Dear Mother (2020) User Reviews

You Don't Have to French to Enjoy It

[albertval-69560 · 7/10 · 16 January 2022]

I enjoyed this film. I'm not French but I get the humor. It's really funny the way Jean-Louis, Valerie and Michel conspire to obtain a non-digital photo of Jean-Louis' "origin." And dear Brigitte's unintended revelations are the piece de resistance. Surely, Helene Vincent is the darling of the show.

This film is an example of comedy as fine art.

Quelle rigolade

[thespira · 7/10 · 15 January 2022]

Jean Louis and his wife are desperately looking to revive their couple and their life. They seek guidance from a guru (Nicole Garcia) who suggests to see where Jean Louis comes from ie "the origin of the world". They then have to hatch a plan to take a photo of Jean Louis' mum (Hélène Vincent hilarious) special parts. Absurd and really funny. A great Vaudeville to enjoy.

Some people won't laugh, others will, I did.

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 27 February 2022]

I see some people were offended by some humoristic scenes. Honestly I don'tsee the big problem with those scenes. I thought they were funny and luckily we had those scenes in this movie. Actually the movie starts okay, with sometimes acting that could have been better, but it was not all that thrilling to watch, until those scenes came along and brought the comedy I was waiting for. I guess some people are easily shocked, but keep in mind this is only a movie, nobody got hurt. L'Origine Du Monde (or Dear Mother for the English title) is a funny French movie that is worth watching, that is if you're not too stuck up..

Could have been better

[guy_from_may_98 · 6/10 · 27 September 2021]

Laurent Lafitte's directorial debut is not great but it still has qualities showing that the comedian has potential as a director.

The film was well shot and didn't always follow the stereotypical cinematography in comedy movies which was something I did not expect.

The acting was pretty solid as every actor did a good job with their performance.

The score was also pretty nice to hear and it was discreet enough so it wasn't distracting. It was well composed, well produced and it was used in a very pleasant way.

Some jokes were really funny and some others gave me a chuckle here and there but the majority is pretty unfunny and really awkward at times.

The most unpleasant ones were jokes that were undirectly referring to r*pe. In the movie you have the context that the character does not have the will to actually r*pe someone and it constructs the joke as a misunderstanding from the other character involved. It was still super unconfortable to watch... The execution of this type of joke and others could have been executed in a different way because they fell flat most of he time and were really embarrassing as is.

I was never bored during this movie because the directing, score and acting are pretty solid and are holding the film but the humour is hit or miss and cringe at times.

I'll check Lafitte's next directorial effort to see if he can progress as director.

Unexpected

[laurencedesigne · 7/10 · 28 April 2022]

I am french and already convinced by the selected actors of this movie. Discovering Laurent Lafitte as a movie maker and this is a success. The storie of this movie is surprising the audience until the end. Now i'm waiting for your second movie, Mr Lafitte!

Nope!

[kloridrik · 2/10 · 16 January 2022]

I had to stop the movie halfway. I did laugh one time in the first 50min of the movie, but the scene where they try to take a picture is atrocious. It is not funny at all and is pure elderly abuse. It was horrible to watch. I can't imagine people considering this as funny. Trying to force someone who is screaming and saying no is just not funny. It is abuse.

Wonderful start, disgusting ending

[avalachi · 2/10 · 16 January 2022]

I think it is a French attempt at "cringe comedy". Good actors and wonderful dialogues. First half of the movie, I laughed out loud, chuckled, really enjoyed it. But "cringe humour" is a difficult thing. I love Judd Apatow productions but he does know where to draw a line. The writers of this movie did not know where that fine line is. The movie starts getting into embarrassing, situations become more and more outlandish, completely unbelievable and... Everything good - and it has lots of good - was spoiled through uncontrolled, disgusting, base jokes.

When Cannes is not a credit

[lazlovandor · 4/10 · 16 June 2022]

Long ago I don't give much credit to movies presented in the Cannes Festival and this one only strenghtens my conviction.

