Word: mothers
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Hancock learned about pageants early--her mother once competed for the "Miss Kentucky" title. She grew up aware of their appeal, watching them on TV with her family, yet she was interested in taking to the walkway until they included social activism...
...life of a normal New Yorker (the recent trends of female heroines working as magazine editors is starting to become both annoying and disturbing). The main narrative unfolds in flashback, as Ellen is being questioned by a district attorney about the possibility that she assisted in her cancer-stricken mother's death. Through her answers to the attorney's questions and the episodes which she recounts, we gradually begin to get a sense of the complex personality and wealth of insecurities that Ellen harbors...
...then, of course, there is Meryl Streep as Ellen's mother Kate, who inhabits a world completely alien to Ellen. Kate's world revolves around the home; when she's not baking or quilting, she's joining other women in planning cheery town projects. But there's more to Kate than arts and crafts--she keeps the house running, the bills paid, and the food coming without the least bit of help from Ellen or George. And most importantly, she loves her domesticity. Kate simply lights up at the thought of keeping Ellen comfortable or working on a "mosaic table...
During Ellen's stay, however, she soon learns that her mother is facing a bout with cancer that has already spread. George asks her to return home to take care of her mother which she does, albeit grudgingly. Once in close proximity to Kate, however, Ellen's icy reserve begins to melt under her mother's sunshiny and loving presence. As Kate's health deteriorates, Ellen begins to realize how truly remarkable her mother is. "How do you do this?" she asks Kate, "without anyone ever knowing how hard it really...
...most of juicy monologues where she not only pours out her soul, but also gives us a devastating and unglamorous portrait of a woman rendered helpless by the ravages of disease. But Streep avoids the overacting bug. She never gives us more than what Kate really is--a mother who knows nothing else but the instinct to nurture and love...