Yahoo Finance 30 Classic Mother’s Day Movies to Watch With the Whole Family This Year
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30 Classic Mother’s Day Movies to Watch With the Whole Family This Year
What’s your favorite Mother’s Day tradition?A home-cooked brunch, gifts galore, and some much-needed downtime are all great, but the best part of the holiday might just be pouring a glass of wine and queuing up a classic movie with the best woman in your life.
A family movie night isn’t just a cheap, fun Mother’s Day idea—it’s also a chance to spend some quality time with the people that mean the most to you. After all, when else will you, your mama, and everyone else in your fam have so much uninterrupted time together? Talking is very much encouraged during this movie marathon.
Movies are also home to some of the most memorable moms, stepmothers, and grandmothers of all time, from Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! to Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment, Julia Roberts in Stepmom to Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. So in honor of your own mom, just rent any of the classics and let the movie do the talking—it’ll show her just how much she really means to you.
So whip up some popcorn, choose a healthy dessert or two, and stream an all-time favorite or a brand-new choice. Whether you’re planning Mom’s special day or you’re a mother yourself, these 30 movies are guaranteed to make Mother’s Day just a little bit better.
Hearst Owned - 2/30
1) Terms of Endearment
Few movies capture the complicated dynamic between moms and their kids as well as Terms of Endearment, a certified tearjerker that’s just as funny as it is tragic. Despite an infamous feud between Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger, it’s just as good now as it was nearly 40 years ago.
Movieclips Classic Trailers@Youtube - 3/30
2) Monster-in-Law
You might not get along with your mother-in-law, but at least she’s probably not as bad as Jane Fonda’s Monster-in-Law character, an overprotective mom hell-bent on breaking up her son’s engagement with Jennifer Lopez. (It hits a little close to home this year.)
Movieclips Classic Trailers@Youtube - 4/30
3) Lady Bird
Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird is one of those rare movies that’ll make you want to call your mom as soon as the credits roll—if you’re not already watching it with her, that is. Growing up is hard. Being a mother is hard. But through it all, Lady Bird and her mom (just like you and yours) know that they love each other deeply.
A24@Youtube - 5/30
4) Mother’s Day
Yep, they made a Love Actually about Mother’s Day! Garry Marshall’s last film (and his third holiday-themed ensemble romcom in a row) is basically just an excuse to see Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, and a dozen other stars hang out and talk about motherhood—and we’re not complaining.
Movieclips Trailers@Youtube - 6/30
5) Mamma Mia!
There are few things more fun than belting out ABBA’s hits during Mamma Mia!—but singing alongside your mom and kids is even better. Pour a glass of wine, grab a bowl of popcorn, and settle in for a night of wishing you had Meryl Streep’s overalls.
Movieclips Classic Trailers@Youtube - 7/30
6) Serial Mom
Sure, Mom might have had a few quirks, but at least she was never a serial killer. In John Waters’ Serial Mom, Kathleen Turner plays a normal Baltimore housewife driven to murder by a love for her kids and a drive for perfection. And you know what? We don’t blame her.
Three Dollar Bill Cinema@Youtube - 8/30
7) 20th Century Women
This one-of-a-kind drama follows a single mother working to raise her teenage son in 1979, but it ends up being about so much more than that. With a cast full of familiar faces and a soundtrack that puts every other movie’s to shame, 20th Century Women is a movie to be experienced—and it’s just as inspiring as Mom herself.
A24@Youtube - 9/30
8) Grey Gardens
This cult-classic documentary follows Big Edie and Little Edie, an eccentric, bickering mother-daughter duo who are reclusive relatives of Jackie Onassis. The high-society dropouts are melancholic, hilarious, and always relatable.
Bertha DocHouse@Youtube - 10/30
9) Mermaids
We couldn’t tell you why this movie is called Mermaids (Cher wears a mermaid costume, like, once), but we do know that it’s a classic. Cher and Winona Ryder make a perfect match as a wacky mom and her born-again daughter.
Movieclips Classic Trailers@Youtube - 11/30
10) Miss Juneteenth
Does Mom always know best? That age-old wisdom is put to the test in Miss Juneteenth, a touching drama about a former beauty queen preparing her free-spirited daughter for the same pageant she once won. The movie has an irresistible hangout vibe that’s just right for enjoying with the entire family.
Vertical Entertainment US@Youtube - 12/30
11) The Guilt Trip
No one knows how to annoy you as much as your mom (or your son, for that matter), especially on a road trip. Babs and Seth Rogen bring that one-of-a-kind dynamic to the big screen in The Guilt Trip, and both you and Mom will recognize yourselves in it.
Movieclips Trailers@Youtube - 13/30
12) Baby Mama
Motherhood is sweet and all, but it’s equally funny and gross, too. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler focus on those last two adjectives in Baby Mama, which follows a woman who’s trying to get pregnant and her irresponsible surrogate. Who knew IVF was so funny?