Jean Luis and Valerie doesn't seem to have a fully satisfactory marital relationship but I don't know how this is related to the main issue of the movie.

Fellow feels strangely after doing some exercise and.when checks, finds that his heart is not beating, so he calls his friend, a veterinary.

Then accepts his wife's suggestion visiting a witch who declares that he must bring a photo of his 82 years old mother's vagina in 3 days else he'll die. A photo downloaded from Internet won't work.

Rest of the movie is about the intents to make the photo. Hard to tell the limit between funny and grotesque.

Obviously, the justification of the movie is absurd or fantastic but undeniably original. The final has no moral.

I rated it 4/10 because I could watch it till the end without getting asleep, has some funny scenes and ultimately justifies my.subscription to Netflix.

If you might feel uneasy about bad jokes disrespecting 82 year old mothers you might not like the movie.

One of the best comedies made in ages.

[badlydrawnhamster · 9/10 · 13 January 2022]

An adaptation of an apparently very well known play which was inspired by the famous painting of the same name, this is now on Netflix but I hope that doesn't potentially put anyone off, and I think they just bought the distribution rights anyway. It centres around how fortysomething lawyer Jean-Louis one day notices that his heart has stopped beating, and after consulting a vet friend and speaking to his wife's lifestyle guru Margaux, he believes he has three days to either see or take a picture of his elderly mother's vagina or he will die.

Despite the fantastical set up it's grounded in reality, as it mixes farce with a hint of comedy of manners and makes a fair few observations about the lives of these individuals, and it plays out perfectly, this is one of the funniest films I've seen in a long time. In a very slight, minor way, it occasionally reminded me of a French version of Seinfeld, albeit without a Kramer type figure, and not just because one of the characters looks a little George-esque, and that's meant as a compliment of the highest order too as the three main leads do their very best to carry out the ridiculous plans they devise.

It's best watched going in knowing as little as possible so I'd avoid the trailer, and I really think this is an absolute must see, I know that my overhyping it might lead to high expectations but I'd be very surprised if this doesn't make it in to my Top 10 favourite films of the year come the end of December.

The most boring and embarrassing movie

[MTonyS · 1/10 · 14 January 2022]

The most boring and embarrassing movie I've ever seen. In addition to being boring and lacking in rhythm, it has stupid script solutions and some unlikely character reactions. An interesting idea turned into one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

Are you kidding

[aschael-43178 · 2/10 · 7 February 2022]

It started as expected, a funny french movie, with a good dose of dark humor, and interesting dialogues... But it really turned me down when the imbecile of the protagonist decided to allow his friend to attack his own Mom (whom he hasn't talked to in 4 years)... WTF ARE YOU KIDDING!!! Not only that, then they decided to invite the Mom to his house and sit her right beside the his crazy friend whom attacked her... And it gets even worst. This move is and Ode to egotistical feelings of overgrown kids calling themselves adults, tell me about trauma! I know the French humor can be at times hard to get, but this one went too far, for my taste. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

Do not watch...

[marbanks29 · 3/10 · 19 January 2023]

I'm writing this review to warn people who were victims of abuse or a s*xual assault that this movie might trigger you. The movie is advertised as a comedy but not everyone will be able to enjoy it. The story starts well but when we get to the scenes with the main character's elderly mother, this is when the movie stopped being funny to me and was really painful to watch. So if you're looking for a movie to have a nice evening with a few laughs, you might want to avoid this one. And I understand that everyone has a different sense of humour but there are some topics that certain people will never be able to laugh about. I wish I was informed of the nature of the movie before I watched it.

Brilliant talents spoiled by humorless vulgarity

[pierrebarberis · 2/10 · 2 September 2022]

After a reasonably good start Mr Laffitte, excellent actor falls into a pit of shameful disgrace. Atrocious manipulation of an elderly woman, ugly nudes scenes, mediocrity at its worst.

Netflix has a gift to turn excellent actors in a turmoil of vulgarity. I HATE THEM.

As i have literally nothing to add to this disastrous junk to reach the (stupid) 600 characters limit I just repeat my statement.

