Jennifer Lopez is the queen of Hollywood, I mean, there's no one quite like her. She's an award-winning singer, an incredible dancer and, if the 2019 crime drama Hustlers was anything to go by, a super-talented actress (we're still upset that she was snubbed at the Oscars).
And this week, the triple threat is back for a new Netflix movie called The Mother, and it honestly looks epic. The 53-year-old Anaconda star returns to her action-packed roots for the flick, which will be released on Friday 12 May, in which she stars as a deadly female assassin who comes out of hiding to protect the daughter she gave up years before against equally dangerous assailants. Honestly, we're already sold!
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Directed by Niki Caro, it's clear that the streaming service has high hopes for this movie as they have been hot on the promotional trail for it for months. JLo also serves as producer for the movie, which is a much grittier role than her rom-com Shotgun Wedding, which hit Prime Video earlier this year, and Marry Me alongside Luke Owen, which came out in cinemas earlier in 2022.
It's also important to note that the mother-of-two has previously portrayed a similar role to The Mother. In the 2002 movie Enough, she played a terrified mother who went to extreme lengths to protect her daughter from her abusive husband. Of course, in The Mother, while her character is once again protecting her daughter, she's not necessarily the "good guy". So, if you want to learn more about Jennifer's new movie, keep on reading.
What is the plot of The Mother?
The official synopsis from Netflix reads: "Years ago, a deadly assassin was forced to go on the run, which forced her to give up her only daughter. Years later, the female assassin returns her order to protect her daughter from some extremely dangerous men."
Jennifer's character will see her making up for a lot of lost time as she attempts to keep her teenage daughter safe from the people trying to hurt them. The movie is also set to have an emotional side as the journey to uncover the identity of her daughter's father is also explored.
According to Deadline, the movie is inspired by the 1994 Natalie Portman starring classic The Professional, which follows the story of a former assassin teaching his craft to a young girl.
What's in a surname? As it turns out…a lot.
Who stars in The Mother?
Alongside Jennifer Lopez, the movie will see Lucy Paez take on the role of her daughter. The Handmaid's Tale star Joseph Fiennes will also be in the film alongside Omari Hardwick, Gael Garcia Bernal, Paul Raci, Jesse Garcia and Yvonne Senat Jones.
Is there a trailer for The Mother?
Netflix released a teaser trailer in September 2022 with the caption: "There's nothing stronger than a mother's love — and these assassins are about to learn that the hard way. Jennifer Lopez is The Mother."
The teaser sees JLo in character as she trains and pumps iron in the middle of the remote snowy wilderness before scenes showing her with her daughter as they face off against evil. The trailer ends with Jennifer saying: "If there's trouble, come find me." We sure will!
What are people saying about The Mother?
No matter what Jennifer does, she always impresses people, so excitement is at an all-time high for this movie. One person tweeting: "CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS. Jennifer Lopez is gonna be amazing in this role!!" Another added: "JLo's versitaliy as an actress is just unmatched. She never fails to amaze us. We will be watching #TheMother for sure." A third gushed: "I will be watching because of the extremely talented and iconic Jennifer Lopez!"
What has Jennifer said about the movie?
Speaking to E! News, Jennifer recently revealed that the first person she showed the movie to was her husband, Ben Affleck, who, as well as being an actor, is an Oscar-winning filmmaker. "I show it to Ben, honestly, because he's so good at it,' Jennifer told the publication. "I'm like, 'What do you see? What do you think?' Because the first cut of a movie is not the last cut of a movie. The first cut of the movie is the first cut of the movie, and then it goes through a whole incarnation after that.
"So the first cut, I'm always like, 'You wanna see this with me, or you wanna wait?' And he's like, 'No, let's watch it.' He always has amazing insight,' she added.
They're otherworldly.
In a separate interview with Reuters, Jennifer spoke of the theme of the action movie being about the bond between a mother and a daughter. "How she would do anything to protect her child," Jennifer said. She expanded: "I also think ... there's an underlying theme of what it is to be a mother and what the idea of the perfect mom is and how that really doesn't exist."
On performing with her young co-star Lucy Paez, Jennifer explained it put her career into perspective, stating: “You just can't help kind of fall into the routine of like 'oh, I got to get up another day, I got to do this' and when you have somebody on the set who's so exuberant every single day and so excited to be there, it's like 'yeah, let's do it'... It reminds you how lucky you are.”
When will The Mother be released?
The movie will hit Netflix on 12 May.
