
MOTHER COUCH
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ellen Burstyn, Rhys Ifans, Lara Flynn Boyle, Taylor Russell, and Lake Bell
Director: Niclas Larsson

NICK

I’m not entirely sure what to say about Mother Couch. The story begins with a quirky…family problem… that three siblings are tasked with handling. Ewan McGregor (who continues to play befuddled really well) is the focus of the story, but both Ellen Burstyn and Taylor Russell are the highlights. The story is almost dream-like in its execution, and it certainly isn’t afraid to take risks, even if most don’t pay off. The problem is that once the intentions finally become clear as it reaches its more fantastical finale, it had already lost my interest.

ADRIANO

I'll always respect a movie for taking swings, but Mother Couch misses the mark. While the entire cast delivers great performances, especially Ewan McGregor, its messaging on parenthood and family dynamics are way too obvious to warrant the surrealist rabbit hole the movie chooses to take us down. It attempts to use imagery and just plain weirdness (I still don't really know what Taylor Russell's character was doing) to trick us into thinking the movie is deeper than it actually is, but in the end, it mostly just left me pretty perplexed as to what I just watched.
This film was reviewed by Nick and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.