Click to play videoCast: Meg Ryan, Antonio Banderas, Colin Hanks
Direction: George Gallo
Every time someone tells me how blessed I am to have a job I truly enjoy - to get paid to watch movies - my mind wanders to those films that aren't such a pleasure to watch. Those films that must be watched in the name of duty. My Mom's New Boyfriend, which checks into the cinemas this weekend, is that kind of film. It's the kind of film I must watch so YOU don't have to.
I can't think of one logical reason to recommend that you watch this movie. It's a third-rate comedy that made me feel sick for the ninety odd minutes that it played out, and it surprises me why so many talented actors signed up for it.
Colin Hanks plays Henry, a straight-laced FBI agent who returns home after three years from an undercover operation to find that his mom Marty (played by Meg Ryan) has not only lost lots and lots of weight, but she's also turned into something of a raving sexual lunatic. Among her various admirers is an Italian chef who shows up at their doorstep every night with flowers, weeping and begging her to take him back. Also a teenager she's currently dating who she goes out with on a motorbike, and brings back home for noisy sex. Henry's problems really begin to escalate when his mother gets romantically involved with mysterious stranger Tommy (played by Antonio Banderas), who it turns out is a seasoned art-thief Henry has been assigned to spy on!
What follows are a series of tasteless gags involving Henry's disgust at having to bug his mother's bedroom and to listen in on her private conversations with Tommy. Expectedly, you've got Henry's fellow FBI agents going on an on about how sexy his mom is, and placing bets on how soon they think she'll sleep with Tommy.
The fact that this film is offensive and icky is only one part of the problem. The other part is, it's never funny. The premise itself reminds you of a sitcom, and the jokes are mostly flat. The once adorable Meg Ryan delivers a painfully over-the-top performance in this film, and the entire climax is so harebrained you cannot imagine someone got paid to write this trash.
My Mom's New Boyfriend is possibly the most un-funny comedy I've seen in years, and I suggest you don't make the mistake of going to watch this film only because there's nothing else at the cinemas this weekend. Zero out of five and two thumbs down for this film that I hope I'm never reminded of it again!
Rating: 0 / 5 (Such Trash!)
What do you think? Write your own review Write and win exciting prizes. Winning entry will be read by Rajeev Masand on his show on CNN-IBN next Friday. Do not forget to leave your contact details.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.