Marilyn Cooper (Academy Award-winner Diane Keaton) is one of those mothers- the kind who'll call at 6:30 in the morning, the kind who will tell embarrassing stories to complete strangers, the kind that always has some bit of advice to impart. Because of this, her son Noah (Dax Shepard) has always kept her at a distance. When he's fired from his job, he heads home to his wife Clare (Liv Tyler) only to discover an unwelcome houseguest on his couch (Mike White).

He thinks his day can't get any worse, but soon the doorbell rings, and it's Marilyn, crying, with her bags and five foster dogs in tow. Suspecting her husband has been having an affair, she's decided to take a break, and has decided to take it at Noah's house.

Newly jobless, and under pressure from Clare to start a family despite his fears of inadequacy, Noah now finds the mother he's always kept at a distance just down the hallway. He soon starts to realize that if he wants to stand up to the problems in his life, he'll have to stand up to his mother. As heartwarming as it is hilarious, "Smother" is a family film in the truest sense of the term- your family.