Anne Hathaway/Julie Chastain in MOTHER'S INSTINCT-It Stinks!

Your natural instinct for a film starring Academy Award winning actresses Anne Hathaway and Julie Chastain would be it's going to be good. In the MOTHER's INSTINCT your inclination and expectation for a movie worth watching will disprove trusting your instinct as the way to go.  Permit me to inform you why this psychological thriller such a fiasco? It uses the repulsive conceit of the death of a young boy. The dead child's mother is convinced it's the fault of her friend/next door neighbor.  Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Celine (Anne Hathaway) were close friends before the horrific tragedy. The women lived with their husbands and sons in an upper middle class, New Jersey suburb during the 60's.  The costuming and retro- lifestyle are enticing. Unfortunately, despite the terrific scenic design and decent acting by both leads and their respective spouses Josh Charles and Anders Denielsen Lie do not override a sickening script.  The movie emulates the look and styles seen in the series AD MEN. The movie starts with a birthday celebration in which young couples dance to records while smoking and drinking martinis into the wee morning hours. The movie quickly takes a dark twist. Celine's son dies after falling from an upstairs balcony. Alice spotted the boy from her yard standing on the balcony ledge trying to hand his homemade bird house. Alice runs next door and rushes into the home to avert the boy's fall. Following the funeral, Celine clearly tries to cut Alice from her life. Alice is hurt by her friend's coldness and only wishes to offer solace. Comfort comes too Celine when spending time with Alice's son. This makes Alice uncomfortable and leery of Celine's motives. Celine's obsession with Alice's son turns nefarious. Celine's behaviors and her husband's drunkard, lecherous behaviors become extremely off-putting.  Both Alice and Celine have histories of hospitalization for depression. Alice's past comes back to her haunt her.  Her instincts don't warrant credibility with her husband. Both women's neuroses are nauseating and neither elicits sympathy. Alice's pithy attempts to explain to her son what it means his friend has died is pathetic and proves problematic. The best scene in the movie comes when Alice's mother-in-law tells Celine she's overstaying her welcome spending time with her grandson. The ghastly ending is dissatisfying but I'm not lying I was glad it was over. I advise not trusting MOTHER'S INSTINCT. Simply put, it stinks!