When I first heard about Nightbitch, for some reason I thought it was a horror movie with Amy Adams morphing physically into a dog.
It isn’t. Cujo can breathe easier now.
What was so surprising about this sweet, wise and glowing tribute to mothers everywhere, premiering at the Toronto Film Festival today, is how down-to-earth and real it is. It is funny, touching and very real despite the metaphysical aspect of Adams’ Mother character thinking her body has so deteriorated after childbirth and a case of postpartum depression that she turns basically into a dog. The movie does require her to dig and sniff around the garden in full Lassie mode, but it isn’t any kind of startling thing. Adams also works opposite eight dogs in order to give the audience the full visual experience of this feeling. But that is not what Nightbitch is at heart.
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Mother (as she is only known) has given up her career and dreams after the birth of Son (as he is only known), a rambunctious 2-year-old (played by twins Arleigh Patrick & Emmett James Snowden) who wreaks havoc at any moment, even as Husband (as he is known rather than Father because he isn’t around much) tends to be blind to all of it. Mother does it all to the point of pure exhaustion. On a trip to the library, she meets three other suburban moms, bonded in pregnancy and motherhood, who scout this mother as one with real potential to join their clique — something she avoids, but they think she’s funny. But librarian Norma (Jessica Harper) is somewhat mysterious and may be a unique character looking out, however oddly, for Mother when she gives her a copy of The Field Guide To Mystical Women, a book that will explain many of the answers to the most pressing questions she has, just to get through the day multi-tasking and getting no glory from it.
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This 2-year-old is a real handful as you might expect, and Mother can’t take much of it anymore as she contemplates separating from her husband who just hasn’t been that much help. It goes on from there, but writer-director Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) never loses sight of the magic or sweetness inherent in the story. This is not one of those melodramatic movies where the mother has a nervous breakdown after the husband, unable to handle the pressure of kids, takes off with his personal assistant. It is far more grounded in reality than that kind of scenario.
Adams, who is also a producer, just simply envelopes this role, completely believable and compelling as a mom on the edge. For some reason, I kept thinking of the 1970 comedy Diary of a Mad Housewife, which earned star Carrie Snodgress an Oscar nomination as a woman under the influence of a demanding husband. It has some of that absurdity, but this take on the 2021 book by Rachel Yoder keeps it grounded. Adams, a six-time Oscar nominee, knows exactly how to make it all work, and she does splendidly. Scoot McNairy is perplexed, but ultimately sympathetic as the hapless husband but keeps getting in the way of himself. McNairy’s biggest moments is likely to earn tears, especially from the female contingent who is the target audience here and will eat all this up.
As the trio of women eager to welcome Adams into their “Baby Pack”, Zoe Chao, Mary Holland and Archana Rajan are perfectly matched, but also not caricatures as often seen in these comedies — though not one of them can think of a downside to spending all day taking care of 2-year-olds. Harper is mystical indeed and doesn’t let on to the fact there is more to her than meets the eye.
There is simply no way this movie could have been written or made by a man, at least to get the kind of stellar effect this amusing and moving Valentine to moms achieves. Heller does an exceptional job guiding it behind the camera. It may even bring a tear to your eye.
Producers are Anne Carey, Heller, Sue Naeglesd, Christina Oh, Adams and Stacy O’Neil.
Title: Nightbitch
Festival: Toronto (Special Presentations)
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Release date: December 6, 2024
Director-screenwriter: Marielle Heller
Cast: Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Zoe Chao, Mary Holland, Archana Rajan, Jessica Harper
Rating: R
Running time: 1 hr 39 mins