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Mother and Child: Heartbreakingly Lovely

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 14 May 2010 12:30:42 PDT

Have you ever been grateful to disappear into an emotional roller coaster of a movie? One that doesn't manipulate you, but genuinely makes you feel compassion and heartache? This is how I can sum up Mother and Child, a drama about the complexities of maternity from writer/director Rodrigo Garcia. Annette Bening is at the helm of the ensemble cast as Karen, a middle-aged woman who grieves daily for the baby she gave up at 14. Naomi Watts plays Elizabeth, the grownup child Karen has never met, and Kerry Washington is a conflicted wife who is pretty sure she wants to be a mother.

These aren't just sad, woeful women; they're strong, but also majorly flawed. Elizabeth's cavalier treatment of the lives around her is hard to swallow, but her destructive personality is a direct result of her loveless upbringing. Bening is also quite unlikeable as Karen (the nature of their shared biology isn't lost on anyone). Throughout the film, you wonder how both of their lives would have been different had they known each other all along. Would they be softer, more loving?

The pace of the movie is somewhat slow, but it's well-suited to the subject matter; it makes you think, feel, and grieve along with its characters. To find out why, just

read more. The performances in this movie are stellar; not only are Bening and Watts predictably great, but the supporting cast also makes magic. S. Epatha Merkerson and Shareeka Epps (best known from Half Nelson) are both superb, while Samuel L. Jackson manages to break away from typecasting, playing the man who falls for Elizabeth with surprising gentleness. The ensemble format, overused in recent years, actually works fantastically for Mother and Child. It allows for multiple layers of plot and character; no person is one-dimensional, and even in their lowest moments, you sympathize with everyone. My only complaint ultimately proves to be moot; the separate storylines seem to fray as the story builds - until the climax, when the paths are organically and beautifully merged. It's an emotionally satisfying ending for a beautifully acted and written film.

Movie Preview: Watts and Bening in Mother and Child

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:30:19 PDT

How do you make two brilliant actresses even more compelling on screen? Make them mother and daughter. It's the case for Naomi Watts and Annette Bening in bittersweet drama Mother and Child, although it comes with a caveat: Watts plays Elizabeth, the daughter Bening's character gave up for adoption and has never met.

Motherhood is the central theme of the movie - Kerry Washington also stars as a woman who is trying to adopt, while Elizabeth finds herself pregnant. Intriguingly, Samuel L. Jackson plays against type here as Elizabeth's love interest in what seems like a sweet and subdued role. The trailer is moving and slightly somber, but it looks to be full of great performances. It's a pretty large ensemble - Jimmy Smits, David Morse, and Carla Gallo also appear, and speaking of, keep an eye out for Life Unexpected's Britt Robertson.

To see the preview, just

Buzz News Roundup, 11/7

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:31:04 PST

Fox has announced its Winter schedule, and is moving "houses" with Dollhouse on Fridays and House on Mondays. - Zap2it
Antonio Banderas is in talks to portray Salvador Dali in the indie biopic, Dali. - Variety
Dylan McDermott will play the lead in a TNT pilot called The Line, about a group of undercover LAPD officers. - The Hollywood Reporter
HBO has bought the rights to a documentary about Barack Obama that's been in the works since 2006. - AP
In other Obama-related news, Bruce Springsteen's next album is expected for release around the time of Obama's January inauguration. - Billboard
Reiko Aylesworth is in talks to join the cast of Lost as "Amy, a smart and successful professional woman with a love for the outdoors who is looking for the right man." - ComingSoon
Annette Bening and Naomi Watts will star together in Mother and Child, a drama from writer and director Rodrigo Garcia. - ComingSoon
ABC won't air the Alyssa Milano comedy Single with Parents. - Variety

Photos courtesy of Fox

What to Expect When You're Expecting Set Visit: Elizabeth Banks on Her Fake Bump and Personal Baby Joy

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:05:11 PST

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood will share the big screen in the upcoming comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting, which follows different mothers-to-be as they prepare for the arrivals of their bundles of joy. Cameron Diaz, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, and Elizabeth Banks are among the famous ladies who strapped on fake baby bumps to portray different kinds of pregnant women, and Banks's character, Wendy, doesn't exactly have an easy time of it.

