Wow, here it is almost 20 years after this film was made, and I am just finding out about it. I accidentally stumbled upon it on a cable station one afternoon a few months ago. It has taken me many months since then to find the title and details! Now that I have found the title I am so glad. I hope that I can one day see it again. However, the first and only time I saw this movie I was in the middle of suffering from a deep depression myself. When I watched this movie I almost felt liberated. Through the whole movie I just kept imagining how liberating it must feel to have one person to reveal these painful, awful thoughts to. Everyone I had been in contact with tells me to 'cheer up', or 'think happy thoughts', or 'stop being selfish', etc. There has been not one person close to me whom I could tell my thoughts of wishing for death. When I saw this movie I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry because I truly felt the pain of the character Jessie. I wanted to leave this world as much as she did, there are days that I still want to leave! Medication and therapy helps to keep those days farther and farther apart, but they are still there. Watching this movie did help me to realize that I was not alone, and it also helped me to see that there has to be, and there should be other alternatives. I wish that I could own this movie, to watch again and again and dissect it and research it. But, I am at least glad I got to see it once, and I am so thankful for www.IMDb.com for having it on record, as I have not been able to find it ANYWHERE ELSE!!!!
47 Reviews
Darkness visible
aromatic-24 June 2000
Marsha Norman's play was gripping and harrowing on Broadway and while Director Moore opens it up as much as possible without losing the repartee, it is still a filmed stage play -- but one that packs every bit of the emotional wallop it did on the stage. The acting is marvelous and pulls no punches. Bancroft is almost unrecognizable, in a good way, completely immersing herself in the energetic mother character. Spacek is completely believable as the determined daughter. This is a true clinic in two-person character study acting.
"Night Mother is an emotional roller coaster, if there ever was one.
ebonyaprildd4 July 2006
It's gut wrenching, incredibly sad, funny in a few parts and completely shocking. I first saw this movie in my early 20's and it had a profound effect on me. I do not watch it much because it is very, very deep and extremely, depressing.
Jessie Cates, played by Sissy Spacek, is a middle-aged, epileptic living with her mother. She has had a traumatic, divorce in her past and a wayward son headed for prison. Due to her illness, she can't drive or hold down a job and has no hopes that anything will get better for her. Jessie, has after years of contemplating suicide, finally picked the night to do it. She has organized her personal belongings and put everything in order. Now, all she has to do is tell her mother.
Anne Bancroft, plays Jessie's mother, the blissfully ignorant, Thelma Cates. Who by her own description, is "a plain, old, country woman" who "just really doesn't think there's all that much to things". She is caught totally off guard when her daughter tells her, she is planning to kill herself that night. Momma Cates is so blatantly unaware that her daughter is unhappy that she even tells her where the gun is before asking why.
The subject matter and the way it's presented is so thought provoking that one doesn't even take notice of the fact that almost this entire movie consists of basically only two actresses.
I highly recommend this movie, just don't expect a happy ending.
Jessie Cates, played by Sissy Spacek, is a middle-aged, epileptic living with her mother. She has had a traumatic, divorce in her past and a wayward son headed for prison. Due to her illness, she can't drive or hold down a job and has no hopes that anything will get better for her. Jessie, has after years of contemplating suicide, finally picked the night to do it. She has organized her personal belongings and put everything in order. Now, all she has to do is tell her mother.
Anne Bancroft, plays Jessie's mother, the blissfully ignorant, Thelma Cates. Who by her own description, is "a plain, old, country woman" who "just really doesn't think there's all that much to things". She is caught totally off guard when her daughter tells her, she is planning to kill herself that night. Momma Cates is so blatantly unaware that her daughter is unhappy that she even tells her where the gun is before asking why.
The subject matter and the way it's presented is so thought provoking that one doesn't even take notice of the fact that almost this entire movie consists of basically only two actresses.
I highly recommend this movie, just don't expect a happy ending.
Excellent Film...
Blooeyz20011 April 2002
"'Night Mother" is a film for those who appreciate a good, thought provoking drama. Anne Bancroft, the Italian/American actress from NYC plays a Southern woman with gusto. Sissy Spacek as her daughter is excellent as a woman who has had enough of life & has decided to end hers. It's hard to decide who you feel more sorry for. My heart tends to go out more to the Bancroft character because Spacek's character has finally found some peace with her decision to end her life. This movie is very intense & the music on the soundtrack is beautiful & adds to it's emotional impact.
