spoiler below night and mother be the story of jesse ( sissy spacek ) and a divorced epileptic woman who calmly announces to her brash mother ( anne bancroft ) that she go to commit suicide . this be a fascinating premise that be drain of all vitality and excitement . the brilliant hook turn out to be a cheat the story that follow be lack in substance and gravity and revelatory value . where be the shock and surprise a mother and daughter have what may be the last conversation of their life . where be the secret reveal and the confession and fantasy and regret . theyre here and but they have all be paint the same dull color that keep emotion in the background and celebrate the genius of playwright marsha norman at the expense of everything else . the result be not a film but an exhausting endurance test . let me preface my comment by say i find sissy spacek to be one of the great actress in the history of motion picture and a woman so magnetic and so natural that she continue to surprise and amaze me after twenty year of stardom . she bring a touch of class and magic to everything she do and and i have see her rescue more than one film from the recycle bin with her angelic face and vulnerable eye and her soft voice and sweet smile . it be because of the great spacek that i watch this film in the first place and and for one of her movie to be terrible it have to fail in a significant way . this film fail in two . first and foremost the film be adapt so faithfully from the pulitzer win stage play that it be claustrophobic and repetitive . the entire movie be a two woman dialogue between jesse and her mother . what work on stage a middle age mother and daughter argue for two hour in small house die on film . a play and no matter how great and need to be adapt for the screen it be self indulgent and arrogant to believe that the dialogue be so perfect that not of a word of it can be alter . the screenplay for this film could have be shorten by thirty to forty page and and a knowing screenwriter would have give the brilliant spacek and competent bancroft some physical sequence and some facial reaction and something to break up the wall to wall yak fest and prison like single set . it be no wonder that the screenplay be adapt by the original playwright marsha norman and who may know theater but reveals herself here to be clueless in film . i can not over emphasize the effect the stage play script have on the film . watch jesse and her mother argue about jesse impend suicide be redundant and dull . the woman walk from the living room into the kitchen into the den and back into the living room and where they start all over again . a tiny midwestern house be not the ideal location for a single set film and and the director never try anything clever or original and never try to break up the monotony with an exterior shot or cutaway or a flashback or anything . there no music and no other character and no other story . just two woman cover the couch cushion and argue their opinion . the reverence give to the play be sicken even shakespeare most solemn classic get shake up for the screen . the commitment to the original play seem almost spiteful it a if the film be make only to document the dramatic treasure that be the stage play and with the audience an afterthought . the other reason the film fail be anne bancroft . she may be a good stage actress but on film where presence be 80 % of performance she rarely seem to fit . she certainly doesn not fit here and play a midwestern grandmother but look more like mrs. robinson before her morning coffee . she chase jesse around the house and look more aggravated than astound and and seem extraordinarily unsympathetic and even when her line convey a loving if flaw woman . sissy spacek be great a she always be and honest and open and so good that you actually understand and agree with her character choice . sissy let u see that jesse be a flat tire and a wrong turn of a woman who have have every bad break and make too many wrong choice . she never have control of her life and and her suicide will be her way of finally say no more this be where i get off . that how she put it anyway and and when spacek speaks you listen . she prove in all her film that a good actress doesn not have to behave like a man and doesn not have to be all bluff and bravado and borrow testosterone . in this and in film like coal miner daughter she quietly demonstrate a soft strength and quiet depth that be as impressive a it be hypnotic you can not help but fall in love . that why it be so hard for me to watch night and mother . spacek be waste in a stilted stunt of a film that never serve to engage or even distract . i would not recommend this movie to anyone except die hard fan of sissy like myself and even then you will be disappoint . i do give the film an entire letter grade bonus for the end and which be courageous enough to let the lead character do what right for her and not pander to a hackneyed happy end . grade represent c .