Marquee Mama's TOP 10 Mother's Day Movies!

What else would you want from Marquee Mama this Mother’s Day than a Top 10 list of the best the marquee has to offer to us moms?  It was a challenge for me to limit my list to 10, but for the sake of round numbers, and my inability to imagine any mom having the time and luxury to watch more than 10 movies this Sunday, here you go and happy viewing!

1.  Postcards from the Edge (1990, Rated R)

If you’ve seen this movie, it might not be the first to mind when you think of a Mother’s Day movie, but believe me, it could be.  The honest turmoil and dysfunctional dynamics between mother and grown daughter are hilariously tragic, but you’ll be treated to a well-told story with superb performances and some great singing too!

2.  Terms of Endearment (1983, Rated R)

Ok so I’m a giant Shirley MacLaine-as-an-egocentric-mother fan!  No one plays the role better than she, including any real-life mother I’ve ever met (ok, so one that I know comes close – no names).  Here again are very raw and lively dynamics between this mom and daughter who find they desperately need each other in spite of their polarized lives.  Only endure this emotional ride if you enjoy a good cry.

3.  Steel Magnolias (1989, Rated PG)

I promise this will be my last Shirley MacLaine pick.  However, please note that she is not the mom in this one.  The subtitle to this one could be “It Takes a Village”, as this small town group of female friends comes together from all walks to “steel” each other.  A ton of laughs here but, be warned, another good cry too.

4.  Love Actually (2003, Rated R)

Oh, I just love this movie for so many reasons.  Its multiple storylines offer something for everyone, and I wish I could recommend you watch it with the kids.  Alas, it’s got an R rating for a reason.  But it’s perfectly woven and Emma Thompson’s moment of revelation is a spot-on demonstration of a mother’s requirement to be the rock in the family, even in the face of life’s most egregious adversities.

5.  Hope Floats (1998, Rated PG-13)

Here’s another take on the disapproving mom and the daughter realizing she needs that mom anyway.  Evidently it’s a common plot, probably because it’s a common reality.  Gena Rowlands is the epitome of the mom who wants what’s best for her daughter and, boy, is she there for her daughter at every turn.  Sandra Bullock, as the grown daughter, makes a heartbreaking decision when she allows her own young daughter to learn the hard way the truth about her dad.  Another harsh moment of a real mom’s job.

6.  Erin Brockovich (2000, Rated R)

As a career journalist, I really appreciated the diligent research this movie portrayed, but as a mom, I relished how empowered this character was!  I felt like this was a realistic portrayal of a single, working mom’s life.  What amuses me most is that Julia Roberts wasn’t a mother when she starred in this film, yet she has that baby-hanging-off-the-hip method down pat.

7.  Stepmom (1998, Rated PG-13)

While we’re on Julia Roberts, she steps seamlessly into the role of the new love in the life of a man with children.  The story focuses on Susan Sarandon’s character, the ex-wife, who discovers she is terminally ill.  The struggle to accept the “new mom” in her children’s lives is tough and raw and will make any mother wonder what she would do in those same shoes.

8.  Titanic (1997, Rated PG-13)

Could this movie really be old enough to be re-released?  This is that guilty pleasure that most women (mothers or otherwise) can indulge in.  Whether you’re a Leo fan or not, this tale is just too romantic and liberating to miss.  I suspect it will bring out more of the daughter in you than the mom, though Frances Fisher as the wicked and desperate mother is deliciously played.  I’d again love to recommend this for family viewing but there are two scenes inappropriate for the youngest ones (painting the portrait and suggestive activity in the backseat of the car).

9.  The Incredibles (2004, Rated PG)

Why not do some family viewing this weekend?  After all, if it weren’t for your children, you wouldn’t be a mother, right?  So if you’re like me, unable to shut the door on the wee ones, hunker down for some great family entertainment.  This is one of my all-time top picks for kid films that adults must endure (#1 is Monsters, Inc.).  And I defy any mom to not experience hints of appreciation and gratitude at first sight of the saddle bags drawn onto Holly Hunter’s character!

10.  The Sound of Music (1965, Rated G)

The classic.  The music, the story, the characters, the history lesson, it’s all here.  But what I love most about this movie is that it proves motherhood can come in any form.  You do not have to give birth to be a mom.  You simply have to love and tolerate and teach and learn and cry and laugh and, yes, sing!

Happy Mother’s Day to us all!