Such an original film!
justsmurfie197611 October 2006
I loved this movie. I caught it this morning and I was glued to the TV from the first minute. The two main actresses did a wonderful job, you don't doubt their performance for one minute. Everything seemed so real, the set could have been any house in the mid-west. This is definitely a movie that sticks with you long after the movie ends. I can't believe this movie isn't more well known and celebrated. Though I rarely watch movies a second time this is one I want to add to my collection to watch again and again. I think every time I watch this it will touch me in different ways. The story is so rich with detail, it feels as if you know the characters. A very moving, thought provoking, touching film you won't want to miss.
This film has haunted me for years
TheJesusAndMaryChain9 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this film when it first came out on video. A friend told me about it and I was so compelled by the story that I rented it. I was mesmerized and haunted by the ending. This film has stuck with me over the years. As an epileptic who suffers from depression, I could really identify with the Jesse character and how she feels like an outcast and a burden to those around her. At times, I felt as if that could be me up there. The film is based on a play so it very much feels like one in that it explores the relationship between two characters through dialog. There isn't much action but the performances are so intense and powerful, that you don't really need it. If depression and suicide are outside your comfort zone, then this film isn't for you but if you're into character studies and theatre this is one you don't want to miss. Bancroft and Spacek play so well off each other that it really pulls you in and leaves you...almost in a state of shock.
Despite their combined miscasting, the lead actresses manage to make this hard-shelled drama a moving experience
moonspinner557 August 2010
Tough, unyielding screen-version of Marsha Norman's play which can hold a lot of interest for select viewers, the theme of suicide being an uncomfortable one for the mass-market. Director Tom Moore doesn't try to disguise the stage origins of the material but, because of his mundane, straightforward handling, the piece doesn't grip the viewer the way live actors on the stage can. It has also been handicapped by the casting, with Anne Bancroft and Sissy Spacek portraying mother and daughter. They're marvelous actresses--and both are fine in this movie--but I never felt they were related (Kathy Bates played the daughter on stage, but was probably too old to be cast alongside Bancroft). Because she always does wonders with roles of conflicted young women, it is Spacek who comes off as the stronger of the acting duet. She really nails the part of this hapless, yet coldly focused and determined girl who wants to kill herself. Bancroft has a tendency to overdo certain scenes; she's theatrical instead of logical. The script really needed to be reworked for the screen (and for these particular ladies) and the daughter doesn't give us much of a chance to catch up to her emotionally, and so many viewers may feel shut out of the proceedings early on. **1/2 from ****
"Jesus was a suicide, if you ask me."
rondine10 January 2001
That is just one of the thought provoking lines from this movie. There are many. And while most of the reviewers praise the acting in this movie, and rightly so since it is a tour de force, I have to give praise to Marsha Norman who adapted her own Pulitzer Prize winning stage play for the screen.
When a movie is a "slice of life" such as this one, I unconsciously look for good and realistic dialog. There are just so many lines in this movie that ring true to real life conversations. There's a part where the Mom (Bancroft) tells Jessie (Spacek) to call her ex-husband up & try again, he might be ready and Jessie tells her that there's no point in calling him up because what's she gonna say, "nothing's changed, I'd just like to look at you if you don't mind?" In another scene Jessie compares life to a bus ride. She says it's hot, crowded & noisy and the only reason you don't get off is that your destination is 10 stops away. She says if she gets off now, or later, it's the same place when she steps down to it. In another part of the movie she says that she thought about sticking around if there was just something that she really liked, like rice pudding or cornflakes- but Jessie is a person robbed of any enthusiasm for life. So for her, staying around, especially for others, just doesn't make sense any more- she's had enough.
I really don't think Marsha was asking us to agree w/that point of view or to even condone it. I think she was just giving us some perspective- another point of view. And I have to admit, after having seen this many times, maybe Jessie made the right decision. As she also says in the movie, she is what *became* of her (Bancroft's) child. That she, Jessie, that might have made a difference to herself, didn't show up. Which is really food for thought for ANYone watching this movie- make a difference to yourself first and foremost. Despite the movie being about suicide, this is actually a life affirming movie if you look at it from that point of view.
