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Sissy Spacek, Anne Bancroft, Ed Berke, Carol Robbins, Jennifer Rosendahl ... see more see more... , Michael Kenworthy , Sari Walker , Claire Malis Callaway , Jennifer Roosendahl

'Night. Mother was adapted by Marsha Norman from her own harrowing Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Outwardly normal Sissy Spacek calmly informs her mother Anne Bancroft that she's about to commit suicide... read more read more.... Thus the stage is set for a war of nerves between the determined Spacek and the distraught Bancroft, who uses every emotional and psychological device at her disposal to stave off the inevitable. The film's tension grows not from its plot development--we know from the outset how it's going to end--but from whether or not we're going to learn all the reasons for Spacek's decision. She's an epileptic, an alcoholic, and supremely miserable, but she always holds a little something back, prompting the viewer to lean closer to the screen in hopes of ferreting out more answers. In the original play, the outcome was never predictable; perhaps understandably, there are many who prefer the staged 'Night Mother to the screen version. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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73% liked it

2,304 ratings

PG-13, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Tom Moore

Release Date: September 12, 1986

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DVD Release Date: August 3, 2010

Stats: 120 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (120)

  • jjnxn
    March 2, 2011
    jjnxn
    Two acting titans square off in this chamber piece of anger, laughter, disappointed hopes and despair. It's an intense workout for both and they are up to the challenge but it is a grim tale.
  • flixsterman
    August 11, 2010
    flixsterman
    An unsettling take on the tragic phenomenon of suicide. Great performances (Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft) but it's hard to overlook a screenplay that seems better suited for the stage. The back-story could have been better told through a series of flashbacks rather than thi... read moreck dialog. But still, a fascinating study of the dysfunctional relationship between mothers and daughters.
  • gator681
    June 25, 2011
    gator681
    In "'night Mother," Jessie Cates(Sissy Spacek) spends her day cleaning the house she shares with her mother(Anne Bancroft). She also labels all of her clothing for various charitable organizations. Once her mother comes home, she asks her where her father's gun is before calmly... read more telling her of her intention to kill herself that night.

    Sad to say, the rumored intensity of the play "'night Mother" is not on display in this filmed version that does not translate particularly well to the screen as it feels like just another made for television movie of the period. Strange as it may sound, a lot of it comes down to the casting. Both Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft are great actresses but their styles are so different that it transcends generations. Spacek is superb giving a very natural, matter of fact performance while Bancroft has to force herself to operate in her territory. Maybe Joanne Woodward would have been a better choice to play the mother in retrospect.
  • fb1497546414
    March 15, 2012
    fb1497546414
    Spacek & Bancroft both give powerful performances as a mother and daughter struggling with every day life. One of them wants to commit suicide and the other has to convince them not to. Awesome flick about life.
  • scrambledegg7
    May 18, 2011
    scrambledegg7
    I was a fan of the original play and this is a marvelous film adaptation. Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft are both wonderful in their roles. The script follows the original pretty closely, so the dialogue is well-done. With a premise that toes the line between tragic and very dark... read morely comic, it would be easy to lose the overarching story to either melodrama or unintentional humor. However, this film does neither. It's a moving, heartbreaking story. Very good adaptation of one of my favorite plays.
  • terryc1000
    January 11, 2008
    terryc1000
    This movie will capture you. Get inside where most people never go! It's a very dark place. Not a well known movie and not very popular. Hard/impossible to find on dvd but well worth watching even on VHS. Sissy Specek and Anne Bancroft are superb.
  • thmpsnkids
    July 13, 2007
    thmpsnkids
    Tremendous story of a woman's determination to commit suicide and her mother's attempt to stop her. Fabulous acting!!!
  • nanoqna
    January 17, 2007
    nanoqna
    i reemebrm when i saw this. ithought it was interesting. i have depressin sometimes. its like u watch a play i liked that. it was gooood!
  • zelda64
    October 22, 2006
    zelda64
    I can't believe two people can make a whole movie excellent! Spacek plays Jesse, who faces troubles in her personal life . Bancroft plays her anxious mother, and she can't save her daughter from the inevitable "suicide".

    I say Bravo to these two actresses, for a superb perform... read moreance!
  • TheEssentials
    May 27, 2006
    TheEssentials
    This movie will rock you with all the power of the original play. It gathers momentum as it builds toward its inevitable conclusion. This story of a daughter who has decided she is through with life, and a mother who must convince her that there is more to live for is at times po... read moreignant, disturbing and humorous. Spacek and Bancroft are mezmerizing and have flawless chemistry.

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Critic Reviews

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
July 10, 2003
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, this drama examines the complex roots of suicide. Full Review

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'Night Mother Trivia

  • quote is from which movie: ?Snowbell: Didn't your mother warn you that you shouldn't go out into Central Park at night? Smokey: My mother was the reason you shouldn't go out into Central Park at night.?  Answer »
  • In the movie independance day,(at the start) the presidents daughter tells her mother she was allowed to sit up to watch a tv show the night before. What was the TV show?  Answer »
  • from the movie " night at the museum" The woman in the employment office is Ben Stiller's mother, Anne Meara?  Answer »
  • HOWARD "I guess the moral here is: you must be careful what you pretend to be because in the end you are who you're pretending to be." From which 1996 movie?  Answer »
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