#charles minsky

On Completing The Cultural Trifecta     It's here where I'd like to complete the circle of All-Time Favorite Theatrical Offerings by, now that I've disclosed to you what my All-Time Most-Cherished Etc. is and what my All-Time Second-Most-Cherished Etc. is--and now that you know categorically and for all time that during the entirety of my adult life I have been and still am a Meghan McCain-esque geek--letting you in on what my All-Time Third-Most-Highly-Regarded Theatrical Work is. And what has that title is the leonine writer-producer-director Garry Marshall's final creative object Mother's Day.               I know--I've talked about this work before. But here I want to go into delicious detail as to just why this project has such a large and strong hold on my affections, why exactly I hold this work in such monumentally high esteem.               .The flick's trio of leading ladies are perfectly showcased. The Aniston/Hudson/Roberts trio radiate the kind of beauty and sexiness that would have even a marginally heterosexual man panting to beat the band (They all have extremely professional assistance from costume designers Marilyn Vance and Beverly Woods and from cameraperson Charles Minsky). And their interplay, not to mention their individual portrayals, are nothing less than stellar--interestingly, Aniston is the only one of them who hadn't worked with Garry before, with Roberts, of course, being a Garry cinematic regular. It was because of his expert knowledge and his expert guidance that these chicks are in top acting form.       .The supporting cast comes through and does so with flying colors. The backup players, without exception, adroitly show that they know their business, going about it in an observant and polished manner. Margo Martindale and Robert Pine effortlessly exhibit trailer-trash backwardness as Hudson's rather philistine--Trump-supporter-level, shall we say--parents. Sarah Chalke easily draws you in as Hudson's sassy, sexy sis. Timothy Olyphant and Shay Mitchell reflect enticing parental concern and enticing sex appeal, respectively, as Aniston's ex and that ex's second wife. Jessi Cage and Ella Anderson make sprightly and lovable daughters to Jason Sudeikis's Dad (I'll make a point about Cage that I've made before: Considering her tender age, she is appealingly leggy and has an appealingly-sculptured pair of bare feet). Britt Robertson and Jack Whitehall are so attractive and so likable a young married couple that we unabashedly yearn for them to be our next-door neighbors. Loni Love, as Sudeikis's galpal Kimberly, is beguilingly warm and beguilingly supportive. Jennifer Garner makes her one scene as Sudeikis's late Armed Forces-serving wife--actually, she's only seen in a video singing karaoke as her brother enlistees are happily watching and listening--stand out due to her bouncy college-coed good looks and her open-faced charm. And of course the Garry theatrical-film regular Hector Elizondo makes his role as Roberts's agent/close buddy memorable, thanks to his usual stylish dignity and avuncular warmth (To his great credit, Garry at last finally freely acknowledged Elizondo's status in his pictures, as he had the closing credits read: "And, As Usual, Hector Elizondo"). It was the veteran character actor Vito Scotti who told TV Guide that the relationship of character actors regarding the star is that of "the peas around the steak." It is Mother's crew of supporting players who are the intensely tasty peas around the equally succulent steak of Aniston/Hudson/Roberts.                   .There's a marvelously casual air to the entire production. Garry's prior holiday-themed theatrical films--Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve--as qualitative as they were, tended to make big deals of themselves. Mother's, commendably, never, ever does. All during said picture's unspooling there's a very engaging matter-of-factness about it all, an entirely ingratiating throwaway atmosphere throughout. It's this relaxed demeanor, this consistent refusal to in any sense thump its chest that is such a significant factor in making Mother's so resolutely worth watching.               It was Robert Blake, the 1970s rough, tough undercover television cop Baretta, of all people, who best voiced what should be the attitude of the real and true creative person: "My job is to please me and hope the audience agrees." It is abundantly clear that in making Mother's Day Garry Marshall and his actors set out to please themselves and majorly succeeded. And it we, the audience, who do not at all hesitate to agree with them.