'Good Mother' review: Gretchen Mol stars
Mark Blum and Gretchen Mol, in a scene from Francine Volpe's "The Good Mother," at Theatre Row in New York. Credit: AP
As admirers of "Boardwalk Empire" well know, Gretchen Mol -- who plays the high-class madam -- has a silken, prickly beauty that always suggests she has irresistible secrets on the side. In "The Good Mother," she brings the same mysterious allure to a less luxurious character, the struggling 33-year-old single mother of a severely autistic daughter.
Francine Volpe's new drama, directed by Scott Elliott with more psychological sensitivity than the script supports, sets up an ominous but improbable situation. The mother leaves a sullen young man, the son of a former mentor (Mark Blum), to baby-sit while she goes out with a trucker. Everyone talks in a fragmented emotional shorthand about their damaged youths and thwarted ambitions. Even with Mol to watch, it is hard to care.
Most Popular
Top Stories
