logo
35 Of The Best Mother's Day Gifts To Give In 2025

35 Of The Best Mother's Day Gifts To Give In 2025

Buzz Feed01-05-2025

Hey! While we're doing our best to make sure the products we feature will arrive in time for Mother's Day, shipping times are tricky and can vary depending on where you live, which product you purchase, and more. Shop early and be sure to double-check the retailers' websites for shipping information to ensure that your gift will arrive in time for May 11th!
1. A pop-up Mother's Day card your mom will absolutely adore — especially if she's a sucker for handwritten cards and has a box under the bed with each and every one she ever received (guilty).
You should know better than to hand the mother figure in your life a Mother's Day gift without a card. Paper Love is a small business!
Get it from Amazon Canada for $24.29 CAD.
2. A portable HP photo printer for anyone who hasn't had the time to finish up her kiddo's baby book or make an album dedicated to the last European vacation — no need to log onto another site to order photos or, gasp, go pick them up at an actual store. This gadget will promptly print all of her pics directly from their phone, plus each photo has a sticky backing that'll make them easy to pop into a book.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $114.99 CAD (available in four colours and as a starter bundle).
3. Poems of Parenting, a book of relatable poems that'll have any new or seasoned parent laughing, crying, and feeling ALL the things. It perfectly captures what it's like to be a parent in today's world in hilarious but emotional sentiments she'll find herself sending pics of to her mom squad with the same fervor she does memes on Insta.
Loryn Brantz is a former BuzzFeeder, mom-of-two, and currently works with Ms. Rachel! She's absolutely brilliant in this book (and all of her others, my kids love Blanket) and totally nails what it's like to be a parent in 2025. I can open any page in this and giggle or tear up — each poem is relatable but unique. I keep it on my desk for when I need a quick pick-me-up and plan to buy it for my closest mom friends for Mother's Day.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $19.99 CAD (Also available on Kindle and Audiobook).
4. A facial steamer for moms who adore soaking up the steam from too-hot and too-short showers. This lil' machine will let her reap those same benefits after the kiddos *finally* go to sleep. It creates "nano-ionic" steam that penetrates the skin to soften, hydrate, open up pores, *and* help relieve sinus congestion (take THAT, springtime allergies!)
5. Waterproof wireless earbuds she'll happily take on as her new workout buddy (no sweat-related problems, here!) and adore for how the digital display will let her know *precisely* how much battery is left. Oh, and did I mention they're PINK?! Glinda is squealing somewhere over the rainbow.
Reviewers swear by this for sweaty cardio and weight-lifting sessions.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $25.99 CAD (available in four colours).
6. And a pickleball tote bag with a specific attachment to store paddles, plus ample space for balls and accessories so she can focus on crushing her smack-talking neighbor Karen instead of rummaging through an unorganized duffel.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $61.73 CAD (available in seven colours).
7. Heeled mule sandals with braided straps that are quite similar to the popular Dolce Vita pair (but for waaaaaay less). Just think of how stunning they'll look with all of Mom's spring outfits and how great your wallet will feel when it's not empty from spending all your money on shoes. 😉
Amazon Canada
Get them from Amazon Canada for $64.24+ CAD (available in women's sizes 5–11 and seven colours).
8. A beautiful art print for the mom who loves to gather you all around the kitchen island and pour a cuppa while *~spilling the tea~* on the latest drama to hit her Mahjong group.
Get it from Julianna Swaney on Society6 for $20+ (available framed or unframed).
9. A veggie chopper because none of us have time to cry at the club anymore — and by "club" I mean your mom's kitchen and by "us" I mean myself (I'm reserving for my annual viewing of Titanic). Anyways, this baby will dice up anything she throws in it at record speed. Chop, chop!
Check out a TikTok of the veggie chopper in action.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $34.99+ CAD (available in three colours and different chopper attachments).
10. A custom-made pet portrait — is there anything more adorable than that? I think not. Anyways, all you have to do is select a background colour, upload a photo of her beloved companion, and wait for the purr-fect piece of home decor to arrive!
Amazon Canada
Haus and Hues is a small business!
Get it from Amazon Canada for $44.99 CAD (available with or without a frame).
11. A waffle-knit duvet cover set to give your mom's bedroom a makeover worthy of everything she does for the entire family. She should have a super soft and cozy place to rest her bones and catch up on Real Housewives after a long day, don't ya think?
The set comes with a duvet cover and two pillowcases.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $114.99+ CAD (available in twin, full, queen, king, California king, and oversized king sizes and 18 styles).
12. A Lego flower bouquet she'll enjoy assembling and appreciate much more than a vase filled with living florals that will, sadly, die in a few days after she inevitably forgets to water 'em. "Life in plastic, it's fantastic!" —these flowers.
The bouquet includes 15 stems with a mix of flower and leaf varieties, including roses, snapdragons, and poppies, and it uses elements made from plant-based plastic. My 3-year-old is Lego obsessed and had a blast working on these with me! They appear intricate but, honestly, weren't hard to put together at all (and I'm a Lego novice!).
