Getting to Grips With ‘Otherhood’

Angela Bassett, Felicity Huffman and Patricia Arquette star in ‘Otherhood’ (2019).

A Netflix original about three mothers/friends who didn’t get so much as a phone call for Mother’s Day so they head to New York City to gatecrash their sons’ lives.

If that sounds exciting, you’re in for a surprise.

Somewhat wasting the immense talents of the trio, the film gives us three middle-aged women who seem to have nothing better to do than to lament the neglect from their adult sons played by Sinqua Walls, Jake Hoffman and Jake Lacy.

The term ‘otherhood’ refers to that place after motherhood when your children don’t need you any more, live their own lives and sometimes forget to call, effectively rendering you an ‘other’.

While this is an interesting idea and it’s great to see women over 40 taking the lead and telling distinctly motherhood-centered stories, the film struggles to narrate a compelling message about empty nest syndrome, staying close to adult children and middle-aged self-reflection.

Co-written and directed by Cindy Chupack, ‘Otherhood’, a comedy, could certainly have been funnier, dug deeper and had a finer focus on the women themselves and what makes them tick, stagnate or decide to visit their grown sons after a couple of glasses of champagne.

As for their sons, well, they’ve got some issues too. Drivable, elevated by its lead actresses and a tad too long at 100 minutes, ‘Otherhood’ is an easy stream for a light night in.

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