Friday, June 20, 2008

Mom is 80

Author(s): Alex
Location: Washington State

"Mom is 80"

Written & Directed by Noah Baumbach

Main Cast

Bea Arthur (Natalie)
Alec Baldwin (Charlie)
Annette Bening (Nicole)
Albert Brooks (Drew)
Joan Cusack (Libby)
Greg Kinnear (Sam)
Frances McDormand (Aubrey)
Molly Shannon (Emily)

Tagline: "Sometimes, all it takes to bring a family back together is a little slice of Birthday cake"

Synopsis: Some Families just don’t get along very well. Another term for it is household chaos. Natalie is a loudmouthed mom who just won’t shut up. Charlie is secretly a recovering alcoholic who has just gotten up the courage to tell his mother. Nicole is the insulting family drama queen. Drew, the eldest, is hilarious and everyone’s best friend. Libby is the family clown always ready with a joke, even when it might not always be the time or place. Sam is the suck-up baby of the bunch. Aubrey is clueless as to why she was even born into this family, seeing that she’s the only sane one. Emily is Sam’s twin and equally as nosy as her mother.

Ever since a big family fight at Natalie’s 70th Birthday party, things have not gone so well. They’ve been very distant from each other, and Anne wants to finally change that. When her Birthday roles around she has everyone over to celebrate and mend old wounds. But can they?

What the Press would say:

The vibrant, “Mom is 80”, is by far the best comedy in years. Noah Baumbach superbly directs this tale of a family coming together at their mother’s Birthday party. Bea Arthur plays the mother with more style and panache then ever before. She is perfect for the part of the over opinionated, loudmouthed, Natalie. I can’t think of anyone else who could possibly step into her shoes to play this exciting role. Although this all of the supporting cast members are fabulous, Alec Baldwin and Frances McDormand have the best chances at a nomination. Baldwin gives such a hilarious performance as Charlie, the family’s recovering alcoholic. You can see the perfect chemistry between him and Arthur when he tells her about his alcoholism. It’s to die for. McDormand is brilliant and equally deserves a nomination as the insanely witty Aubrey. She gives such a good performance, I can see this even surpassing her “Fargo” fame and becoming her most well known role. I can see these three definitely rising above their contenders this Oscar season to become the frontrunners in their categories. The screenplay, also by Baumbach, is absolutely brilliant. “Mom is 80” is one of my favorite comedies of this year (maybe of the decade), and I’m hoping to see nominations in these categories:

Best Picture
Best Director (Noah Baumbach)
Best Actress (Bea Arthur)
Best Supporting Actor (Alec Baldwin)
Best Supporting Actress (Frances McDormand)
Best Original Screenplay (Noah Baumbach)



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