Starring Octavia Spencer as the lonely and definitely unhinged Sue Ann, Ma is the story of a group of teenagers who end up wishing that they never accepted a middle aged woman’s invitation to party in her basement.

Having had no idea about the true extent of Sue Ann’s lunacy, I enjoyed being surprised by it. And when Ma wasn’t busy thrilling me, I was appreciating the believable portrayal of teenage life, the close mother/daughter relationship and another notable performance by Spencer. 

Director Tate Taylor’s film could certainly have taken a more realistic direction in terms of how particular aspects of the story played out – but I’m not mad about the end result. It was mostly realistic enough for me, and fun. 

A key part that I wish had gone differently was approximately twenty minutes in, during the exchange between Ma and Gianni Paolo’s character. The dialogue and what happens in that scene just didn’t seem to quite fit.

Watch Ma if you’re curious. You may just have a good time. 

Happy Film Loving,

G