Party Like A Rockstar at Ma’s House (Movie Review)
I would have to think I’m not along in my thoughts when I say the first time I saw the trailer to Ma I thought to myself, “whoa this is messed up.” it’s nit because of the subject matter onscreen, but because Octavia Spencer is a very capable actress and this story looked like it could really go anywhere in these capable hands, both bad and good of course. There’s also the fact that this movie is going against two behemoth powerhouses, Godzilla and Rocketman, in its opening weekend. So either it has legs and balls or its all flash and just being thrown away. My hopes were obviously on the former pair, but again the trailer doesn’t really let you have much. All I know is I came here to party like the kids in this one in anticipation that Ma delivers. Therefore, that’s what we’re here to talk about today beyond the first paragraph of informatics. Let’s get started!
Ma is billed as a psychological horror film. It is directed by Tate Taylor from a screenplay by Scott Landes and him. In addition to Octavia the movie stars Juliette Lewis, Dianna Silvers, Luke Evans, McKaley Miller, Missi Pyle, Corey Fogelmanis, Mariah Ross, Gianni Paolo and Dante Brown. It’s even being produced by a man who now needs absolutely no introduction in this genre, that’s right Mr. Jason Blum! And best of all Ma is all about partying like a rockstar at Ma’s house. Can it really be that simple? Read on and find out.
Being of my age Ma has a lot of possibility due it subject matter and ability to push the boundaries of wrong, indecency and awkwardness. In other words Ma has a lot going for it right out of the gate. It’s all about that creep factor, right? Absolutely! However, I wanted brilliant twists and shocking moments. I got a few of them here or there, but for the most part Ma just felt a bit bloated and didn’t leave me with a satisfying feeling afterwards. In all honesty it felt like something I could have wrote. Naturally I expected more, but I digress because I’m not exactly producing movies for a living so what do I know. Before we psycho analyze Ma to death let’s chat a little in regards to what it’s all about.
Octavia Spencer, who’s quite the highlight throughout here, embodies the flawed character of Sue Ann. We find her working in an Ohioan veterinarian office and seems pretty lonely. Our group of teenagers, which end up befriending Sue Ann, meet her one fateful day in the parking lot of a liquor store. They ask her to buy them alcohol. Obviously she gives in and before we know it Sue Ann offers the kids the chance to drink and basically do anything they want in her basement. There are some house rules like no taking the Lord’s name in vain and upstairs is absolutely off limits. Eventually too she earns the moniker of “Ma.” The kids all love her, but are completely unaware of the secrets Ma keeps hidden. However, like I always say in life all good things must come to an end. Partying at Ma’s house is no exception to my universal law. Ma’s house eventually becomes the worst place to be at on Earth, but obviously you must endure the bulk of the feature to understand why.
Ultimately Ma was built upon a great concept. However, the reasons behind Ma’s crazy behaviors just didn’t resonate well enough with me. That’s not to say other moviegoers won’t eat it up though. I guess I was just hoping for more. Octavia’s performance though was spectacular. Unfortunately the rest of the movie just doesn’t hit a home run with the weapons it was initially given. Sure there’s a valuable message behind all this madness, but in the end I kind of felt manipulated having to sit there waiting for it all to play out. I feel like there were opportunities to make different, more effective and bolder choices that really could have hit that proverbial home run out of the ballpark with both terror and uncomfortableness. It felt like it wanted to be very daring, but every time it had a chance it shied away. Instead I settled for complacency, which in my world is devastating. As you can tell I definitely wanted all the creepiness I could get out of Ma. Your mileage will definitely very with this one, but one thing is for sure. I DO hope you have a great time with it!
Brian White
Owner/Writer/Reviewer/Editor, Dreamer, Producer, Agent of Love, Film Lover, Writer of Screenplays and a Devoted Apostle to all things Ford Mustangs (the real ones with V8's!). Some of my favorite films include FIGHT CLUB, MOULIN ROUGE, THE DARK KNIGHT, STAR WARS alongside television shows such as SEINFELD, 24, SANFORD & SON and even the often loathed in the geek community BIG BANG THEORY. Outside of my three lives I live I also enjoy spending time with my girlfriend and our three girls (of the furry kind).
