The Good Mother (The Price of Passion) (1988)
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55% of critics liked it
(11 reviews) -
34% of users liked it
(519 ratings)
Anna Dunlap (Diane Keaton) is a divorced mother living is Boston with her 6-year-old daughter Molly (Asia Viera). She supports herself and her daughter by working part time in a lab and teaching piano. Her ex-husband Brian (James Naughton) is a Washington lawyer who has since remarried. Anna meets… More Anna Dunlap (Diane Keaton) is a divorced mother living is Boston with her 6-year-old daughter Molly (Asia Viera). She supports herself and her daughter by working part time in a lab and teaching piano. Her ex-husband Brian (James Naughton) is a Washington lawyer who has since remarried. Anna meets Leo Cutter (Liam Neeson) and she and the Irish sculptor begin a torrid and passionate love affair. Molly walks in while the two are making love and lies down to sleep next to her mother, oblivious of their act of intimacy. Molly innocently relates the incident to Brian, and the livid lawyer sues for custody of the little girl. An ugly courtroom battle begins, with Leo being accused of molestation of a minor and Anna branded as an amoral, unfit mother. Her attorney Muth (Jason Robards) levels with Anna and tells her she must choose between Molly and her lover. Directed by Leonard Nimoy, this powerful drama is taken from the best-selling novel by Sue Miller. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Directed By
- Leonard Nimoy
- Genres
- Drama, Romance
R,
- In Theaters
- Nov 4, 1988 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
The traumatic subject matter of a child custody fight is handled with restraint and intelligence in The Good Mother.
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, Time Out
Performances are good, though Keaton's snorting laughs and distracted manner are a bit of an obstacle course.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
For all its potential to challenge and disturb, The Good Mother is finally no more wrenching than a placid Maine landscape on a summer day.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
One more nail in the coffin of the 60s.
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Hal Hinson, Washington Post
Even shackled to banalities, Keaton has the power to amaze.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
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Cast
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Diane Keaton
as Anna Dunlap
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Liam Neeson
as Leo Cutter
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Jason Robards
as Muth
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Ralph Bellamy
as Grandfather
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Teresa Wright
as Grandmother
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James Naughton
as Brian Dunlap
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Asia Vieira
as Molly Dunlap
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Joe Morton
as Frank Williams
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Katey Sagal
as Ursula
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Tracy Griffith
as Babe
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David Gardner
as Judge
- Charles Kimbrough
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Nancy Beatty
as Anna's Mother
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Marvin Karon
as Bobby (older)
