The 50 Best Movies to Watch on Mother's Day
Find some time to relax and celebrate mom on this well-deserved holiday.
Moms. They're our caregivers, our sources of love and comfort, our friends—and occasionally foes—and they are, undeniably, at the heart of one of the most meaningful and complex relationships that most of us have in our lives. No wonder there are so many movies about them. If you're struggling to put all that you feel about your mom into words—or could use a little TLC from a fictional mother figure—there movies have your back, which also happens to make them perfect for snuggling up with this Mother's Day. From tearjerkers that will have you reaching for the phone to call your mother to laugh fests that will remind you of how much you love the leading lady in your life, these films are a perfect homage to moms.
The First Wives Club
Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton, how could you go wrong? In this dark comedy, three divorcées—and longtime friends—decide to take revenge on their ex-husbands who each left them for other women.
The Sound of Music
When a young nanny named Maria (Julie Andrews) comes to tend after an aristocrat’s seven motherless children, she fills their home with love and music. In the end, she turns out to be exactly what they and their stoic father needed most.
Little Women
Take your pick of the countless adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's iconic 1868 novel. Greta Gerwig's 2019 film is the latest retelling of the lives of four sisters coming of age in the 19th century. While the story centers on the girls, they wouldn't have been such remarkable and independent women without the moral guidance of their formidable mother Marmee.
20th Century Women
It's the 1970s in Santa Barbara, California, and a single mother (Annette Bening) enlists the help of two young women (Greta Gerwig and Elle Fanning) to connect with her 15-year-old son. This sweet film explores both unconventional family dynamics and a time filled with change and revolution.
Troop Beverly Hills
Shelley Long stars as a woman determined to prove herself to be more than just a spoiled Beverly Hills housewife by taking charge of the local troop of a Girl Scouts-like organization, called the Wilderness Girls. The group of privileged girls and their naive leader soon find themselves on a crash course in wilderness training—learning valuable life lessons on the way.
Erin Brockovich
This inspiring true story, for which Julia Roberts won a Best Actress Oscar, is about how one woman successfully (and singlehandedly) fought the PG&E power company and held it responsible for contaminating the water supply in her home town—all of which she accomplished as a single mom of three.
Room
Brie Larson, who won an Oscar for her performance in this film, stars as a kidnapped young mother whose son knows nothing beyond the small room in which they are held captive. Witness the maternal strength it takes as she guides her son through their imprisonment, escape, and transition to the real world. Inspired by a harrowing true story, it's a testament to a mother's true love.
Mother's Day
Perhaps the most fitting movie for Mother's Day is, well, Mother's Day. The Gary Marshall rom-com follows in the footsteps of Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve and traces the lives of four families leading up to Mother's Day.
Stepmom
Call it a dramedy. Julia Roberts plays Isabel, the young soon-to-be stepmother to Susan Sarandon’s two children. As their contentious relationship plays out, you see the highest highs and lowest lows of motherhood while the two women brace for life’s unanticipated circumstances.
The Parent Trap
Hallie has lived her whole life wishing she knew her mom, meanwhile Annie has always wondered about her dad. When the two meet at summer camp they realize that they are identical twins who have each been living with one of their biological parents. In an elaborate plan, the two decide to switch places so they can get to know the other parent and eventually bring them back together.
Book Club
Four friends have met as a book club for 30 years, but then decide to tackle 50 Shades of Grey. Obviously, this causes rippling effects in their lives and relationships. If anything, watch it for the cast of legends: Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen.
Brave
A headstrong young princess who refuses to conform to tradition thinks she's found a way to escape her mother's expectations—but the magic she uses make new problems for them both that they'll have to work together to solve in this heartwarming Pixar favorite.
The Guilt Trip
In this adorable comedy, a mother (Barbara Streisand) and her grown son (Seth Rogan) embark on a cross-country road trip. Naturally, hilarity ensues as an adult learns to connect with his overbearing, but lovable, mother.
Because I Said So
This list is heavy on the Diane Keaton (as it should be). Watch another one of her rom-com masterpieces—Because I Said So. In the movie, Keaton plays the mother of three daughters, who tries to set up her youngest (Mandy Moore) with the perfect man.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
There's plenty to love in this critical darling of a film (it took home multiple Academy Awards, including for Best Picture and Best Actress) but the love between a mother and daughter at its core is the driving force behind the multidimensional romp.
Bad Moms
In this raunchy comedy, three stressed-out mothers join forces to blow off steam. What ensues can only be described as a mom war, between overzealous PTA moms and those trying to keep it all together.
Julie & Julia
Julie & Julia is the definition of a feel-good movie. The film follows Julia Child (played by the incomparable Meryl Streep) and her modern-day admirer Julie Powell (Amy Adams) as they search for meaning in their lives and kitchens—perfect for moms who love to cook.
Mildred Pierce
After Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford) is left by her husband she does everything she can to provide a good life for her daughters—even as her relationship with them becomes increasingly strained.
Cheaper By The Dozen
A classic family comedy, Cheaper by the Dozen will not disappoint. The movie follows parents who have sacrificed a lot to raise twelve children. When the mother, Kate (Bonnie Hunt), goes on tour for her recently published parenting memoir, Tom (Steve Martin) is left to parent the dozen kids on his own.
It's Complicated
A Nancy Meyers classic, It's Complicated is about a divorcée (Meryl Streep), who, after years of putting all of her energy into her three children, finds herself in a complicated triangle with her married ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) and her new love interest (Steve Martin).
Kara Thompson is a Denver-based journalist with over five years of experience writing lifestyle content. She has written for a variety of publications, including townandcountrymag.com, elledecor.com and Parents, where she covered all things home, travel, food, health and holidays. Her sister's German Shepherd, tennis and mystery books are a few of her favorite things
Leena Kim is an editor at Town & Country, where she covers travel, jewelry, education, weddings, and culture.
Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.
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