Get it from Amazon Canada for $59.88 CAD and check out the entire Lego Botanicals collection!
13. A precious Taylor Swift–inspired board book kiddos can gift to their Swiftie mom and watch as she dissolves into a puddle of tears (not unlike the ones on Tay's guitar). It tells a sweet story about parents sharing their love of their favourite artist with their child through vibrant colors. It's too cute *not* to add to your cart immediately.
I threw myself a Taylor Swift–inspired baby shower before my daughter was born, so it should be no surprise that I own this book. I have it on display in her room — I mean, look how cute it is! We also read it together when she wakes up (too) early and I need to entertain her so she doesn't wake up her sleeping brother. She loves the bright colors and I love the sweet story. It's a win-win!
Get it from Amazon Canada for $14.99 CAD.
14. Skin1004 Zombie Pack face masks that'll make her temporarily look like a zombie while she watches the latest season of The Last of Us (and praises the return of Pedro Pascal to her screen). This entertaining mask will tighten her pores and minimize the appearance of wrinkles while allowing her to take some *very* silly selfies to send to the fam group text.
Get a box of eight masks from Amazon Canada for $28.99 CAD.
15. Or a pack of Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Masks Mom can count on to work harder than all seven of Snow White's dwarf pals do while mining diamonds. She can apply it before she hits the hay to reap the benefits (firmer skin, more elasticity, minimized pores) while she dreams.
Most reviewers recommend doing this treatment once per week.
Get a set of four from Amazon Canada for $29.99 CAD.
16. Exfoliating skincare mitts designed to lift away dead skin (and remove a spray tan that's seen better days) — an excellent way for her to kickstart a spa-like experience at home or, you know, give her an excuse to send some gross before and after pics to your family.
Seraphic Skincare is a small business!
Get a pack of two from Amazon Canada for $24.99 CAD (available in one pack and different textures).
17. And a luxurious jar of Ouai whipped body cream packed with cupuaçu butter, coconut oil, and squalane to help soften skin while moisturizing it. It'll be a nice upgrade to the likely expired one your precious mother has been using for *too* long.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $51.50 CAD (available in three scents).
18. A Moccamaster drip coffee machine you and your siblings can all contribute to with confidence, knowing it'll likely become her most bragged-about gadget thanks to how beautifully it'll match the kitchen decor — it comes in over 17 colors! The brewing basket will stop the flow of coffee the moment they remove the carafe, and the carafe itself has a hot plate to keep coffee hot for as long as necessary.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $476 CAD (available in 17 colours).
19. Or, Oxo's new compact Brew Rapid Brewer that'll have any mom wondering, "Where has this been all of my life?" She can toss it into her tote bag and literally make cold brew or hot coffee at her desk after surviving the carpool lane — it doesn't need to be plugged in or charged!
Amazon Canada
You can use this to brew hot coffee *and* cold brew by adding coffee grounds to the top portion, tamping it down, letting it steep, and pumping into a carafe full of hot or cold water.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $81.60 CAD.
20. A heated eye massager complete with five different massage modes and Bluetooth sound so Mom can fully indulge, relax, and catch up on her favourite murder mystery podcast while relieving pain from eye strain and headaches.
After reading about how much reviewers loved this product (and including it in my articles for years) I was so excited to finally try it out myself. I wasn't disappointed! It's a little louder than I thought it would be (as the air compresses in and out to relieve tension), but once I put music on with it, I didn't notice the noise anymore. I've been using it to relax my eyes after a long day of working on screens *and* parenting. I also break it out when I have sinus pain, and it's been really helpful in easing that pain. Consider me a fan!
Get it from Amazon Canada for $76.49 CAD (available in three colours).
21. A Saucemoto dip clip, because eating fries while parked in the car just tastes better and Mom shouldn't have to sacrifice her favourite dipping sauce to do so! I can't think of a better lil' gift to give your mom bestie who can often be found eating Chick-fil-A in between driving her kids to and from soccer practice.
Get a set of two from Amazon Canada for $18.99 CAD.
22. A family-size Perfect Pot she can use on both the stovetop and in the oven — it'll replace mom's stock pot, Dutch oven, saucepot, roasting rack, steamer, colander, braiser, and spoon rest! Talk about a fabulous gift, jeez.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $170 CAD (available in six colours).
23. The I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook complete with 150 recipes, all using ingredients Mom can pick up at her beloved supermarket of choice. She can spend the next month cooking up a storm!
Get it from Amazon Canada for $22.80 CAD.
24. A KitchenAid stand mixer every baker dreams of owning — it comes in so many colours Mom will want to theme the entire kitchen around it. And it'll help her whip up so many treats you'll never want to venture back to YOUR own home.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $369.99 CAD (available in 22 colours).
25. A Gray Malin 1,000-piece puzzle that'll give Mom a nice way to unwind (without her many screens) *and* decorate her home without paying for a *very* pricey art print from the brand. Truly a win-win.
Amazon Canada
