Springtime is in the air, warming the air and forcing colorful flowers out of their hiding places in the ground. And that means Mother's Day is just around the corner.
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Many love to celebrate the woman that raised them or supported them through their lives on the holiday - whoever that may be. Others love to bask in the appreciation from their own children or the youngins they've loved. And some may prefer to avoid the holiday altogether.
Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, almost all of us can relate to a motherly relationship - complicated and full of history, but brimming with unconditional love. And it just so happens those types of tangled relationships make for heart-warming, touching and even hysterical shenanigans on the silver screen.
If you want to celebrate your mother with a movie night, or simply want to watch some fantastic films that dive into the complicated facets of motherhood, here are the perfect movies to binge.
Mother's Day (2016)
Ron Batzdorff
This one may seem like an obvious choice, but the star-studded romantic dramedy Mother's Day is the ultimate film to celebrate the motherly figure in your life. It follows a group of somewhat connected people in Atlanta as they come to terms with their relationships with their own mothers.
The film covers all sorts of motherly relationships - adopted, biological, step and chosen. Plus, it stars the talent and charm of Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, Sarah Chalke, Jason Sudeikis and Timothy Olyphant.
Where to Watch: Prime Video or Apple TV
Anywhere But Here (1999)
Getty
Most of us can remember being an angsty teenager, raging against the world and ignoring your parents. But most of us didn't have Susan Sarandon as a mother.
In Anywhere But Here, reluctant teenager Ann (Natalie Portman) is uprooted from her home in Wisconsin when her mother Adele, played by Sarandon, decides that Ann should become a Hollywood actress. Adele's spontaneous and reckless way of living begins to weigh on Ann, who wants to run off to Brown University for college.
It's a sweet coming-of-age story that reminds you how much you love your mother (or children), even if they drive you a little crazy.
Where to Watch: Amazon Video, Apple TV or Disney Plus
Bad Moms (2016)
Michele K. Short
If you need to relieve the all-too-common guilt that mothers feel whenever they...well, do anything for themselves, Bad Moms is the cure. It's a buddy comedy, but these buddies - played by Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Bell - are all underappreciated and exhausted mothers.
When they hit their breaking point, the three moms decide to take advantage of some self-indulgent freedom and fun.
And if you can't get enough of this film, there's a sequel, A Bad Moms Christmas.
Where to Watch: Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max and Apple TV
Room (2015)
George Kraychyk
Kidnapped seven years ago and held captive, Joy (Brie Larson) and her five-year-old son's (Jacob Tremblay) entire world exists in a run-down shed they call "Room." She gave birth to him in confinement after being assaulted by her captor, "Old Nick" (Sean Bridgers).
Based on a true story penned in a novel by Emma Donoghue, it's a harrowing and grim story to watch. But Larson's dimensional and gritty performance illustrates the power of survival and the risks that mothers will take to give their children a better life. It also earned Larson an Oscar.
Where to Watch: HBO Max and Hulu
Monster-in-Law (2005)
Zade Rosenthal/New Line Cinema
One of the most infamous relationships a woman can have is with her mother-in-law. If you have a strained relationship with your mother-in-law, or you just enjoy seeing Jane Fonda mess with Jennifer Lopez, Monster-in-Law is the perfect romantic comedy.
The film is about an aspiring fashion designer, played by Lopez, who falls in love with a doctor, Kevin Fields (Michael Vartan), and the pair get engaged. But little does she know that Fields has a protective and vindictive mother, played by Fonda, who will stop at nothing to break them up. Cue the crazy pranks and ridiculous antics.
Where to Watch: Prime Video or Apple TV
Miss Juneteenth (2020)
IMDB/Ley Line Entertainment
The peak of Turquoise's (Nicole Beharie) life was when she won the Miss Juneteenth pageant and earned a full scholarship to a historically Black college. Fifteen years later, she's a single mother working in a bar and wants her rebellious young daughter, Kai (Alexis Chikaeze), to follow in her footsteps, despite her reluctance.
Miss Juneteenth is a simple but charming story that delves into the push and pull of a mother-daughter relationship. It's an authentic portrayal of one slice of how Black women live in America. And the performances by Beharie and Chikaeze earned widespread acclaim.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Freaky Friday (2003)
Walt Disney Productions
Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to walk in your mother's or daughter's shoes? Rounding out the list is one of the most iconic mother-daughter films, Freaky Friday.
