Mother’s Day (2010)

Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. Starring Rebecca De Mornay, Patrick Flueger, Jaime King, Warren Kole, Frank Grillo, Shawn Ashmore, Briana Evigan, Lyriq Bent, Lisa Marcos, Deborah Ann Woll, Tony Nappo, Matt O’Leary, Kandyse McClure, Jessie Rusu, Mike O’Brien. [R]

Three criminal brothers head for their mother’s house after a bank robbery goes bad, but discover that Mom no longer lives there; instead, they interrupt a small get-together of about a half-dozen friends hosted by King with husband Grillo, take the group hostage, and wait for mother dearest to show up. The mind games and increasing body count that ensue after she arrives could have made this an enjoyable throwaway thriller, but there’s nothing especially original or twisted about the schematic, and it runs out of gas way too early (the film suffers badly from overlength). The sadistic violence lacks inspiration and energy, most of the “good” characters are as unlikable as the out-of-control family, and despite De Mornay’s best efforts to skirt the edges of camp in portraying a sinister mama bear, she doesn’t gel with the sweaty intensity of the nasty little movie she inhabits. Liberally inspired by the 80s slasher movie of the same name. Brett Ratner co-produced.

38/100