Katie’s Mom (2023) Film Review
You may agree or not with some of Hollywood’s riskiest stories. It always depends on filmmakers that can sell you concept of something immoral or wrong that’s also inevitable in the face of love or lust. We’ve gone through tons of stories of this nature, and still we’re being fed with ideas that will play with the possibility of changing your mind about love-related “detours”.
Katie’s Mom is a more relaxed version of those stories. You’re not supposed to ask much questions about it because the focus is set on an ideal consequence that’s far from realistic and possible in a normal world. But hey, it’s fiction, and love can tend to be casual when you’re not supposed to follow the rules.
The movie tells the story of Nancy, a mother who’s been emotionally destroyed by her divorce, and the relationship her ex-husband started. The very first scene of the film shows her checking out their posts on social media an accidentally “liking” them. This will give you an idea of how things work in this recently separated family. Nancy’s son and daughter are supposed to hang out with her during the holidays on a celebration that blends Hanukkah and Christmas, but only Katie shows up. And she’s not alone.
Alex is flirty, but Nancy doesn’t hold back either. The chemistry between Nancy and her son-in-law is almost automatic and it takes them down the inevitable road of hot, never-had-an-orgasm, sex. Of course, it doesn’t take long for everyone to find out. In the standard document that these films go by, changes are allowed only on the third act. That’s when Katie’s Mom is solved with a lightweight perspective that doesn’t add up. The moral compass of the film is discarded to let bygones be bygones for the sake of a united family. Polyamory is brought to the picture in a very awkward scene, and suddenly we don’t question people anymore.
Except for the steamy love scenes in Katie’s Mom, sex stays on the suggestive side of things. A damn shame if you ask me since Dina Meyer and Aaron Dominguez, playing Nancy and Alex respectively, are the best things about the movie. A film about them would have been delightful. Both actors have enough presence to make Katie’s Mom a more compelling experience than it actually is. The comedy element was too awkward for it to work; everything regarding sex and relationships feels like a mismatch when it’s not about Nancy and Alex together. Nevertheless, perhaps this could have been approached like this on purpose, because we’re not supposed to feel anything about anyone that’s not them.
A modern version of The Graduate? Hard to say. Mike Nichols’ film was relentless when portraying the consequence of an affair. In Katie’s Mom, a group photo seems to solve everything. However, I like to think it’s all for Nancy. If that photo represents the idea of her continuing to live like she deserves to live, then I’m all for that.