Puzzles are my mom's favourite way to take a break from the chaos of her day-to-day. She even set up her guest bedroom as a "puzzle room." So, it made perfect sense to give her this puzzle. I love Gray Malin's style so it was exciting to see the art translate into an activity! It also comes in a lovely magnetic keepsake box, which is great for gifting.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $37.80 CAD.
26. And a pair of plush checkered slippers to protect her feet from the ice-like tiled floors at home while also reminding the family of her punk rock roots, even if her checked pull-on Vans have been retired to the back of her closet 🤘.
Amazon Canada
Get them from Amazon Canada for $32.99 CAD (available in sizes 5.5–10.5 and five styles).
27. A fan-favourite beach tent with UPF 50+ protection your admittedly clumsy mom will be able to successfully set up all on her own — it pops right up in seconds, comes with reliable stability poles, and is weighed down by sand-filled bags (shovel provided!) so she can focus on having herself A Day instead of worrying her tent will blow away.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $144.99 CAD (available in three sizes and four colours).
28. An Adirondack chair to replace the worn down, discoloured old one she usually curls up in to have a glass of wine while your dad mans the grill. This one is waterproof and has a contoured seat that'll make her feel like she's vacationing in her yard.
Get a single chair from Amazon Canada for $588.03 CAD.
29. A personalized book stamp she can use to literally make her mark in the novels she typically loans out to her book club buds.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $25.99 CAD (available in 12 styles).
30. A trendy Lululemon belt bag she's likely been debating buying for herself for months now but always spends her money on something for the kids instead — treat mom to this practical gift so she can hit the town hands-free.
Lululemon Canada
I own one of these and, as a mom of two, I can confirm it is an excellent investment. It's a great size for stowing your phone, wallet, keys, and sunglasses in when you're headed out on an errand, for a walk, or to the gym (aka whenever you don't need to bring an entire diaper bag out with you).
Get it from Lululemon Canada for $44 CAD (available in 15 styles).
31. Or a Bogg bag all of the other moms have been toting around at school pick-up while she wonders if all the hype is real — spoiler, it is. They come in *so* many colors, have a bunch of accessories you can add to the gift, are easy to clean, and are so durable even her teething tot won't destroy it.
Heather Braga / BuzzFeed, Amazon Canada
I recently got my very first Bogg bag in the medium size (or as the brand calls it, "The Baby." When I opened it, I thought, "This is as if a Croc became a handbag!" because they have so many fun accessories you can plug into the sides (similar to the charms on Crocs). I'm starting with a cup holder and a phone holder, but you should absolutely check out all their accessory offerings. It's very lightweight since it's made of rubber, which is great because I know I will stuff it to the brim with beach gear this summer. Also! Bogg is a small business!
Get it from Amazon Canada for $201.28 CAD (available in three styles).
32. A customizable sweatshirt for a comfortable option Grandma can layer over her tee before venturing over to the playground with the kids (spring weather can be so wishy-washy, literally). It'll wash easily if they get caught in a storm or if/when her grandchild rubs their dirt-covered hands on them.
BFFs and Babes, Heather Braga / BuzzFeed
I have many sweatshirts from BFFs and Babes, a woman-owned small business, and I simply adore them — I've purchased so many as gifts as well! The sweatshirts are super cozy and don't run in the wash (thankfully). I got my mom (pictured above, right) this sweatshirt for Mother's Day last year right after her second grandchild was born. I'm going to have to order another next year after my sister has her baby! Anyways, she loves it, lives in it, and claims it's one of her favourite items.
Get it from BFFs and Babes for $75 USD (available in unisex sizes S–XL, four colors, and in aunt, mama, and fur mom styles).
*Duties and taxes are not included in international shipping rates.*
33. A set of anti-slip glasses holders Mom can count on to *literally* support her throughout the entire day — she won't find herself making that infamously nerdy "pushing-up-my-glasses-because-they're-sliding-down-my-face" move anytime soon.
Amazon Canada
Anchor Glasses Straps is a small business!
Get a set of three pairs from Amazon Canada for $10.79 CAD (available in black or a multicolour pack).
34. A luggage drink caddy that'll attach to her wheeled luggage — it'll be a saving grace when traveling since moms are always the ones in charge of holding onto everyone's passport and boarding passes along with EVERYTHING else. She can use it to hold her Starbies, phone, ID, etc., and prevent her from fumbling around for all those items while heading to the gate at the airport, kids in tow.
Get it from Amazon Canada for $19.99 CAD (available in seven colours).
35. And a "breakfast in bed" candle for the moms who often daydream about lounging around in their sheets for just a few moments before hitting the day at full speed (getting the kids dressed, making breakfast, tying shoes, wiping butts, etc). The scent of this candle will ground them for just a few seconds and remind them of a calmer time.
Evil Queen
When I tell you I am wholeheartedly committed to this candle brand I mean it. I was first introduced to them when I discovered their " OMG You're Engaged" candle in a boutique near my NYC apartment a few years ago. I've been gifting them to everyone I know (and myself) since. This small business is female-owned by an absolute badass who also writes poetry.
Scent notes:
Top: Maple, Brown Sugar
Middle: Butterscotch, Spice
Base: Vanilla, Creme
Get it from Evil Queen for $20 USD.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