The "acting" (I say that in parenthesis because it's so real it doesn't even seem like acting) from Spacek and Bancroft is absolutely first rate. I would recommend this movie on that score alone. Luckily, with the powerful and thought-provoking screenplay and the lovely music by Dave Grusin, there is much to recommend this heart wrenching tale of life and death.
When a movie is a "slice of life" such as this one, I unconsciously look for good and realistic dialog. There are just so many lines in this movie that ring true to real life conversations. There's a part where the Mom (Bancroft) tells Jessie (Spacek) to call her ex-husband up & try again, he might be ready and Jessie tells her that there's no point in calling him up because what's she gonna say, "nothing's changed, I'd just like to look at you if you don't mind?" In another scene Jessie compares life to a bus ride. She says it's hot, crowded & noisy and the only reason you don't get off is that your destination is 10 stops away. She says if she gets off now, or later, it's the same place when she steps down to it. In another part of the movie she says that she thought about sticking around if there was just something that she really liked, like rice pudding or cornflakes- but Jessie is a person robbed of any enthusiasm for life. So for her, staying around, especially for others, just doesn't make sense any more- she's had enough.
I really don't think Marsha was asking us to agree w/that point of view or to even condone it. I think she was just giving us some perspective- another point of view. And I have to admit, after having seen this many times, maybe Jessie made the right decision. As she also says in the movie, she is what *became* of her (Bancroft's) child. That she, Jessie, that might have made a difference to herself, didn't show up. Which is really food for thought for ANYone watching this movie- make a difference to yourself first and foremost. Despite the movie being about suicide, this is actually a life affirming movie if you look at it from that point of view.
The "acting" (I say that in parenthesis because it's so real it doesn't even seem like acting) from Spacek and Bancroft is absolutely first rate. I would recommend this movie on that score alone. Luckily, with the powerful and thought-provoking screenplay and the lovely music by Dave Grusin, there is much to recommend this heart wrenching tale of life and death.
impressive acting
SnoopyStyle11 May 2020
Jessie Cates (Sissy Spacek) is struggling. She lives with her mother Thelma Cates (Anne Bancroft) after the collapse of her family. She carefully organizes her possessions. She plans to kill herself. One night, she calmly tells her mother and lays out her plans.
This is adapted from a play. It's two people in a house. The two people happens to be two of best actors around. There is some impressive acting going on. There is however a lacking of drama. The story has nowhere to go but end up at its destination. It is an interesting view along the way.
This is adapted from a play. It's two people in a house. The two people happens to be two of best actors around. There is some impressive acting going on. There is however a lacking of drama. The story has nowhere to go but end up at its destination. It is an interesting view along the way.
Incredibly sad; marvelous acting
mtslord4 June 2000
This film is an adaptation of a play - and it shows. It all takes place in one small house, and there are really only two characters, Jessie and her mother. Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft do an incredible job in their respective roles. The writing is fantastic. Jessie is intent on killing herself, and tells her mother what she is planning, in order to explain herself. Her mother, of course, is appalled, and struggles to convince her to change her mind, and also to try to understand why Jessie wants to do something so drastic and final. Both roles are emotionally laden, and extremely well-drawn. The result is a film that is complex, interesting, sometimes funny, and heart-wrenchingly sad. It is, no doubt, a tear-jerker, but it is well worth seeing.
Infuriating.
Iammymothersdaughter212 October 2001
This film was amazingly well acted and filmed. It plays like a very intimate stage play. Sissy Spacek & Anne Bancroft each present their characters so seamlessly and flawlessly that I left the theater wondering if they actually were mother and daughter.
This movie is extremely well written. The fact that it infuriated me, in this instance is not a put-down. I believe this script was designed to do so. It's infuriating because Ms. Spacek's character is so hell-bent on her intentions that nothing but nothing is going to change her mind. Ms. Bancroft's character's job is to try and stop Spacek from reaching this particular goal she's set, at any cost. This script is a good case study into the mind-set of people who are suffering from extreme depression and the skewed decisions that they might make while in the midst of that depression.
