AVClub: Garry Marshall is, at least nominally, an actor’s director. His early career in sitcoms made him a specialist in helping stars find a persona. He directed Julia Roberts to her most famous performance in Pretty Woman. He’s worked as a character actor himself. He’s also engendered enough comfort and loyalty to recruit all-star casts for three separate holiday-themed interconnected-ensemble comedies, of which Mother’s Day is the latest, following Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve. It’s grimly fascinating, then, to see how this actor-friendly filmmaker manages to direct so many recognizable stars to such terrible performances. Mother’s Day, in contention for Marshall’s worst holiday parade, becomes an unintentional meditation on the hollowness of stardom, as name actors ghost their way through imitations of their past triumphs.
Don’t sit on a throne of lies for day 11 of Romancemas.
This past year delivered blockbuster entertainment, but we have a few requests for 2025 if jolly ol’ Saint Nick obliges.
BD: "Without further ado, here are the top fifteen best horror movies of 2024."