17-year cicadas – here for a good time, not a long time – are out. But which 17-year cicadas?
17-year cicadas – here for a good time, not a long time – are out. But which 17-year cicadas?

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

17-year cicadas – here for a good time, not a long time – are out. But which 17-year cicadas?

PERRY COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — In terms of fame and fortune — well, okay… maybe not fortune, but certainly fame! — no brood of 17-year cicadas matches Brood X, which last emerged in 2021. Anyone old enough also remembers the 2004 emergence, the 1987 one and so forth. But should Brood XIV (that's 14 rather than 10, for the Roman numeral-impaired) — emerging now — have at least as great a claim to fame? 'This is the brood,' said Dr. John Cooley, who studies cicadas at the University of Connecticut. 'The brood European colonists first encountered.' Indeed, the 1634 emergence of what would later be identified as Brood XIV cicadas is chronicled in a book called The Pilgrims' Promise by another of the world's most prominent cidada experts, Dr. Gene Kritsky. Cicadas emerge when soil warms to 64 degrees, and on cue, cicadas in southern Brood XIV territory, such as parts of Tennessee and North Carolina, emerged this spring, both Kritsky and Cooley said. In other parts of what everyone agrees is core Brood XIV territory, such as in Pennsylvania places like Milton closer to I-80, the wet and cool spring delayed the emergence, both said. But in the Duncannon area of Perry County — and nowhere more so than on the grounds of Buddy Boy Winery and Restaurant in Penn Township — cicadas are everywhere, singing what at least their fans (they do have their detractors) consider a sweet song. 'They're kind of fun, and I like the noise,' said Coreena Warner, who manages the winery. And for other people? 'If you don't like the noise, it'll be over here in about three weeks,' said Forrest Woodward, the chef, who prepares adventurous dishes like frog's legs and deep-fried rabbit — but nothing cicada. At least not on the food menu. There is a 'cidada killer' on the drink menu — garnished with two cherries floating on top, like beady red cicada eyes — and a (tasty) mix of liquors and juices but, alas, no actual cicadas in it. Back to the actual cicadas — and their short stay above ground — it's true: Cicadas are here for a good time, not a long time. 'The have to mate and lay eggs, and the adults die,' Cooley said. Then the eggs hatch into nymphs, which live underground for — in the cases of Broods X and XIV, anyway — 17 years before emerging. This is Brood XIV's year, so of course the cicadas here should be those, except for one problem, according to Cooley: Duncannon isn't in core Brood XIV territory. Scientists think cicadas count years based on something (no one is sure exactly what) related to the seasonal changes of the deciduous trees on which they feed — 'the same kinds of things that make tree rings,' Cooley said. Scientists are even less certain how cicadas count to 17, but Cooley said they sometimes make mistakes, and when they do, they miscount by increments of four years. His hunch: Maybe the cicadas here are Brood X 'stragglers.' After all, it's four years beyond 2021. On the other hand, he said stragglers are usually too small in number to sing loudly together, which is not the case with the ones in the woods around Buddy Boy. Kritsky said don't discount the possibility these are the real Brood XIV deal: USDA records documented cicadas in the Duncannon area in 1923 and 1940, which would correspond with the cycle. Both Kritsky and Cooley said a challenge for current cicada scientists is that no one was keeping records like the ones they're keeping — no one crowdsourcing cicada sightings on Kritsky's Cicaca Safari app, which 243,000 people have used to document what they've seen — in centuries past. (Heck, no one began using telephones to gather information about cicadas until the 1970s, Cooley said.) 'Having that many boots on the ground is allowing us to see specifically where the cicadas are coming out and how that relates to other broods,' Kritsky said. 'I'm not going to be around to tell you whether what's actually happening,' Cooley said. 'but 'We leave that to future generations to tell us.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

How to Root for a Merciless Man, According to Wes Anderson
How to Root for a Merciless Man, According to Wes Anderson

