Moms are amazing. They give us life, guide us through the challenges and obstacles that come with it and help us develop the skills we need to eventually face it on our own.
Art often imitates life, which is why there are so many excellent movies about moms.
Here are 15 films that remind us just how special the women in our lives are and why we owe them so much:
‘Lady Bird’ (2017): Seventeen-year-old Lady Bird McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) comes of age in Sacramento, Calif., often putting her at odds with mom Marion (Laurie Metcalf). Metcalf was an Oscar nominee for her turn as Marion.
‘Stepmom’ (1998): Chris Columbus’ tearjerker pits terminally ill mom Jackie (Susan Sarandon) against her husband’s new love, Isabel (Julia Roberts). Boxes of tissues required.
‘Steel Magnolias’ (1989): Among a tight-knit group of women at a small-town Louisiana salon, we meet M’Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field) and her daughter, Shelby (Julia Roberts). The star-studded cast also includes Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah and Olympia Dukakis.
‘The Sound of Music’ (1965): Maria (Julie Andrews) leaves the convent to become a governess to the Von Trapp children, but finds love and a family instead. This is a favorite for a lot of moms out there.
‘Freaky Friday’ (2003): An overworked mom (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her teen daughter (Lindsay Lohan) switch bodies after a big fight. Things are a bit freaky for awhile, but slowly they start to understand — and respect — a little more about each other.
‘Brave’ (2012): Merida makes a reckless decision that gets her mom, Elinor, turned into a bear. She must try to set things right before the curse becomes permanent.
‘Juno’ (2007): A high-school junior (Ellen Page) facing an unplanned pregnancy decides to put the child up for adoption. Diablo Cody took home the Oscar in 2008 for Best Original Screenplay. The film also earned a best picture, best director (Jason Reitman) and best actress (Page) nominations.
‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991): Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor, a waitress-turned-revolutionary hellbent on preventing an apocalypse brought on by cyborgs and protecting her son, the future leader of the human resistance. What lengths will she go to in order to stop it?
‘Dumbo’ (1941): A baby elephant with enormous ears is separated from his mom and forced into an act with the circus clowns. “Baby Mine,” while telling you not to cry, will bring tears to your eyes.
‘Terms of Endearment’ (1983): Mom Aurora (Shirley MacLaine) and daughter Emma (Debra Winger) don’t always see eye-to-eye. But their love is strong, even if they show it in different ways.
‘Mamma Mia’ (2008): A bride-to-be (Amanda Seyfried) is trying to find her real father. But mom (Meryl Streep) doesn’t know which of three possible men is the dad. If mom is a child of the 1970s, she’ll dig the ABBA soundtrack.
‘The Kids are All Right’ (2010): Two women in a long-term relationship (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) struggle with disturbing their perfect family life by letting their two teens find their biological father.
‘Erin Brockovich’ (2000): An unemployed single mother (Julia Roberts) becomes a legal assistant to take down the power company polluting a city’s water supply and making its children sick. Roberts won an Oscar for portraying this determined mom.
‘Bad Moms’ (2016): Three overworked and unappreciated moms ditch their responsibilities for freedom, fun and self-indulgence. Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Bell star.
‘Joy Luck Club’ (1993): Four young Chinese women born in America and their mothers born in China explore their pasts and the difficulty of the mother/daughter relationship.
‘The Blind Side’ (2009): The real-life story of NFL star Michael Oher, Sandra Bullock stars as Leigh Anne Tuohy, the matriarch of the family that took him in and gave him a home and family.
‘The Incredibles’ (2004): Even moms with superpowers struggle to get the kids to the dinner table at night, confirming all moms are superheroes.
‘Mother’s Day’ (2016): Three generations come together in the week leading up to Mother’s Day in the Garry Marshall film. It stars Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Julia Roberts.
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