Mother’s Day is just around the corner, marking another exciting year in which we can celebrate the important maternal figures in our lives.
Supporting us through times both thick and thin and providing us a helpful shoulder to cry on when we’re in dire need of comfort, mothers are the unsung glue that holds our lives together, encouraging us every step of the way along our own personal journeys through life.
As you wonder about which potential gifts to bestow your mother for the holiday, you might also think about simply sitting down and spending time with your mom by watching a movie together. Fortunately, there’s plenty of worthwhile options when it comes to appropriate Mother’s Day viewing experiences. From light-hearted fantasy comedies to rousing musical epics, here are some of the greatest movies we’d recommend watching this Mother’s Day season.
Buena Vista Pictures
Navigating the intricacies of a child’s teenage years isn’t exactly easy, putting an untold amount of stress on both parents and the kids they’re struggling to connect with. Exploring this concept in a humorous and inventive manner, Freaky Friday perfectly underscores the disconnected points of view between a middle-aged, workaholic mother and her rebellious, music-loving daughter. Led by indelible performances from Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, Freaky Friday is a crowd-pleasing fantasy comedy most viewers will utterly adore. (What’s more, there’s perhaps no better time to revisit this nostalgic 2000s-era comedy, given the upcoming sequel Freakier Friday, scheduled for release later this summer.)
Universal Pictures
Certain musicals are forever tied to a set decade of pop culture, whether looking at Grease’s unwavering attachment to the 1970s or Mamma Mia!’s taut connection to the late 2000s. A jukebox musical that relies on some of the greatest hits ever produced by ABBA, Mamma Mia! brings the irreverent charm of its 1999 theatrical source material to the big screen. Making endless use of its winning soundtrack and notable ensemble cast (Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth), it’s impossible not to sit through this 2008 cult classic without tapping your foot or humming along to its pop music-derived score.
A24
As mentioned above, it’s not always getting along with your parents, most especially once you enter the tumultuous years of high school adolescence. Touching upon this precarious time in everyone’s lives with sensitivity and grace, Lady Bird shines brightest when showcasing the unique relationship between Saoirse Ronan’s title character and Laurie Metcalf’s similarly-tempered mother. Though they sometimes struggle to fully relate to one another, Lady Bird’s mother-daughter duo never lose the love and respect they hold for each other – no matter how many arguments, shouting matches, or intense fights they have over Lady Bird’s final year in high school.
Paramount Pictures
If there are any certainties in life, it’s that time has a way of affecting us each in our own ways, transforming our individual personalities even as it shapes our respective relationships. Seizing upon this idea for its overarching narrative, Terms of Endearment eloquently illustrates the changing relationship between a widowed mother and her strong-willed daughter. Set over the course of 30 years within its sprawling two hour runtime, Terms of Endearment shows just how much each of us change over time, subsequently influencing the kinds of relationships we hold to our closest loved ones, allowing us to grow from bickering family members into loving, caring, mutually supportive best friends weathering the perils of adulthood together.
20th Century Fox
You don’t have to be related by blood to see someone occupy a pivotal role in your life. Case in point with Julie Andrews’ Maria, the endlessly upbeat governess-turned-stepmother of the von Trapp family in 1965’s The Sound of Music. Cementing Andrews’ place as the reigning queen of the musical genre by the mid 1960s, The Sound of Music also offers a sweeping portrayal of family, friendship, and the powers of love and understanding in a time of personal and political uncertainty, as seen through the movie’s intelligent treatment of fascist-controlled 1930s Austria.
Walt Disney
Okay, yes, you got us – Julie Andrews’ industrious nanny isn’t a familial relative to the Banks children in 1964’s Mary Poppins. But as Andrews’ whimsical nanny eloquently shows us, you don’t have to be someone’s mother to fundamentally change their life for the better. Flying in on her patented umbrella and touching each of the Bankses’ hearts in turn, Mary Poppins somehow brings the dysfunctional Edwardian family closer together by the close of the film. Encouraging us each to value our loved ones while we’re still able to, Mary Poppins offers a stirring portrayal of the power and joy that come with close family connections, affording us the strength to overcome each of our ongoing problems and issues.
A24
Like all the greatest movies, Everything Everywhere All at Once tackles a ton of different thematic subjects in the course of its brisk two hour runtime. Rooting itself from the perspective of Michelle Yeoh’s middle-aged, unhappily wed, woefully overworked laundromat co-owner, this Oscar-winning film specifically focuses on the troubles affecting its main character, from her unfulfilled dreams of independent success to the estranged relationships she holds with her husband, father, and daughter. Exploring these topics through a fanciful sci-fi-heavy lens, Everything Everywhere All at Once uses its comedic tone to wondrous dramatic effect, paving the way to plenty of creative moments guaranteed to leave viewers either doubled over with laughter or bawling their eyes out in bittersweet tears.