I would highly recommend this film, with the understanding that it is not your light, airy, happy-ending movie. If you're looking for one of those don't bother with this one.
This movie is extremely well written. The fact that it infuriated me, in this instance is not a put-down. I believe this script was designed to do so. It's infuriating because Ms. Spacek's character is so hell-bent on her intentions that nothing but nothing is going to change her mind. Ms. Bancroft's character's job is to try and stop Spacek from reaching this particular goal she's set, at any cost. This script is a good case study into the mind-set of people who are suffering from extreme depression and the skewed decisions that they might make while in the midst of that depression.
I would highly recommend this film, with the understanding that it is not your light, airy, happy-ending movie. If you're looking for one of those don't bother with this one.
Does Not Go Gently...
Bolesroor25 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
************* SPOILERS BELOW ************* "'Night, Mother" is the story of Jesse (Sissy Spacek), a divorced epileptic woman who calmly announces to her brash mother (Anne Bancroft) that she's going to commit suicide. This is a fascinating premise that is drained of all vitality and excitement. The brilliant hook turns out to be a cheat- the story that follows is lacking in substance, gravity and revelatory value. Where are the shocks and surprises as mother and daughter have what may be the last conversation of their lives? Where are the secrets revealed, the confessions and fantasies and regrets? They're here, but they've all been painted the same dull color that keeps emotion in the background and celebrates the 'genius' of playwright Marsha Norman at the expense of everything else. The result is not a film but an exhausting endurance test.
Let me preface my comments by saying I find Sissy Spacek to be one of the greatest actresses in the history of motion pictures, a woman so magnetic, so natural that she continues to surprise and amaze me after twenty years of stardom. She brings a touch of class and magic to everything she does, and I've seen her rescue more than one film from the recycling bin with her angelic face and vulnerable eyes, her soft voice and sweet smile. It was because of the great Spacek that I watched this film in the first place, and for one of her movies to be terrible it has to fail in a significant way. This film fails in two.
First and foremost the film is adapted so faithfully from the Pulitzer-winning stage play that it is claustrophobic and repetitive. The entire movie is a two-woman dialogue between Jesse and her Mother. What worked on stage- a middle-aged mother and daughter argue for two hours in small house- dies on film. A play, no matter how great, needs to be *adapted* for the screen it is self-indulgent and arrogant to believe that the dialogue is so perfect that not of a word of it can be altered. The screenplay for this film could have been shortened by thirty to forty pages, and a knowing screenwriter would have given the brilliant Spacek and competent Bancroft some *physical* sequences, some facial reactions, something to break up the wall-to-wall yak fest and prison-like single-set. It is no wonder that the screenplay was adapted by the original playwright Marsha Norman, who may know theater but reveals herself here to be clueless in film.
I cannot over-emphasize the effect the stage-play script has on the film. Watching Jesse and her Mother argue about Jesse's impending suicide is redundant and dull. The women walk from the living room into the kitchen into the den and back into the living room, where they start all over again. A tiny Midwestern house is not the ideal location for a single-set film, and the director never tries anything clever or original, never tries to break up the monotony with an exterior shot or cutaway or a flashback or *anything*. There's no music, no other characters, no other stories... just two women covering the couch cushions and arguing their opinions. The reverence given to the play is sickening even Shakespeare's most solemn classics get shaken up for the screen. The commitment to the original play seems almost spiteful it's as if the film was made only to document the dramatic treasure that was the stage play, with the audience an afterthought.
The other reason the film fails is Anne Bancroft. She may be a good stage actress but on film- where presence is 80% of performance- she rarely seems to fit. She certainly doesn't fit here, playing a Midwestern grandmother but looking more like Mrs. Robinson before her morning coffee. She chases Jesse around the house, looking more aggravated than astounded, and seems extraordinarily unsympathetic, even when her lines convey a loving- if flawed- woman.