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

How to Root for a Merciless Man, According to Wes Anderson

The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. The Manhattan hotel at which I'm interviewing Wes Anderson has striking views of Central Park out of its windows. Looming a little more ominously, however, is the Trump International Hotel and Tower, one of the president's many jutting edifices dotted around the globe. I wouldn't have noted it, except that Anderson's new film, The Phoenician Scheme, is about a tycoon with hands in many pots: arms dealing, manufacturing, large-scale infrastructure projects. In conceiving the character—a businessman named Zsa-zsa Korda (played by Benicio del Toro)—the director told me that he was thinking of a more old-fashioned type of European magnate, in the vein of Aristotle Onassis or Gianni Agnelli. But 'I think that everything's filtering in,' he allowed with a chuckle. 'We're all reading the same newspapers.' Anderson has (unfairly) earned a reputation as a maker of fidgety little cinematic dioramas, meticulously designed but hermetically sealed off from reality. But his work is clearly responsive to modern life: His previous feature, the staggering Asteroid City, was a charming dramedy about a space-age desert town encountering aliens that also managed to capture the feeling of people going into lockdown in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Anderson wrote Asteroid City while in quarantine, an experience that appears to have directly informed its sense of anxiety and claustrophobia. ('Your imagination is responding to whatever the stimuli in the world is,' he told me.) The Phoenician Scheme, by comparison, is light and zany, as Korda embarks upon a madcap dash across the globe to save his dwindling fortune. As I noted to him, it also obviously seems to prod at the preening foolishness of today's mega-rich land barons. [Read: Only Wes Anderson could adapt Roald Dahl this way] I worried he'd deflect the comment—Anderson often talks about his screenwriting process as somewhat mysterious, in which he moves among scenarios in ways that surprise even himself. But he noted the strange manner in which more serious subjects were intersecting with his otherwise delightfully wacky tale. Much of the film finds Korda in transit, typically by airplane—even after surviving multiple crashes caused by would-be assassins, which stokes growing anxiety over how many times he can make it out alive. Korda's steadfast preference for flight travel, however, is meant to reflect his social status; airplanes, Anderson said, have become the ultimate symbol of wealth and power: 'Now,' he observed, in reference to the $400 million aircraft recently gifted to Donald Trump, 'we've got a 747 coming in from Qatar.' If reality is 'filtering in' to The Phoenician Scheme, it's transformed through the usual bundle of Andersonian layers. The film is cold-bloodedly whimsical, asking the audience to root for a merciless man who endeavors, ever so incrementally, to understand some deeper human truths. It follows Korda and his estranged daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a novitiate nun who insists on the immorality of her father's business interests, which starve and impoverish people worldwide. Korda professes disinterest in Liesl's concerns, but as he flies from country to country dodging assassination attempts and strong-arming fellow businessmen, Anderson allows his protagonist's heart to grow just the teeniest bit: 'My original impression of what I thought we were going to do was a ruthless, brutal, unkillable businessman who is just on his path, totally focused on his own mission and is going to do a lot of damage to not just the people around him, but the world at large, in his own interest,' he told me. Then he wrote the first scene and was surprised to find that it came out more farcical: a comical action set piece in which Korda's secretary is blown in half and Korda has to land a crashing plane by himself. 'I do feel a bit like you start writing a thing, you have your preconceptions,' Anderson said, 'and then it just starts to tell you what it wants to be.' The Phoenician Scheme thus became something funnier and stranger, in which Korda's cruelty is quietly moderated by his daughter and his unspoken fear of death. Every time he brushes close to expiration, Korda is zipped to a surreal, black-and-white netherworld where he's judged by otherworldly beings (including God, played by Bill Murray, wearing white robes and sporting a big beard). As he tries to convince other tycoons (played by other familiar members of the Anderson ensemble, such as Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, and Mathieu Amalric) to help him finance an ambitious infrastructure proposal, Korda begins to tap into a sense of fellowship he'd otherwise been missing. As he does with Korda, Anderson introduces each of these competing captains of industry under absurd circumstances—such as at a high-stakes basketball game and during a dramatic nightclub shootout—that are befitting their characters. 