As Mother’s day weekend quickly approaches, many of us are scrambling to find the same tired card and flower combo. It always seems like this holiday sneaks up, out of nowhere, and often we see the day pass with an empty feeling that we let our leading lady down.
This year, Hollywood has provided the masses with a light-hearted film in the wildly popular escape duo genre that mom would enjoy, with Snatched. Although the plot is predictable, two travelers find themselves kidnapped and hilarity and hijinks follow them as they attempt to escape their attackers, co-stars Amy Schumer and long-awaited return Goldie Hawn add a warm mother-daugther twist to the theme.
Schumer portrays Emily, the likeable archetype of distastefulness, immune to shame, creating a mix of innocence and ignorance that draws crowds. Similar to her role in Trainwreck, the character is loud, self-absorbed, unapologetic, sloppy, with a large dose of naivety. Balancing the histrionic nature of Emily is her mother, the calm, overprotective Linda, played by Hawn. Masterful at acting like a suburban divorcee, Hawn keeps the plot focused on the connection of family and self-discovery.
The flick opens with Emily down on her luck. She loses a job, a boyfriend, and has NON-REFUNDABLE tickets to an all-inclusive resort in Ecuador, which no one wants join her on. Fearful Linda lives at home with her adult son, many cats, and in constant worry of her daughter living in the big-city. After a lot of bickering, the two decide to take the trip together. The polar-opposite responses to what a fun-filled vacation looks like leads to discord among the women. Fallen prey to a handsome kidnapper, they must rely on each other and the kindness of strangers in order to survive in the harsh jungle.
The movie earns extra cool points for its variety of comedic cameos, including the hilariously nerdy agoraphobic character, Jeffery, executed by Ike Barinholtz. Upon learning that his mother and sister are being held for ransom, he attempts to save them the best way he knows how: trolling. With repeated prank calls and Facebook stalking an FBI agent, Jeffery’s subplot almost steals the show.
The response to this movie will depend on how one feels about either of its principal women. If you love Schumer’s self-deprecating persona, then you’ll love the obnoxious Emily. If you’ve missed the old-school style of Hawn’s slap-stick and wit, then you’ll be enamoured with Linda. However, these are both toned down versions of the star’s usual performance; don’t build it up to more than what it is, a mom-com. The person this movie is attempting to attract is the one who simply wants a good laugh around the generational clash between a parent and their child.
This Mother’s day weekend, Friday May 12, 2017, don’t choose the humdrum last minute gift from the impulse isle. Instead take her for a good laugh with the heartwarming Snatched.