Sissy Spacek is great as she always is, honest and open and so good that you actually understand and agree with her character's choice. Sissy lets us see that Jesse is a flat tire, a wrong turn of a woman who has had every bad break and made too many wrong choices. She's never had control of her life, and her suicide will be her way of finally saying "No more- this is where I get off." That's how she puts it anyway, and when Spacek speaks you listen. She proves in all her films that a good actress doesn't have to behave like a man, doesn't have to be all bluff and bravado and borrowed testosterone. In this and in films like "Coal Miner's Daughter" she quietly demonstrates a soft strength and quiet depth that is as impressive as it is hypnotic you can't help but fall in love.
That's why it was so hard for me to watch "'Night, Mother." Spacek is wasted in a stilted stunt of a film that never serves to engage or even distract. I would not recommend this movie to anyone except die-hard fans of Sissy like myself and even then you'll be disappointed. I do give the film an entire letter grade bonus for the ending, which is courageous enough to let the lead character do what's right for *her* and not pander to a hackneyed happy ending.
GRADE: C
Let me preface my comments by saying I find Sissy Spacek to be one of the greatest actresses in the history of motion pictures, a woman so magnetic, so natural that she continues to surprise and amaze me after twenty years of stardom. She brings a touch of class and magic to everything she does, and I've seen her rescue more than one film from the recycling bin with her angelic face and vulnerable eyes, her soft voice and sweet smile. It was because of the great Spacek that I watched this film in the first place, and for one of her movies to be terrible it has to fail in a significant way. This film fails in two.
First and foremost the film is adapted so faithfully from the Pulitzer-winning stage play that it is claustrophobic and repetitive. The entire movie is a two-woman dialogue between Jesse and her Mother. What worked on stage- a middle-aged mother and daughter argue for two hours in small house- dies on film. A play, no matter how great, needs to be *adapted* for the screen it is self-indulgent and arrogant to believe that the dialogue is so perfect that not of a word of it can be altered. The screenplay for this film could have been shortened by thirty to forty pages, and a knowing screenwriter would have given the brilliant Spacek and competent Bancroft some *physical* sequences, some facial reactions, something to break up the wall-to-wall yak fest and prison-like single-set. It is no wonder that the screenplay was adapted by the original playwright Marsha Norman, who may know theater but reveals herself here to be clueless in film.
I cannot over-emphasize the effect the stage-play script has on the film. Watching Jesse and her Mother argue about Jesse's impending suicide is redundant and dull. The women walk from the living room into the kitchen into the den and back into the living room, where they start all over again. A tiny Midwestern house is not the ideal location for a single-set film, and the director never tries anything clever or original, never tries to break up the monotony with an exterior shot or cutaway or a flashback or *anything*. There's no music, no other characters, no other stories... just two women covering the couch cushions and arguing their opinions. The reverence given to the play is sickening even Shakespeare's most solemn classics get shaken up for the screen. The commitment to the original play seems almost spiteful it's as if the film was made only to document the dramatic treasure that was the stage play, with the audience an afterthought.
The other reason the film fails is Anne Bancroft. She may be a good stage actress but on film- where presence is 80% of performance- she rarely seems to fit. She certainly doesn't fit here, playing a Midwestern grandmother but looking more like Mrs. Robinson before her morning coffee. She chases Jesse around the house, looking more aggravated than astounded, and seems extraordinarily unsympathetic, even when her lines convey a loving- if flawed- woman.
Sissy Spacek is great as she always is, honest and open and so good that you actually understand and agree with her character's choice. Sissy lets us see that Jesse is a flat tire, a wrong turn of a woman who has had every bad break and made too many wrong choices. She's never had control of her life, and her suicide will be her way of finally saying "No more- this is where I get off." That's how she puts it anyway, and when Spacek speaks you listen. She proves in all her films that a good actress doesn't have to behave like a man, doesn't have to be all bluff and bravado and borrowed testosterone. In this and in films like "Coal Miner's Daughter" she quietly demonstrates a soft strength and quiet depth that is as impressive as it is hypnotic you can't help but fall in love.
That's why it was so hard for me to watch "'Night, Mother." Spacek is wasted in a stilted stunt of a film that never serves to engage or even distract. I would not recommend this movie to anyone except die-hard fans of Sissy like myself and even then you'll be disappointed. I do give the film an entire letter grade bonus for the ending, which is courageous enough to let the lead character do what's right for *her* and not pander to a hackneyed happy ending.
