After a long, busy and exhausting day that started with a trip to the doctors with IJ who was complaining of ear-ache and ended with a last minute dash to the supermarket to buy packed lunch supplies followed by a 45-minute wait at the post office to renew my passport, I sat down to relax with a free review copy of the film Motherhood starring Uma Thurman.
I then watched a stressed out, disorganised, slightly dishevelled mother with a never-ending To-Do list struggling to juggle the demands of motherhood and, quite frankly, painting motherhood in a slightly bleak, although entertaining, light.
The film, out in cinemas on March 5th and on DVD on March 8th, is billed as a bittersweet comedy that distills the dilemmas of the maternal state (marriage, work, self, and not necessarily in that order) into the trials and tribulations of one pivotal day. The synopsis states that no other movie had dedicated itself in quite this way to probing exactly what it takes to be a motherhood, with both wry humour and an acute sense of authenticity.
I felt it was very watchable but slightly over the top. If the film was representative of every single day in the life of a mother, then motherhood would not be a particularly attractive life choice. I did not find the film particularly relaxing.
In its attempt to show exactly what it takes to be a mother, it showed almost every possible scenario a mother could face - from preparing and throwing a 6th birthday party, navigating playground politics with overbearing mums, mending a rift with a friend, battling for a parking space, arguing with neighbours, running after her toddler child, attempting to write a blog post - and it crammed all that into one incredibly hectic day. Spread these events out over the course of a week and it would have been a lot more realistic.
I know several people who have no idea how demanding motherhood can be. Some seem to think it involves drinking endless cups of coffee with other mums while discussing the pros and cons of various brands of washing powder. I would love them to watch this film!
It was good but not outstanding. It is certainly worth a watch, although perhaps not on a day when you feel the need to escape the world of motherhood for an hour or two.
I have five copies of Motherhood to give away. If you would like to to be in with a chance of winning a copy, just leave a comment including the word 'motherhood'. Five winners will be picked out of a hat by an impartial six-year-old child on Thursday 4th March . I will then contact you for your details and the film will be sent to you direct from Organic Marketing.
Update!
The competition winners have been announced here: Motherhood prize winners.