I visited the Atlanta set of the film last year, where Banks was shooting a climactic scene in which her character addresses all the woes of pregnancy - in an auditorium with a rather large audience. The hilarious meltdown, which you can see in the opening of the trailer for What to Expect When You're Expecting, includes harsh truths like "I'm calling it: pregnancy sucks." It was great fun to see Banks film the passionate speech again and again, especially since the funny lady mixed up her one-liners from one take to another. What was even more interesting was seeing all of the extras who played the audience members, since the group of women was a mix of actual pregnant women and women rocking fake baby bumps.

I chatted with Banks about her own experience filming the movie, and she revealed that she actually felt like she was in her own little movie, since she doesn't have much screen time with her costars. Banks was refreshingly honest about not having any parenting tips and also admitted that though welcoming her son, Felix, has brought her a great deal of joy, it hasn't changed her stance on how she feels about kids in general. Here's more of what Banks had to say about pregnancy and motherhood:

What inspired you to take this role?
Elizabeth Banks: I cried when I read the script. It has a really great ending: at the end of the movie, everybody has a baby! It really is just a very relatable story for everyone: anybody who is a parent, has considered being a parent, has a baby, whatever. It's just very universal, what happens in the film. We really explore so many great storylines and different paths to getting a child. I had a unique path to getting my son, so I understand how everybody's path to their child is different.

How does it feel to wear the bump?
EB: It's sweaty! [Laughs] I think it's probably a decent approximation; it weighs a good 10 lbs. The boobs weigh about 6 lbs. They are really unbelievable. It's fun. It definitely makes you sit and walk in a totally different way. As an actor, it's a great prop.

How did you change when you became a mom?
EB: I get drunk much faster and easier, and it's a big problem, so I can't go out very much. I find that I underestimated the amount of joy. I'm really learning about my capacity for joy through my son.

To see what Banks had to say about baby fever and her parenting tips, just keep reading.

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "The Spanish Teacher"

Shannon Vestal — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:01:05 PST

Glee goes Latin this week when guest star Ricky Martin stops by to shake it and teach Mr. Schue a thing about Spanish (which, despite being a Spanish teacher, he does not know). A couple more people find out about Finn and Rachel's engagement, though Mercedes and Sam are still far more unclear about their relationship. Sue also announces a highly frightening desire to be a mother while clawing at the chance to be a tenured teacher.

There are some fun numbers this week, but they couldn't distract from the fact that this episode is all over the place. A couple of the subplots are just plain ridiculous, but it's not totally without its highlights, so let's go over them after the jump.

Could You Parent the Way French Moms Do?

LilSugar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:37:41 PST

You've met the Tiger Mother and the Free-Range Mom, but now there's a new maman in town.

When American journalist Pamela Druckerman had her baby in Paris, she became acutely aware of the parallel parenting universe that exists there and turned her experience into a book. Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting (out today) explores the decidedly more laid-back French approach to child rearing. Parental guilt is almost nonexistent in France, and weekends are dictated by what mom and dad want to do, as opposed to soccer games and birthday parties.

Wondering where you fall on the parenting spectrum? Take our quick quiz, and find out which parenting style suits you best.

Your 5-year-old's snack of choice is:

Celery sticks

Pain au chocolat (in moderation)

Whatever he threw in the cart on your last trip to the grocery store

Your son fell at the playground and ended up with a bruised forehead and a seemingly endless stream of tears. You handle the situation by:

Handing him an ice pack and encouraging him to get back out there

Telling him where the ice packs are

Scolding him for being at the playground in the first place - he's over his limit for playtime for the week

The TV is on at your house:

Never (unless PBS is running something relevant or there's a State of the Union address)

When the kids put it on

Only when mom and dad's shows are on

A typical Saturday for your family consists of:

A family jog through the park, two hours of silent reading time, a trip to the museum, two hours of music practice, and a trip to the symphony

A leisurely brunch with (adult) friends then browsing through a few boutiques - little ones in tow

Nothing on the agenda! Hopefully it'll be nice out, and the kids can go do something outdoors

College is still a good 10 years away. You think about it:

Never! So much could happen in the next 10 years . . .