GRADE: C
Totally believable,totally haunting.
deb-2520 January 1999
Only people who have seriously considered suicide as an option can fully understand this movie. It is dark but it is from the perspective of a realist and is performed brilliantly. Both actresses are totally believable. I saw this movie in "87" and it has haunted me ever since.
A movie that eavesdrops on a life
giffey-121 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft have really immersed themselves in the characters in this movie, to the point where I really suspended disbelief. I empathize with both of the characters so much in this film. I know this sound so cliché, but this movie touches me on a personal level like few films ever do. I am a smoker, and I have never heard a better description in a movie of why someone smokes. There are so many lines from both characters that touch me so deeply. When i first saw this movie, it reminded me of the MacDonald's scene in the movie Ordinary People as to why someone would be driven to suicide. This movie i will watch again and again, despite how it turns out, to enjoy the powerhouse acting and the great dialog.
This movie was captivating
mag7_110 June 2003
I remember as a young adult when I first discovered this movie. It was on a local cable channel....late one night. I was flipping channels and came across it. Immediately I was taken aback by the content of the feature. I continued watching. It is a most amazing feature indeed....I have a problem myself with severe depression and have on several occassions....considered suicide myself. But, this movie so pinpoints what the loved ones left behind go through....the sorrow and misery they must suffer...that since anytime the thought crosses my mind...I think of this wonderful masterpiece of a movie and it helps me through those few moments of unclear thought. The odd thing about the movie...is it is like you are watching a televised play...rather than a regular movie....this is one of the things I liked most about it. Bancroft was wonderful in her role and Spacek did well enough as well. I give it 8 out of 10.....only because I felt it eventually became to "drawn out".....and should have concluded a bit before it did...But, all in all the movie...as a whole is quite a marvel to behold!!!!!
Excellent, timeless, Sissy and Ann at their best
cathy-15612 July 2006
I hadn't seen this movie since it's original release. It is still amazing and so moving. One of the most interesting aspects of this movie is the way it was filmed I don't feel it will ever seem "dated". I vigorously recommend this movie to allow someone to view yet another aspect of a mother/daughter relationship. Sissy Spacek is outstanding in her demeanor in discussing her desires with her mother, and Anne Bankroft is heart wrenching in her portrayal of a mother hearing of the tortured lonely life of her child and unable to do anything to help her. The film's intimate feeling allowed you to be right in the kitchen with them while they organize and clean their way through an inconceivable conversation. One I pray I will never have to have with my child.
Well Acted,Well Directed, Well Written yet...Disturbing
NutzieFagin19 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I can guess making a film with only two major characters, and little action must be difficult to mold into a watchable movie. However, "Night Mother" seems to accomplish just that. The talents of Sissy Spacek as Jesse, a girl hell bent on killing herself because she despairs of the future. After a failed marriage, her child in trouble on the run and a future of just staying on at home, she incredibly informs her mother that she is going to shoot herself. Anne Bancroft, as her mother seems to full of love of life but oblivious of the pain that surrounds her. From then on, thru well written dialog, we are shown the lives of these two women and the final outcome. There is little action, but the tension at times can get so thick that you need a power knife to cut thru it' What I did find disturbing was that the content of the film (suicide) seemed to justify Jesse's choice. She probably could have chosen to live and try to better her life but the bleakness of her homebody existence seemed to say that there was no escape....a lonely house off a country road, her illness preventing her from possible jobs or going out,relatives and friends that barely acknowledged her etc..Because of this I found it somewhat disturbing.
This film should be served as an instruction or primer of the subject of suicide. You can understand the person who wants to commit suicide and feel their despair, but it shouldn't be accepted as your only choice. The film can be possibly fodder for a play or another movie showing how suicide can shatter a family in the aftermath....maybe another film in the future from the same director, maybe?
This film should be served as an instruction or primer of the subject of suicide. You can understand the person who wants to commit suicide and feel their despair, but it shouldn't be accepted as your only choice. The film can be possibly fodder for a play or another movie showing how suicide can shatter a family in the aftermath....maybe another film in the future from the same director, maybe?
