The film 'Mother's Day' came out a couple months ago and while I knew this wasn't going to be an inspiring, intelligent and thought-provoking film, I decided to watch it anyway as I thought it could be at least somewhat entertaining for a Sunday night. It turns out, this film somehow disappointed me more than the previous films made by director Garry Marshall that were part of his 'Holiday' theme ('Valentine's Day' and 'New Years Eve').
The film begins and as each character is introduced, you can already start to see a lack of diversity in relation to the race of the actors that have been casted, which relates to the idea that Europeans or Americans are 'beyond ethnicity'. Moving past that, the film begins to show it's surface-levelled attempt at progressive comedy. Kate Hudson's character, Jesse, hides the secret from her racist parents who live in Texas (already the film reinforces negative stereotypes about Southern States), that her husband, Russell, is Indian. In addition to this, her husband doesn't even know that he is a secret since Jesse told him her parents had dementia and were in a clinic. This engages with the idea that Easterners (The 'Other'), are not as intelligent and are in a complete different category than Westerners (The 'Occident'). The fact that he was fooled by his wife that he wasn't being kept from her parents due to his race already shows how unequal the races are being treated and looked at.
The fact that this film is trying to be an example of progressive comedy through the 'comedic' comments here and there about Russell's race (Jesse's mother referred to him as 'Towelhead') shows just how regressive it actually is. The film is not only acknowledging that racism to the extent of being disappointed in their child about their choice in a partner exists, but it also makes it somewhat understandable, which it is definitely not. Progressive comedy is supposed to develop the audience's viewpoint on race and offer a safe environment to create humour about it, but also challenge what exists now and instead, fully embrace all cultures. This film in my opinion, made it seem Russell had to adapt his culture to fit into American Society. When Russell's mother Skypes Jesse's mother, you can see in the background of her living room that she has cultural props and elements of the Indian culture despite living in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the film makes it look like Russell can't fully embrace both American and Indian culture as his partner is an American, therefore he must confine to that culture too. Therefore, the film is confirming the 'reality of race' and is a movement backwards in relation to how people view race as a whole.
Overall, the film could relate to polysemic bimodality as it shows some progress with the idea of two ethnic backgrounds coming together, however thats where the progression stops. By using only one interracial couple and making that the entire plot for one of the characters, the director is magnifying the idea of race and instead of showing it is a construct, the film demonstrates how society is and will continue to be controlled by it no matter how much people try to change it.
I think you hit the nail on the head with this response! I was also excited to see what Mother's Day had in store, (even took my Mum along to the cinema to see it), however, surely enough the cast were predominantly white and wealthy. One thing I did notice was that Russell was also subject to the whole structure of being fit neatly into the 'whiter' version of an Indian, as his career, for a 'minority' racial character, is that of a privileged white lawyer. This, as you mentioned, only reinforces the fact that to be a part of society the 'other' must either assimilate into American culture or 'die out.'
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