Supporting us through times both thick and thin and providing us a helpful shoulder to cry on when we’re in dire need of comfort, mothers are the unsung glue that holds our lives together, encouraging us every step of the way along our own personal journeys through life.
As you wonder about which potential gifts to bestow your mother for the holiday, you might also think about simply sitting down and spending time with your mom by watching a movie together. Fortunately, there’s plenty of worthwhile options when it comes to appropriate Mother’s Day viewing experiences. From light-hearted fantasy comedies to rousing musical epics, here are some of the greatest movies we’d recommend watching this Mother’s Day season.
Freaky Friday (2003)
Buena Vista Pictures
Navigating the intricacies of a child’s teenage years isn’t exactly easy, putting an untold amount of stress on both parents and the kids they’re struggling to connect with. Exploring this concept in a humorous and inventive manner, Freaky Friday perfectly underscores the disconnected points of view between a middle-aged, workaholic mother and her rebellious, music-loving daughter. Led by indelible performances from Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, Freaky Friday is a crowd-pleasing fantasy comedy most viewers will utterly adore. (What’s more, there’s perhaps no better time to revisit this nostalgic 2000s-era comedy, given the upcoming sequel Freakier Friday, scheduled for release later this summer.)
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Universal Pictures
Certain musicals are forever tied to a set decade of pop culture, whether looking at Grease’s unwavering attachment to the 1970s or Mamma Mia!’s taut connection to the late 2000s. A jukebox musical that relies on some of the greatest hits ever produced by ABBA, Mamma Mia! brings the irreverent charm of its 1999 theatrical source material to the big screen. Making endless use of its winning soundtrack and notable ensemble cast (Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth), it’s impossible not to sit through this 2008 cult classic without tapping your foot or humming along to its pop music-derived score.
Lady Bird (2017)
A24
As mentioned above, it’s not always getting along with your parents, most especially once you enter the tumultuous years of high school adolescence. Touching upon this precarious time in everyone’s lives with sensitivity and grace, Lady Bird shines brightest when showcasing the unique relationship between Saoirse Ronan’s title character and Laurie Metcalf’s similarly-tempered mother. Though they sometimes struggle to fully relate to one another, Lady Bird’s mother-daughter duo never lose the love and respect they hold for each other – no matter how many arguments, shouting matches, or intense fights they have over Lady Bird’s final year in high school.
Terms of Endearment (1983)
Paramount Pictures
If there are any certainties in life, it’s that time has a way of affecting us each in our own ways, transforming our individual personalities even as it shapes our respective relationships. Seizing upon this idea for its overarching narrative, Terms of Endearment eloquently illustrates the changing relationship between a widowed mother and her strong-willed daughter. Set over the course of 30 years within its sprawling two hour runtime, Terms of Endearment shows just how much each of us change over time, subsequently influencing the kinds of relationships we hold to our closest loved ones, allowing us to grow from bickering family members into loving, caring, mutually supportive best friends weathering the perils of adulthood together.
The Sound of Music (1965)
20th Century Fox
You don’t have to be related by blood to see someone occupy a pivotal role in your life. Case in point with Julie Andrews’ Maria, the endlessly upbeat governess-turned-stepmother of the von Trapp family in 1965’s The Sound of Music. Cementing Andrews’ place as the reigning queen of the musical genre by the mid 1960s, The Sound of Music also offers a sweeping portrayal of family, friendship, and the powers of love and understanding in a time of personal and political uncertainty, as seen through the movie’s intelligent treatment of fascist-controlled 1930s Austria.
Mary Poppins (1964)
Walt Disney
Okay, yes, you got us – Julie Andrews’ industrious nanny isn’t a familial relative to the Banks children in 1964’s Mary Poppins. But as Andrews’ whimsical nanny eloquently shows us, you don’t have to be someone’s mother to fundamentally change their life for the better. Flying in on her patented umbrella and touching each of the Bankses’ hearts in turn, Mary Poppins somehow brings the dysfunctional Edwardian family closer together by the close of the film. Encouraging us each to value our loved ones while we’re still able to, Mary Poppins offers a stirring portrayal of the power and joy that come with close family connections, affording us the strength to overcome each of our ongoing problems and issues.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
A24
Like all the greatest movies, Everything Everywhere All at Once tackles a ton of different thematic subjects in the course of its brisk two hour runtime. Rooting itself from the perspective of Michelle Yeoh’s middle-aged, unhappily wed, woefully overworked laundromat co-owner, this Oscar-winning film specifically focuses on the troubles affecting its main character, from her unfulfilled dreams of independent success to the estranged relationships she holds with her husband, father, and daughter. Exploring these topics through a fanciful sci-fi-heavy lens, Everything Everywhere All at Once uses its comedic tone to wondrous dramatic effect, paving the way to plenty of creative moments guaranteed to leave viewers either doubled over with laughter or bawling their eyes out in bittersweet tears.