Wonderful script and acting
jnolan19514 July 2013
The drama created by a tiny set, two world class actresses and a genius script is amazing in its simplicity. Though terribly dark, it is nevertheless moving in its humanity and occasionally even funny.
It immediately made me think of the old quote "most men(women)lead lives of quiet desperation".
I found the dialog, and its delivery just perfect in its realism. The rural mid-western setting, the mother and daughter monotonous routine all made this profoundly understandable.
There may not be two other actresses who could have pulled this off as well as these two ladies.
It immediately made me think of the old quote "most men(women)lead lives of quiet desperation".
I found the dialog, and its delivery just perfect in its realism. The rural mid-western setting, the mother and daughter monotonous routine all made this profoundly understandable.
There may not be two other actresses who could have pulled this off as well as these two ladies.
Missing in action: Kathy Bares
klstoltz18 November 2007
I had the privilege of seeing this powerful play on Broadway with Kathy Bates in the lead. I only saw one other play in the 1970's-1990's that had an emotional impact like this play did. I really looked forward to the play being made into a movie but was very disappointed when I learned that Kathy Bates wouldn't reprise her role in the film--she wasn't well known off Broadway at the time and the producers must have wanted star power I suppose and cast Sissy Spacek instead. Sissy did an adequate job in the lead role but did not measure up to Kathy Bates in any way. I love Anne Bancroft but she seemed too young for this role. The movie plot was true to the play. Anyone who ever contemplates suicide should have to watch this movie to realize the devastation on those who are left behind.
I felt every emotion
nedra26 October 1999
Warning: Spoilers
'Night Mother left me dumbfounded, angry, and with the feeling that I was helpless to the fate of Spacek's character, Jessie. Of course, with any movie, I don't control how it goes, or how it ends, but in this one, I was so sure Jessie's mother was going to win. I just knew there was no way the suicide plan could be carried through. I was teased with happiness (definitely not engulfed) when it seemed that Mama was going to try to make up for all the time Jessie needed with a cup of cocoa...but teased mind you. For every glimmer of hope for Jessie to live (there weren't many), there was a slap of determinedness (if that's a word) for Jessie to make her own decision. Although, I do not advocate suicide, or any act that does not glorify God, I feel glad to have watched this movie. It teaches you that not every story has a happy ending, and that you'd better work out your own soul salvation, because life WILL go on without you.
Night,Mother Captivating haunting thought provoking
jbhandmph2 December 2022
I first watched this movie in 1987 and has haunted me ever since. I was 15yrs old,going thru a rough spot full of emotions and had been contemplating suicide and this movie changed my whole perspective about it. I saw the aftermath and who really suffers. I actually was screaming at the TV for her not to do it. This movie makes you feel as if you really know them and you feel the emotional roller-coaster ride the characters are feeling. It leaves you drained by the end like a friend really just did this and there was absolutely nothing you could do to stop them. This is one of those movies you could watch time and time again and take back something different everything it's right up there with Terms of endearment A must watch film and playwright.
Riviting and powerful performances by Bancroft and Spacek
hillguy29 October 2006
I can't think of any better choices that could do justice to this heart touching view into painful lives. A mother and daughter spends one last day talking about their lives and how one comes to the conclusion that she has nothing to live for. Her life has been nothing but pain and disappointment so, she has decided to stop the pain. From her own health to the pain and disappointment of her life to a mother, without a real clue, that her children are caught up in depressing and painful lives. How do you convince your child who, so matter of fact, has decided life is just too painful and has set into motion a way to stop the pain. A powerful piece of writing and acting culminates in a memorable film and performances by two very talented actresses. I have looked for this film for years and could not find it. Stellar performances and a must see hankie experience.
Excellent
Graunch2 November 2001
Warning: Spoilers
I didn't think this was my sort of film at all, but from the start I was captivated. You can always depend on Bancroft and Spacek for first class performances, and you won't be disappointed. This was obviously a stage play before it was a movie, and it doesn't need more than the one set. What could be a claustraphobic experience turns into a brilliant tour-de-force from both actresses.
SPOILER... The ending is unexpected, however much it may have been anticipated and discussed by the characters. Very sad, but refreshing that there isn't in this case a Hollywood cop-out and a sweetness and life ending.
