Wanting to Party, a Group of Teens Falls in with a Menacing Matriarch - A “Missed It In Theaters” (MIIT) Review of “Ma”

Octavia Spencer in "Ma"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

In 2016, filmmaker Tate Taylor gave audiences his first thriller with “The Girl on the Train,” an adaptation of Paula Hawkins bestselling novel.  It was clear that he had the filmmaking talent to deliver a movie in this genre, but he was held back by the average source material.  Thankfully, he had the wonderful performance by Emily Blunt to help him elevate the movie a bit.

This situation has happened again with his psychological-horror film, “Ma,” in which Taylor proves that he deserves better material for a thriller, but does his best and is saved (kind of) by a lead performance that gives this movie most of its limited entertainment value.

One afternoon, when looking to have some fun, high-schooler Maggie Thompson (Diana Silvers) and her friends (Corey Fogelmanis, McKaley Miller, Gianni Paolo, and Dante Brown) decide to buy alcohol.  While waiting outside the liquor store for someone of age to help them, they enlist the help of Sue Ann “Ma” Ellington (Octavia Spencer), who agrees to assist them.  She then allows them to come back to her house to drink and party.  After that first encounter, Ma becomes obsessed with them and keeps inviting them back to her house.  When Maggie and her friends start getting nervous and stop going, Ma's unwilling to take “no” for an answer.

Before this movie, Spencer has only appeared in very minor roles in three other horror films, with those being Jim Sonzero's "Pulse," Sam Raimi’s “Drag Me to Hell” and Rob Zombie’s “Halloween 2.”  With this being Spencer's first leading role in a horror movie, it’s clear that this genre is another area of film where Spencer’s talents can flourish.  In her role, she shows that she’s having a lot of fun with the character, relishing the dangerous persona of Ma and the absurdity of the story.  There are a few instances where Spencer goes into psycho mode, but for the most part, she plays the part pretty low-key, exhibiting an unsettling calmness as Ma plans her next sinister move to keep Maggie and her friends in her life.  Spencer is a frequent collaborator of Taylor’s, having appeared in three of his four previous feature films, and you can see that they bring out the best in each other.

The screenplay by Scotty Landes doesn’t take full advantage of the craziness that this concept can offer.  It’s a rather boring story that's held together by a terrific lead performance and some good direction, with the narrative playing out as you would expect it to.  Despite the young cast members being adequate in their roles, the material doesn't provide them with much to do, rendering them as your typical one-dimensional high-school horror characters.

The abundance of boring characters is more disappointing when you consider the use of actors and actresses who have collaborated with Taylor in the past: Luke Evans, who plays the father of one of Maggie’s friends; Missi Pyle, who plays Evans’ girlfriend; and Allison Janney, who plays Ma’s boss.  Given how much fun Spencer’s character is, it’s a shame that her role has to be played against characters who aren’t nearly as entertaining as hers.

Despite the disappointing script, there are flickers of a better narrative throughout the film.  There are themes of isolation and abandonment that are brought up, but not explored to their fullest extent.  What's more intriguing is an understated display of racial tensions that the film includes, which connect to Ma's past.  This can be seen in the flashbacks of Ma as a high-school student, with her seeming to be the only African-American student at her school, which is hinted in a climactic scene where adult Ma poses with Maggie's drugged-up, unconscious friends for a malevolent yearbook photo, and paints the face of their African-American friend white and says, “They’ve only got room for one of us."  If the film had delved into these themes more, it could have stood alongside this year's more memorable horror films.

Other than handling the middling “Girl on the Train” the best that he could, Taylor has shown that he’s a capable director, which he exemplified with the adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s novel, “The Help,” and the James Brown biopic, “Get on Up.  Given how Taylor can make something even a little entertaining out of mediocre thriller material, you can’t help but imagine what he can do when provided with a thriller that has more substance to it.  He can create a few tense moments, but it’s not enough to make the film rise above its Lifetime-thriller qualities.

This movie could have offered some demented fun and unexpected smarts, but even Spencer’s memorable performance might not be enough to make you accept an invitation over to Ma’s.

Grade: C+