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WhatToWatch
Entertainment
Michael Balderston

The Mother: release date, trailer, cast and everything we know about the Jennifer Lopez action movie

Jennifer Lopez and Lucy Paez in The Mother

Netflix is getting into the summer blockbuster season this year with The Mother, an action movie starring Jennifer Lopez, a return to the genre for the singing icon.

This is just one of the star-studded titles that make up the slate of Netflix 2023 original movies. Others on the way include Chris Hemsworth in Extraction 2, Jamie Foxx in They Cloned Tyronne, Gal Gadot in Heart of Stone and Kevin Hart and more in Lift. But let's keep the focus on JLo and her new movie.

Here is everything that you need to know about The Mother.

The Mother release date

The Mother lands on Netflix worldwide on May 12. That's a nice touch for US subscribers, as it lines up with Mother's Day weekend. So in addition to getting your mom some flowers and a nice card, you have a movie you can watch together honoring a working mom. 

The Mother trailer

Watch the trailer for The Mother directly below, which shows Jennifer Lopez back in butt-kicking mode: 

The Mother plot

You can get a good bit of the plot from the trailer, but here is the official synopsis for The Mother from Netflix:

"A deadly female assassin comes out of hiding to protect the daughter that she gave up years before, while on the run from dangerous men."

The movie was written by Misah Green, Andrea Berloff and Peter Craig.

The Mother cast

Jennifer Lopez stars as the titular mother in this action movie. While Lopez is probably best known on screen for her romantic comedy roles (Marry Me, The Wedding Planner, Maid in Manhattan), she is not a stranger to the action genre. She has previously starred in action/thriller movies like Anaconda, Out of Sight, Enough and Parker, as well as starring in the cop drama Shades of Blue on TV; even her most recent movie, Shotgun Wedding, mixed the action with comedy.

Starring as the daughter to Lopez's mother is Lucy Paez. Paez is a relative newcomer, whose only previous roles include The Exorcism of Carmen Farias, an uncredited role in Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar and Silencio.

Other members of the cast include Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love), Omari Hardwick (Army of the Dead), Paul Raci (Sound of Metal) and Gael Garcia Bernal (Werewolf by Night).

Paul Raci in The Mother (Image credit: Eric Milner/Netflix)
Gael Garcia Bernal in The Mother (Image credit: Ana Carballosa/Netflix)
Omari Hardwick in The Mother (Image credit: Ana Carballosa/Netflix)
Joseph Fiennes in The Mother (Image credit: Doane Gregory/Netflix)

The Mother director

Niki Caro on set of The Mother (Image credit: Ana Carballosa/Netflix)

Niki Caro is the director of The Mother. She won a BAFTA Children's Award for her breakout movie Whale Rider and has since gone on to direct titles like North Country, McFarland, USA, The Zookeeper's Wife and the live-action Mulan

How to watch The Mother

When The Mother releases on May 12 it will only be available to watch on Netflix, so you need a subscription to the streaming platform in order to watch. The good news is that Netflix is available almost everywhere and has a number of subscription options for you to sign up for. 

(Image credit: Netflix)
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