Amazon MGM Studios is bringing a star-led crime drama to release on September 25, and The Hollywood Reporter’s early review suggests the film could become a talking point for both awards watchers and adult-skewing genre audiences. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother stars Mahershala Ali as Latif, a Marine veteran who works as a knife-for-hire.
The premise puts Latif between two worlds. His brother and father-in-law disapprove of his work, and his employer represents the corrupt money behind the killing. When his wife dies, Latif becomes sole parent to three children, including a nursing baby and an adolescent daughter who starts asking difficult questions.
- Release: Friday, September 25
- Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes
- Lead: Mahershala Ali
- Key supporting cast: Giancarlo Esposito, John Cho, Tramell Tillman
- Director/writer: Bassam Tariq
- Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios
- Production company: Two & Two Pictures
What the review signals
The Hollywood Reporter’s critic sees the film as a corrective for Ali, who has been a highly regarded actor without enough lead film roles to match his talent. The review positions Latif as a role that leans into Ali’s warmth and physicality, while John Cho is called out for playing against type as Pastor Kwan, a veteran and antagonist who uses faith as cover for a desire for power.
That combination matters commercially. Ali brings awards recognition and a core film audience; Cho can widen appeal among genre viewers who know him from a different register. The review also frames the film as a Black Muslim family story without the usual propaganda-laden lens—an angle that can shape how marketers position the film to faith-based and underrepresented audiences.
The Hollywood Reporter calls it a “crime film with a large beating heart,” but the specific tension is parental care colliding with violent work.
What ScreenStat readers should track
Since there are no box office numbers yet, the early signal is critical sentiment, not revenue. For distribution teams, the test is whether a culturally specific crime drama can convert praise into advance ticket interest and broader word of mouth. Watch three things:
- How much of the marketing centers on Ali’s awards narrative versus John Cho’s villain turn.
- Whether the film is segmented toward faith-based and Muslim audiences or positioned as a general crime genre play.
- Whether the strong review translates into tracking lift in the final week before release.
For media planners, the title is a useful example of a release that could under-index in raw trailer volume but over-index in high-value audience segments. Early praise gives it a reason to be on opening-weekend tracking radars.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