BabyMamaMovie@Youtube - 14/30
13) The Joy Luck Club
In a series of flashbacks that span years and continents, The Joy Luck Club dives headfirst into the relationships of four first-generation American women and their mothers. And just like the book, it's best enjoyed in the company of Mom.
2663KinkyCyborg@Youtube - 15/30
15) Mother
Following two failed marriages, a sci-fi writer comes to a sudden conclusion: Resolving his issues with his mother will improve his romantic relationships. Needless to say, it doesn’t turn out exactly as planned.
British Secret Agent 007@Youtube - 16/30
16) Freaky Friday
There’s no joy quite like watching Jamie Lee Curtis play Lindsay Lohan, and vice versa. You’ll wonder what it would be like to swap places with your mom, possibly making you a better child in the process—quite a big feat for a studio comedy!
Imagine T@Youtube - 17/30
17) Grandma
This low-stakes road movie is just the right vibe for a chill (potentially boozy) Mother’s Day evening. And although Lily Tomlin makes an excellent grandma, we’re still partial to our own—we hope she understands.
Movieclips Indie@Youtube - 18/30
18) Saving Face
Both mother and daughter go up against cultural stigmas in Saving Face—one with a same-sex romance and the other with a mystery suitor. Despite some heavy themes, this is still a goofy romcom through and through, so bring a good mood and plenty of popcorn.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment@Youtube - 19/30
19) Erin Brokovich
Featuring yet another iconic mother role for Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich follows a twice-divorced mother of three as she exposes a massive environmental coverup in a nearby town. Watch it and be grateful that moms really can do it all.
Movieclips Classic Trailers@Youtube - 20/30
20) Room
Room starts off as a thriller about a mother and son imprisoned in a tiny shed, then transitions into a tender, heartfelt drama once the pair escapes. Just be prepared to ugly cry.
A24@Youtube - 21/30
21) Steel Magnolias
Does Steel Magnolias need any more introduction beyond its stellar cast? Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, and Julia Roberts, among many others, are the reasons we keep revisiting this Southern drama year after year.
Katy Peplin@Youtube - 22/30
22) Tully
Being a mom is a lot of work. Just ask Marlo, a mother of three who’s struggling with the ups and downs of parenting. When she’s gifted a nanny by her brother, she makes a surprising connection with the young woman—and gets real about motherhood in the process.
Focus Features@Youtube - 23/30
23) Stepmom
By the end of this classic dramedy about a stepmother trying to win over her new family, even the most stoic viewers will shed a tear or two. Don’t act like we didn’t warn you!
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment@Youtube - 24/30
24) Lucky Grandma
This unlikely, hilarious heist movie follows a grandma on the wrong side of luck—in this case, she stumbles upon (and keeps) a duffel bag full of cash that happens to belong to the Chinatown mafia. Your own grandmother might never have gotten into such dangerous hijinks, but you know she’s just as cool as Nai Nai.
Movieclips Indie@Youtube - 25/30
25) Saint Frances
Six-year-old Frances has three mother figures: her two moms, plus her nanny, Bridget, a thirty-something who’s still trying to get her life together. Saint Frances navigates a ton of heavy issues with its low-key premise, but it never gets too dark—you’ll be crying happy tears instead of sad ones.
oscopelabs@Youtube - 26/30
26) Bunny Lake Is Missing
If you’re in more of a mood for a thriller than a tearjerker, might we suggest Bunny Lake Is Missing? When a young mother’s daughter disappears, investigators begin to suspect that she never existed in the first place. Let’s just say you’re in for a wild ride, especially if you’re a new mom.
Trailer Chan@Youtube - 27/30
27) Postcards from the Edge
Before Meryl Streep was the titular Mamma Mia!, she had to sort through her own mommy issues in this adaptation of Carrie Fisher’s semi-autobiographical novel. It’s a classic “moving back in with mom” setup, except both parties are washed-up stars—a welcome change, if you ask us.
Umbrella Entertainment@Youtube - 28/30
28) Lion
When a young boy loses his family on a train in India, he assumes they’re lost forever. But years later, armed with Google Maps and supported by a pair of adoptive parents, he sets out to find them—and takes a journey that’ll make any mother bawl. (And did we mention that it’s based on a true story?)
Zero Media@Youtube - 29/30
29) Shiva Baby
A dark comedy set at a wake doesn’t exactly sound like Mother’s Day material, but hear us out: At the core of this movie are Danielle and Debbie, a mother-daughter duo who both understand each other on a cellular level and keep as many secrets as possible. It’s like looking in a mirror!
Utopia@Youtube - 30/30
30) Crookyn
Spike Lee’s love letter to his own mother is told through the eyes of his sister and steeped in all the 70s nostalgia you could ever want, including tons of Soul Train clips. Just make sure to have a box of tissues nearby for the third act.
Video Detective@Youtube
