18 Movies Every Mother and Daughter Should Watch Together

This brand-new release from Amazon is an all-out charmer. Set in 1977 Georgia, an awkward tomboy named Christmas Flint forms a troop of Girl Scout-like Birdies so they can participate in a jamboree that will be recorded for an album to be sent out into space with the Voyager spacecraft. Led by Viola Davis as the warm and wise troop leader, the cast features lots of great young actresses. 

Troop Zero is funny and heartwarming.

After decades of princess movies that centered on romance, in 2012, Disney dumped that formula and created an original story that was all about the relationship between a daughter and mother. Princess Merida would rather wield a bow and arrow than get married and follow in her queen mother's traditional footsteps. Like so many girls IRL, she has to find a way to repair her relationship with her mom (not to mention turn her mom back from bear to human!) and live life on her own terms. 

In other words, come of age.

Sometimes, moms want the best for their daughters, but need to loosen their parental hold and fight their fears -- and get out of the way -- to make that happen. This movie is a great reminder of that for moms, as well as being empowering for girls. Akeelah and the Bee is about an inner-city girl (Keke Palmer) who wants to compete in the spelling bee, but her mom (Angela Bassett) thinks she should be focusing on homework instead -- until she gets on board with her daughter's dream.

In this funny and charming flick from back when Lindsay Lohan was better known for her promising talent than her personal issues, she and the always great Jamie Lee Curtis play a teen and her overworked mom who don't get along (so familiar!). When they switch bodies and have to live each other's lives and stresses, they learn to appreciate each other in a new way.

This movie is a feature-length lesson in going after #bossgoals as a girl, and having a daughter watch it is probably more effective than 500 pep talks. Keisha Castle-Hughes stars as Pai, a Maori girl who wants to become chief of her tribe one day, despite a males-only tradition. Although all the signs point to her as the leader, including finding a whale tooth, it isn't until she rides an actual whale that her grandfather, the current chief, recognizes that it is her destiny to lead. In her breakthrough role, Keisha is as undeniably powerful as her character.

Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci both won awards for their performances as the young daughters of a flamboyant single mom (Cher) whose loving but lackadaisical parenting leaves them adrift and having to figure things out on their own -- in often hilarious and touching ways. Flawed moms are the most entertaining kind, at least on screen, and girls of different ages have two girls to relate to in the classic film Mermaids.

With upbeat music by Abba throughout, this movie is light and airy and so much fun. A girl (Amanda Seyfried) who is getting married at her hippie mom's Greek villa/hotel, invites three of her mom's (Meryl Streep) former lovers to find out which one is her dad. She later realizes that her most important relationship is with her mom, whom she has to accept with all her flaws.

Before Greta Gerwig made her own lauded film version of the classic book Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon starred in this 1994 version. Sarandon is in her element as the headstrong 19th century proto-feminist and fiercely supportive Mrs. March, and Winona is great as the passionate Jo, who prioritizes a writing career over domesticity.

A Cinderella tale on the surface, The Princess Diaries actually, sneakily, has some satisfyingly complex female characters in it. Anne Hathaway plays a dorky teen who struggles socially and has no idea she's actually the heir to a European kingdom. That's because of the choices made by her mom -- who chose a career as an artist over marriage to a crown prince, but never revealed that to her daughter -- and her grandmother, who is a queen and not exactly a doting nana. The Princess Diaries is a very different view of female intergenerational relationships, and it's also charming and funny.

There's so much to love about this Studio Ghibli film: the relationship between two siblings and their dad after they move to the country, the fantastical creatures they encounter there, the gorgeous animation. But at its heart, My Neighbor Totoro is a story of how two sisters cope when their mother falls ill and has to stay in a hospital long-term to recover. Although the mom is not on screen for most of the movie, somehow her mothering is. It's reflected in the way the two girls take care of and find solace in each other.

Stepmoms get a big boost in this classic film worth watching over and over for its amazing music and scenery. Julie Andrews' performance as the nurturing and brave governess who ends up falling in love with the seven kids she looks after, as well as their dad, makes The Sound of Music all the more memorable.

We can't gush enough about this lovely comedy, which stars Danielle McDonald as the title character. She plays a big girl with a former beauty queen mom (a spot-on Jennifer Aniston) who's always neglected her. When Dumplin' enters a beauty pageant that her mom is judging, as a "protest in heels," the two have to work out their differences. Dumplin' has a lot of heart, never walks on eggshells around issues, and is also a great exploration of the value of friendship among girls.

One of the most inspirational films about a girl to come around in years, Temple Grandin centers on the life story of autistic activist Temple Grandin, whose mom fought for her to have a meaningful life and an education at a time (1960s) when autism was misunderstood, and many kids with it were institutionalized. Claire Danes is brilliant in this, and her interpretation of Temple's direct manner of speaking is something that kids watching the movie instantly connect with. The film does a great job of illuminating how Temple's mind works, and how people with differences need to be valued and given an opportunity to contribute to society.

In America Ferrera's breakout film, she plays a teen who's chafing against suffocating cultural norms, an overbearing mom, and struggling to love herself just as she is. It's lovely to see her character bloom despite the hurdles, and she's an inspiring role model for girls of all ages.

Angelina Jolie is perfection as the formidable fairy who curses a baby and then comes to love her in this surprisingly sweet film that turns the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale on its head. (So, basically a stepmom tale then, haha.) We love the message of love triumphing over everything -- including hurt and resentment -- and the fact that the "true love's kiss" has nothing to do with a prince.

Sometimes, girls just need to hit somebody to release all that teen angst, so joining a roller derby team makes sense. Ellen Page plays a teen whose loving but controlling mom wants her to join beauty pageants. Being part of a survival-of-the-toughest sport helps her take charge in other ways as well, and she uses that newfound confidence to confront her mom and reconcile with her.

Elastigirl, aka Helen Parr, is one kick-butt mother figure. In Incredibles 2, she hits the spotlight with a vengeance when it is she, and not her hubby Mr. Incredible -- aka Bob Parr -- who has to go out into the world and save it.

A socialite mom becomes the den mother of a troop of Wilderness Girls to impress her husband who is leaving her. But she ends up becoming the surrogate mother to the rowdy bunch of girls and helping her own daughter cope with the changes going on in the family. 

Troop Beverly Hills is a classic.