly as I see it, unlike the 'Me first' philosophy of modern society, a 'good mother' is willing to make some sacrifices and most definitely puts the interests of her child ahead of her own love life. That's not true here of Anna, who's totally caught up in her newfound passions and alas, pays the price. This is NOT a movie that doesn't provide a viewpoint, as another has claimed. It DOES have a viewpoint. The producers' obvious intent here is to have the viewer totally sympathize with Anna, this caring & dedicated mother, and to see both her & her misunderstood lover as the tragic victims of injustice. As always, the real victim here is the child.

Not all stories should be filmed.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 29 May 2023]

Well intentioned and okay acted, but I found this story about misguided mother love to be a crass comment on female liberation and how it impacts their children. Having been just fine with "Baby Boom", Oscar winning Diane Keaton followed it up with another story about single motherhood, mixing it with her divorced character's new boyfriend, the always exciting Liam Neeson. As their love affair increases in heat, she becomes careless, and an absurd moment involving Neeson and her very young moment threatens everything.

Yeah, a big "eew!" factor occurs when the adolescent little girl asks for the opportunity to touch Neeson to which any smart adult would say absolutely not, and suggest that child get some therapy. But then, smart adults like Keaton and Neeson would make sure that the door is locked, and that questions about sexuality wouldn't be dealt with until an appropriate age. I can usually stomach even the oddest plotlines, but how this even entered someone's mind to write or later make a film of is pretty perplexing. Veteran Oscar winning actress Teresa Wright offers a bit of class, as does Ralph Bellamy, but that's the only class inside this oddball drama that obviously derailed Leonard Nimoy's directing career outside of "Star Trek".

Not a good vehicle for Keaton...

[moonspinner55 · 2/10 · 22 May 2007]

Dreary, rather annoying film-adaptation of Sue Miller's book (directed by Leonard Nimoy!) has Diane Keaton in one of her weakest roles as a single mother sued for custody of her child by her ex-husband. Seems mom's new Bohemian boyfriend (Liam Neeson) is a bad influence, and after Keaton's little girl sees Neeson undressed and begins asking grown-up questions about sex, any viewer might understandably side with the ex (who is made to be the villain of the piece). Beginning with a puzzling prologue which hopes to show the different ways in which we view sexuality, Nimoy's take on this material is just confounding. Keaton never really develops a character, and I presume we're supposed to empathize with her simply because she's lovable Diane Keaton. Aside from some OK technical merits, the film is muddled beyond repair. * from ****

Tender, Beautifully Acted Story

[mmitsos-1 · 9/10 · 13 January 2005]

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.

no wonder you never heard of it - SPOILER

[jjack100 · 2/10 · 31 January 2004]

No matter how many famous actors you throw at this "story," it is still pointless and laughable. **Possible spoiler** A woman gets divorced, meets an artist, and her 5 year old daughter touches his penis, trial ensues. I wish I were making that up, but that is the 'story' of this movie. Sound bad? Yeah, it is.

Sorta sickening

[TDawg736 · 1/10 · 25 April 2022]

A neurotic, giggly divorcee finally hooks up with a man who can sexually please her, which causes her to forget how to lock doors so her little daughter won't walk in on them while they're having it off. The man in question also doesn't know how to lock doors, so the kid walks in on him while he's having a shower. Upon seeing his naked manhood, she asks to touch it. Instead of grabbing a towel, covering himself up, and saying something like, "Nah, kid. Sorry you saw that, but they call them 'private parts' for a reason. Now am-scray!", he says he lets her.

The kid tells her father, who is rightfully enraged and sues for full custody. The movie makes the father -- the only sensible grown-up who knows how to lock doors and turn down a kid's imploring to touch his genitals -- out to be the villain. Apparently, Hollywood types think it's OK to expose little children to adult sexuality and nudity, and anyone who disagrees is a silly old prude. Any boundary is bad, see. And the only two options are to make a kid think the body and sex are dirty OR to let them see it all, no holds barred. No option exists to teach them to see sex as wonderful, but private and for married grown-ups, and the body as beautiful, but having parts that are also private and not for everyone's eyes. What a load of crap.

Recommended

[janeybkla · 8/10 · 29 July 2004]

Diane Keaton and Liam Neeson are great together, but the subject matter is hard to watch.

The points of view of the different characters are well presented. You can understand everyone's behavior and conclusions.

Would I have preferred a tidy, happy ending? Yes. But this movie doesn't take the easy way out. It tackles a difficult situation caused by "enlightened, progressive" thinking, and leaves you pondering. I so wanted to point out to the characters the early errors so the catastrophic ending could be avoided.

THE GOOD MOTHER presents one of the most honest portrayals of awakening female sexuality and committed love on film.

true picture of the intrusions of the state on private lives

[nyfreelanceeditor · 10/10 · 9 August 2017]

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.

The Good Mother on 4k ultra hd

[jucsetmai · 8/10 · 18 November 2020]

Good movie good love you now on upgrade Native 4K and Dolby Vision coming soon on kino 4k ultra hd release February 2021