Linda Kallerus/Netflix
Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette and Felicity Huffman play neglected mothers of grown sons in Cindy Chupack’s Netflix comedy.
If the target demo for the Netflix film Otherhood is self-pitying mothers of adult children, then maybe it will find its sweet spot. Anyone outside that group is likely to be frustrated by this inane would-be comedy that brings together then entirely wastes three superb actresses.
The first film directed by Cindy Chupack, best known as a writer and producer of Sex and the City,Otherhood is deadening and predictable, with a cloying title that hints at how strained the script will be.
The story is set off when three women, who have known each other since their sons were 6 years old, meet for their annual Mother’s Day brunch and moan about how those sons, now living in New York City, neglect them. They are no longer mothers, they say, but others. (Ugh.) They are also a trio of stereotypes. Felicity Huffman plays Helen, who dresses elegantly, takes her loving second husband for granted and refuses to age. Helen doesn’t look silly or plastic-y; she looks like an actress with great hair, makeup and styling. Angela Bassett is Carol, a slightly frumpy, homebody widow. You can see her makeover coming. Like Helen, she has a huge, fabulous house ..........
