As the mother, Burstyn delivers one of her finest performances in a career filled with brilliant ones. Her character looks fabulous, with a dreamy Hollywood-starlet blonde bob that curls upwards at the ends, and enormous, threatening black sunglasses. Her presence is undeniable — even when we only see her back, it is rigid, upright, and intense. But when Burstyn speaks it is completely arresting. She delivers a harrowing monologue that completely stuns David, as she reveals so much of her past that none of her children ever knew. Motherhood was never something she wanted, and she tells him plainly, which sends David, and everyone — and everything — else into a tailspin. She’s a complete nightmare who only gets more vicious as the film goes on, and Burstyn relishes every moment of it.
One thing that can’t be said about “Mother, Couch” is that it’s predictable. It exists in an incredibly bizarre universe unto itself that only gets stranger with each passing minute. Larsson almost feels like an amalgamation of filmmakers like Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman — and while “Mother, Couch” doesn’t reach the highs of movies like “Being John Malkovich” or “Adaptation,” its often fascinating, only occasionally lagging under the weight of its premise. It begins with such a manic and unpredictable energy that the film sags in the middle, before picking itself up with gusto and going completely off the rails in a very entertaining, confounding, and emotionally heavy way.
Larsson has announced himself as an exciting new filmmaker, and “Mother, Couch” is loaded with promise. It’s also frequently very, very funny, thanks in large part to a delightfully off-kilter performance from Taylor Russell as shopkeeper Bella. She probes and prods and unexpected times: “You all seem so broken,” she tells David with a smile on her face. Larsson has a lot of talent at his disposal — especially for a debut — but shows a great understanding of a complicated script and the actors at hand, wringing impressive performances from the entire cast. I would have loved to see more of Lara Flynn Boyle, whose Linda is abrasive and hysterical, but her screen time pales in comparison to the two brothers.
There’s a lot going on in “Mother, Couch” and it certainly tries to pack a little too much into a brief 96-minute runtime. But there’s something about this hazy dreamlike blast of chaos that proves to be irresistible. All the pieces don’t come together cohesively, and there so many thematic elements that threaten to (literally) get washed away. But “Mother, Couch” feels like a major new voice breaking through in cinema, and that’s always something to celebrate. McGregor is tasked with holding all the madness together, and his vulnerable, eccentric performance is the beating heart of this wild ride.
/Film Rating: 7 out of 10