'These tycoon-y character people, they're cartoons,' Anderson said. 'They always have eccentricities and peculiarities because they can do anything they want.' But his inspiration, beyond famous faces like Onassis or the legendary oil middleman Calouste Gulbenkian, was his own father-in-law: Fouad Malouf, a Lebanese engineer to whom the film is dedicated. This bore out in both Korda's professional interests and his attempt to build a relationship with Liesl: At one point near the end of his life, Malouf produced a series of shoeboxes from his closet of effects gathered throughout his career, and explained their contents to his daughter. The Phoenician Scheme repeats that shoebox imagery. With even his most outlandish stories, Anderson said, 'it just becomes more personal without even me intending it to.' The most fascinating challenge of the film, at least to me, was keeping the screwball energy high while otherwise heeding Anderson's specific style. Each set is carefully assembled, with the blocking of each shot perfectly aligned, and Anderson's rat-a-tat dialogue is delivered exactly as written. Still, there's a spontaneity to the storytelling and the world it's moving through. Anderson's locations reference real places, but they always feel exciting and new, never derivative. [Read: The beauty and sadness of Isle of Dogs] The director's particular approach—one that eschews on-set trailers, keeps all of the cast together (including dining communally and staying at the same hotel), and moves from scene to scene quite quickly—is unusual for larger-scale filmmaking. But Anderson is clearly cheered by the enthusiasm his performers have for the process, and how well the newer members of his family of players have taken to it. Michael Cera (who is fantastic as a fussy Norwegian tutor in Korda's employ) and Riz Ahmed (as Prince Farouk, the heir to the fictional nation of Phoenicia, which is vital to the plot) were Anderson's two big additions this time around, and the filmmaker said that both actors dove in with aplomb. And it shows—they fit comfortably among the Anderson stalwarts, capturing the archness typical of the director's characters. Del Toro's performance is the most crucial component to The Phoenician Scheme; it's the first Anderson movie centered on a single lead since The Grand Budapest Hotel, starring Ralph Fiennes. Del Toro had been in Anderson's head as Korda from the start, so much that he informed the actor of the idea while they were promoting their prior collaboration, 2021's The French Dispatch. Anderson remembered his pitch being vague to a comedic, overblown degree: 'I told him there's some Buñuel aspect to it.'' As I tried to describe Del Toro's on-screen presence to Anderson, I ended up referencing his 'whatever' (American for je ne sais quoi). Del Toro's early roles (in 1990s cult films such as The Usual Suspects and Excess Baggage) smacked of knockoff Marlon Brando: all movement, mumbling charm, and giddy chaos. But with time, the actor has learned to communicate decades of regret and the darkest emotional headspace with barely a flicker of his face. That's the power of his presence, or, as Anderson agreed, his 'whatever.' This isn't the first time Anderson wrote with an actor in mind. As we spoke, he mentioned the late Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums. Hackman's character, Royal Tenenbaum, is another intense father figure who, like Korda, is both brilliant and terrible. But Anderson scripted him two decades ago, before he became a parent. I asked him if the intervening years had changed his investigations into the sins of fatherhood, and he nodded. 'Tenenbaums was completely from the point of view of looking up at the old man,' he said. Now, at age 56, the director is practically Korda's age; he also has a daughter, as do Del Toro and Anderson's frequent story collaborator Roman Coppola: 'I guess we're coming at it from the father's point of view, but, I will say, with a bit of the perspective of still thinking about our own fathers.' The Phoenician Scheme strikes that balance: It's wiser, and it has the looser silliness that comes with middle age—but it's looking up at those imposing father figures, tycoons or no, with awe and fear all the same. Article originally published at The Atlantic

