ALONG COMES MARY

Garry Marshall has easily made some of the most beloved, iconic pop culture movies for the rom-coms and “chick flick” crowds for decades. Think no further than The Princess Dairies, Valentine’s Day, Beaches, and, of course, Pretty Woman. Beyond that, this unstoppable extraordinaire of a creative soul also created one of the greatest sitcoms from the 1960s  (Happy Days), has written for such legendary shows like The Lucy Show and Dick Van Dyke, and helped launch The Odd Couple into a successful TV series.

Another thing that should be added to Mr. Marshall’s resume? Advocate for women.

A few weeks back, I was invited to spend the day with The MOMS and be one of the first to see Marshall’s latest effort, Mother’s Day, hitting theatres April 29th. Following the film, you have no idea how excited I was to get the chance to meet the man himself, along with Mother’s Day star, Britt Robertson. While they had plenty to discuss and giggle about their latest film, Marshall spent a great deal of time discussing his up-bringing, his sister, Penny’s, road to being the powerhouse she is in the industry, and share memories of his Mom, who taught young Garry a valuable lesson: To not be boring!

Garry spoke proudly;y of Penny, and told us that she did not let the powers that be at the studios stop her from making BIG and later,A League of Their Own . When she was first starting out to direct, she was told no one would go to a movie directed by a female. Her response? She became the FIRST female director to bring in over 100 million at the box office, with BIG!

Another topic of discussion was Julia Roberts, whom Marshall easily single-handedly put on THE map when he cast her for Pretty Woman, and, once again, is collaborating with her in Mother’s Day. He shared sweet stories of their friendship; and what its been like knowing her since she was celebrating her 21st birthday on the Pretty Woman set, and, now, needing to squeeze around filming with picking her kids up from school!

In Mother’s Day, the premise is similar to that of his previous movies, Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, which are expertly centered around separate groups of stories of characters, who somehow end up intertwining.

There is Sandy (Jennifer Aniston), who is scrambling to keep it all together following a divorce from her hubby (Timothy  Olyphant), who has quickly landed himself a new, sexy wife within 2 minutes. Jesse (Kate Hudson) is happily married to an Indian man and their live-in room mates are Jesse’s siter…and her wife. Do their right-wing, middle America parents have a clue about their daughters spouses? Nope. Jesse’s friend, Kristin (Britt Robertson) is in no rush to wed her boyfriend and Father of her new baby, while Miranda (Julia Roberts) has never been a Mom yet is a business mogul with Home Shopping Network jewelry.

There are so many classic, “Yep, I’ve been there” moments in Mother’s Day. While you would think I would probably relate best to Robertson’s character (a new Mom trying to figure things out), I really could see some of myself in Sandy. Despite she has teenage kids and has been through a marriage and divorce, I could understand her desire to just feel GOOD. Job hunting and feeling very rejected in her love life, I appreciated Marshall and Aniston’s subtle portrayal of trying to keep everything together, when you just want to crumble inside.

And, furthermore…..this is Jennifer Aniston. A beautiful woman playing someone who can’t get a date? Further proof that no matter WHAT our looks are, that no matter how in shape and awesome and polished we are, we still have struggles. Something Marshall touched on when I asked him if he has any particular favorite film he has done (See below). Agreeing with my belief that no matter our looks, wealth, etc, we still have major ups and downs.

Bravo, Garry and cast for a fantastic film to see with your Mom or special lady this year! xo