Constantly. Anything short of early preparation would put your children at a disadvantage

Now and again. You'd love your son or daughter to study abroad and see the world

The Benefits of Homeschooling Your Kids

LearnVest — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:05:49 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

In the past, LearnVest spoke to parents who chose not to use diapers with their children and dove into the stay-at-home parent debate. This time, one mother shares why she has decided to homeschool her children.

In 2002, we had our third child, 10 years after our second was born. Our eldest two boys were in a private school, but we began to consider the best way to educate our newest addition. Although we loved the school our boys attended, each year cost us about $10,000. We questioned how feasible it would be to put additional kids through there, too.

We had three more children in the following years for a total of six, and with each new baby came further confirmation that putting our four youngest through private school was out of the question financially. Our two eldest were approaching college age, which put even more pressure on us.

The decision was simple. We elected to educate our four youngest at home.

Why Public School Wasn’t an Option

We always knew that we wouldn’t send our children to public school. Parents who opt out of public school do so for many reasons: safety, quality of education, religious conviction, and many others. My husband and I both went to public school, but that was a long time ago, and I don’t know what schools are like today. For us, religion was the main reason. We believe that God gave parents the responsibility to raise, train, and educate their own children. Many parts of the Bible talk about training your children - to us, that includes education.

For more, read after the jump.

Jennifer Garner and Seraphina Bring Smiles and Sparkle to Their LA Day

Lauren Turner — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:57:09 PST

Jennifer Garner, in an Autumn Cashmere sweater, held onto Seraphina's hand as they ran errands in Santa Monica this afternoon. The mother and daughter stopped by Vincente Foods, where they picked up takeout and Seraphina showed off her sparkly pink TOMS. It's already been an exciting week for the Garner-Afflecks, since Jennifer bought a new Range Rover Sport at a local dealership yesterday. Jennifer is gearing up for the March release of Butter and the Spring birth of her third child, which she talked about while promoting her big-screen project on The Tonight Show last week. Her husband, Ben, also has work to do this year with two movies coming out, including his directorial project Argo.

Tot Gets Tat: Mom Gets Jailtime?

Natasha Dantzig — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:16:34 PST

Tats on tots? Tattoos are a divisive aesthetic on adults; the thought of a child actually getting their sweet lil skin permanently inked is a pretty unpleasant idea, to say the least. Yet that's exactly what 10-year-old Gaquan Napier did with the full support of his mother Chuntera. According to the law in Georgia, where the family lives, it's illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to get tattooed - with or without parental consent, a fact that Napier claims to have been unaware of when she granted her child permission to permanently mark his body.

This story sounds pretty black-and-white - what was she thinking? - until we learn more details of the reason behind the tattoo. Two years ago, Gaquan was with his older brother Malik when he was struck and killed by a teenage driver at the heartbreaking age of 12. When Gaquan went to his mother and asked her permission to get a tattoo in memory of his deceased brother, Napier said, "It made me feel good to know that he wanted his brother on him."

Napier is currently in custody and facing a charge of misdemeanor child cruelty. In several other states, a child getting inked with the parents' permission is perfectly legal, so do you think this mom deserves to serve time for allowing her son to create a memorial to his big brother?

Will You Watch the Dance Moms Spinoff?

Natasha Dantzig — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:15:34 PST

Welcome to Miami! Like most reality shows, the runaway ratings hit Dance Moms on Lifetime has seen its share of drama. The original follows instructor Abby Lee Miller, the girls' fiercely competitive instructor, as she tells it like it is - little girls' and their mothers' feelings notwithstanding. Like its predecessor, Toddlers and Tiaras, Dance Moms has proven to be as much about the conflicts and personalities of the don't-call-them-stage-moms stage moms as it is about actual dance (hence the title).

Much of show's controversy has centered on Miller's very demanding teaching style. She is very up front about the fact that she does not baby these girls and expects complete and utter focus and determination - bellyaches, schoolwork, and other kid stuff is irrelevant in her world. Berating both mother and child is a part of the job.

The spinoff takes the wildly successful franchise down South, to the slightly more TV-friendly locale of Miami, FL - the original is filmed in Pittsburgh, PA - to follow two new teachers and a new crop of eager pupils. Maybe the warmer climate will mean a mellower crowd? Let's hope not: that wouldn't make for very good TV now, would it?

Will you tune in for Dance Moms: Miami?

Source: Lifetime