Department Q: Does Carl Morck date his therapist? Creator teases romance
Department Q: Does Carl Morck date his therapist? Creator teases romance

Cosmopolitan

time5 hours ago

  • Cosmopolitan

Department Q: Does Carl Morck date his therapist? Creator teases romance

Anyone else completely obsessed with Department Q and patiently waiting for official news about season 2 to drop? Same. There's a lot to anticipate in another chapter of Netflix's new detective series, but Carl Morck's relationship with his therapist Rachel definitely tops the list thanks to their undeniable chemistry. they gonna happen? Creator Scott Frank was asked by Collider if there'd be a romantic relationship between Carl and Rachel in the future, and said "I could see Carl having a couple women in his life. Also, his ex-wife because there is enormous chemistry between the two of them as well, even though there's conflict. Watching the two of them in the room together, I thought, 'Oh, there's actually a hot chemistry here. It's really interesting.'" Not a no! Meanwhile, Matthew Goode said "I'm going to leave that up to the creator. It was actually, in some ways, a little bit tricky because, for Kelly [Macdonald] and I, we would have these big gaps in between. She'd be in one of two scenes per episode, so we both had a natural wariness. But I ended up loving it. When the therapist that's meant to be with him turns up, he's very angry about it. And then, he goes to her house. "It was such a lovely opportunity to see this guy who was originally very uncomfortable being there, actually now needs it. Maybe there's a romantic entanglement. I have no idea. But sometimes I think people shouldn't be afraid to see a man and a woman navigate a friendship, rather than it necessarily needing to end up in bed. But I don't know. She's a brilliant actress. That's what I can say." Once again: not a no!

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store