After a reasonably good start Mr Laffitte, excellent actor falls into a pit of shameful disgrace. Atrocious manipulation of an elderly woman, ugly nudes scenes, mediocrity at its worst.

Netflix has a gift to turn excellent actors in a turmoil of vulgarity. I HATE THEM.

Only French can do this !

[lucienm-60321 · 8/10 · 12 January 2022]

Tired of comedies with similar storyline ?

Well, you will be in for a refreshing treat with this French comedy!

Careful, though, as it is VERY different !!!

Great casting.

a few Gallic bridges too far for some viewers one would surmise .... :)

[anxiousgayhorseonketamine · 9/10 · 15 January 2022]

Someone else here said only the French can do this and I totally concur .... maybe the Spanish could make this film in 2020 but all other nations I can think of would be too shy too reserved too uncomfortable to go there ....

It is an hilarious piece which contains or subsumes a lot of Freud a lot of psychotherapy some New-Age elements too and wraps it all up in a bawdy comedic piece in a slow deliberate fashion. We see it is entirely the creation of Laurent Lafitte from The Comédie Française; a register of highly-skilled actors; in which he is the main character/actor. The other 3 or 4 significant players here are also very good

Enjoy it ... it will test a lot of folks who believe they are francophiles .... but is worth the journey .... a solid 9 for me.

Memorable, for sure.

[PeterHerrmann · 9/10 · 28 March 2022]

Insane. Some uncomfortable - very uncomfortable - moments. Also, some dull sections. But some screamingly funny moments. But, as in most good works, the desire to find out what ultimately happens keeps you watching (or reading, in the case of books). Definitely the case here (imho). The subtitle of this movie (or perhaps the original title in French?) is "The Origin of the World", a famous painting by Courbet, which pretty much describes the issue that the film is about. Not 10 stars because it's fundamentally absurd (and there were some slow moments).

Complètement barré

[tcochois · 8/10 · 18 March 2022]

Ce premier film est caustique à souhait. Une réalisation carrée, des dialogues ciselés et des acteurs irrésistibles .... j'adore même si l'ensemble est complètement barré.

Brilliant French comedy

[dim404 · 8/10 · 17 August 2022]

A refreshingly funny film that deals with both slapstick and existential questions, with superb acting all around. Forget Hollywood for a moment and enjoy this French pastry. The title of the film comes from a very famous erotic painting from the Victorian era.

Unexpected!!!

[francielesaito · 8/10 · 17 January 2022]

My husband and I laughed a lot watching the movie. And I recommend this movie if you like non-traditional movies. The story is surprising and unusual.

Very funny, with a sharp humor

[ovibor · 9/10 · 18 January 2022]

The film is a surreal comedy, especially funny, with a lot of humor and satire. The script is very well written, the lines are full of verve, vivid and colorful. There may be times when you laugh with tears, if you have a sense of humor and you are not a grumpy man, very modest and easy to offend.

The actors fit in well, play very naturally and voluntarily even in the so-called awkward moments.

The film is provocative, breaks a lot of taboos, raises awkward questions about a man's critical age, marital relationships, holistic solutions, and the Oedipus Complex (the controversial subject of Freud's theory of psychosexual development).

In conclusion, I consider the film very funny, with a sharp humor, without anything dirty or ugly. If you are not overwhelmed by modesty and prejudice, watch it and fill yourself with good mood!

This is why I love French movies, but there are some issues....

[ourelbi · 8/10 · 2 October 2022]

As others here have said, only the French could make this movie, but not just because of the storyline, but because of the total farcical nature of it. There were many laugh out loud moments in this film, but there were also many cringey moments, and some scenes (involving the elderly mother) I wondered what the writer/director was thinking. In this day and age, understanding and portraying the concept of consent is so important and overdue, including a character who, when they haven't gained consent, then having to deal with the consequences of their actions. This didn't happen in this movie. Confused? Watch it and you'll see what I, and others, are talking about. That being said, it's really funny, but I'm conflicted by some parts of it.