SPOILER... The ending is unexpected, however much it may have been anticipated and discussed by the characters. Very sad, but refreshing that there isn't in this case a Hollywood cop-out and a sweetness and life ending.
One of my top ten films.
Bearrich5 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This has to be one of my top ten films.
Speaking for myself, I related so much to Jesse it was scary. I myself have suffered from suicidal depression for years and I just hang on day by day wondering why I am still here? I am right now in the exact same situation Jesse was in in the film, my Mother lives with me and my story follows the film well. If I'd only known years ago when I saw the film I would be in Jesse's shoes later on in life.
My Mother is really all that is keeping me here for right now, I just can't seem to do anything until she is gone. I know that sounds horrible to someone that has no idea and probably never will know how I feel and I understand that. It is a constant sense of helplessness, nothing more to look forward to and of not belonging here that drives my thoughts on a daily basis.
I am not a coward or afraid to die, far from it. I just can't leave my Mother behind like Jesse did. The really sad part is, it is making both of our lives miserable and I see no way out for right now.
I wish people would at least try to understand before they judge myself or anybody that is afflicted with these feelings. I think this film goes a long way in helping them to do just that. As I said this is an excellent film, a no miss in my eyes. If you know someone that is dealing with depression of any kind I would suggest sitting down and paying full attention to this entire film, it may help you save someone's life some day. I think it may have saved mine in a lot of ways.
Speaking for myself, I related so much to Jesse it was scary. I myself have suffered from suicidal depression for years and I just hang on day by day wondering why I am still here? I am right now in the exact same situation Jesse was in in the film, my Mother lives with me and my story follows the film well. If I'd only known years ago when I saw the film I would be in Jesse's shoes later on in life.
My Mother is really all that is keeping me here for right now, I just can't seem to do anything until she is gone. I know that sounds horrible to someone that has no idea and probably never will know how I feel and I understand that. It is a constant sense of helplessness, nothing more to look forward to and of not belonging here that drives my thoughts on a daily basis.
I am not a coward or afraid to die, far from it. I just can't leave my Mother behind like Jesse did. The really sad part is, it is making both of our lives miserable and I see no way out for right now.
I wish people would at least try to understand before they judge myself or anybody that is afflicted with these feelings. I think this film goes a long way in helping them to do just that. As I said this is an excellent film, a no miss in my eyes. If you know someone that is dealing with depression of any kind I would suggest sitting down and paying full attention to this entire film, it may help you save someone's life some day. I think it may have saved mine in a lot of ways.
A Mother who doesn't Deserve her Daughter
dennisg-616 February 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This is a wonderful, upbeat portrayal of a person who has had enough of her life. She knows what she wants to do, and is not "wasting" her time moaning and groaning about things.
Here is a woman who has had a pretty-darn miserable life. The more she shares about how things have gone with her mother, the more I can see why she is ready to move on to whatever her next existence is.
Of course, her mother has benefited greatly from her daughter's existence here on earth. She has been able to get her needs met. So, mother-dear is not very happy to lose her "good thing." I just love the dead-pan way the daughter goes through her list of things to do, to ensure that mother is well-taken-care-of. This shows me what the rest of the daughter's life has been: Forget me, take care of others (those who know that they are MORE important than I am).
All during the movie, I am cheering the Daughter on: GO, Go, go.
And, I get a belly-ful of the mother, and her twisted relationship with her daughter. She deserves to be without a loving, dutiful daughter.
This is a one-of-a-kind gem.
Here is a woman who has had a pretty-darn miserable life. The more she shares about how things have gone with her mother, the more I can see why she is ready to move on to whatever her next existence is.
Of course, her mother has benefited greatly from her daughter's existence here on earth. She has been able to get her needs met. So, mother-dear is not very happy to lose her "good thing." I just love the dead-pan way the daughter goes through her list of things to do, to ensure that mother is well-taken-care-of. This shows me what the rest of the daughter's life has been: Forget me, take care of others (those who know that they are MORE important than I am).
All during the movie, I am cheering the Daughter on: GO, Go, go.
And, I get a belly-ful of the mother, and her twisted relationship with her daughter. She deserves to be without a loving, dutiful daughter.
This is a one-of-a-kind gem.
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