In this fantasy-comedy remake of a 1976 film, sparring teenager Anna (Lindsey Lohan) and her mother Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) can't seem to get along. But a strange occurrence at a Chinese restaurant forces the two to swap bodies until they can learn to understand each other.
It's a riotous, wild ride, only made more dazzling by the hilarious performances of Lohan and Curtis.
Where to Watch: Disney Plus
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Universal Pictures
Oh Honey, Honey, if you're looking for a feel-good, booty-bumping movie, Mamma Mia! is the film for you. This jukebox musical romantic comedy's entire soundtrack is all music from the Swedish pop group ABBA, like the iconic number "Dancing Queen."
On a fictional Greek island, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is about to get married and decides to invite three men she believes may be her biological father. They're the men that her mother, Donna, (Meryl Streep), had sex with during a 25-day period before she discovered she was pregnant.
Take a Chance On the movie by streaming it on Prime Video. And don't worry, if you can't get enough of Meryl Streep dancing around in overalls -- there's a sequel.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Suzanne Tenner/Focus Features
Julianne Moore and Annette Bening star as a lesbian couple raising their two children in Los Angeles when all of a sudden the sperm donor they used to welcome their kids, Mark Ruffalo, comes into the picture. Bening won Best Actress at the Golden Globes for her role in the film, which teaches you to love the family you have, even if it doesn't look like everyone else's.
Where to Watch: Rent on Prime Video or Apple TV
Because I Said So (2007)
Universal Pictures
Mandy Moore and Diane Keaton star in this feel-good rom-com about a mother who just can't stop interfering with her daughter's love life. Millie (Moore) is consistently unlucky in love so her mom (Keaton) makes her a dating profile without telling her and decides she'll take her love life into her own hands to make sure she's happy. Millie ends up dating two men simultaneously, one who her mother is rooting for, and another who she doesn't think is good enough. But ultimately one ends up being her perfect match.
Where to Watch: HBO Max
Little Women (2019)
Wilson Webb
While we love the version with Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder, the remake with Lady Bird star Saoirse Ronan directed by Greta Gerwig, lives up to all of the Oscar hype it received in 2019. The casting is impeccable, and the film visually stunning, somehow finding a new and fresh way to tell one of the most classic mother-daughter stories of all time.
Where to Watch: Starz, Roku
Stepmom (1998)
Columbia Pictures
Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon star in this tearjerker about a family of divorce and what it means when a new mother figure comes into the mix. Sarandon plays the matriarch of the family who learns to come to terms with her ex-husband's new girlfriend for the sake of her children after she receives a cancer diagnosis.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Steel Magnolias (1989)
Rastar Films
This film tells the real-life story of a small Louisiana town that rallied around a mother and her sick daughter. Sally Field plays the mother of Julia Roberts, who must come to terms with the fact that her daughter is willing to risk her life to have a child, despite suffering from extreme complications from her Type 1 Diabetes. The cast itself is phenomenal, with Dolly Parton, Sam Shepard, and Olympia Dukakis co-starring.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Terms of Endearment (1983)
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Terms of Endearment is a classic mother-daughter movie, following the ever-evolving relationship between Aurora (Shirley MacLaine) and her daughter Emma (Debra Winger) over three decades. The family dramedy is based on a novel of the same name by Larry McMurty.
It's an honest - though heart-breaking - examination of the complications of growing up with a controlling mother and becoming a parent yourself. But performances from MacLaine and Winger, as well as the comedic relief from Danny Devito and Jack Nicholson, makes it an irresistible watch.
Where to Watch: HBO Max, Prime Video and Apple TV.
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
Hollywood Pictures
The Joy Luck Club, based on the novel by Amy Tan, follows four mothers who immigrated from China and gave birth to daughters in San Francisco. They still meet regularly to swap stories, play mahjong together and dream about their daughters' future successes. But the four daughters have their own dreams, anxieties and futures they must figure out while trying to understand their mothers.
It's a beautiful, inspirational story that looks at how generational and cultural divides can actually connect us.
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Paramount Plus, Hulu, and Apple TV.
Turning Red (2022)
Walt Disney Pictures
There may be no more contentious and testy time for your relationship with your mother than when you're a teenager. And that's why Turning Red could be the ideal Mother's Day binge.
This animated movie follows 13-year-old Mei (Rosalie Chiang), who discovers that once she hits a certain age, she'll transform into a giant red panda every time she feels strong emotions. While Turning Red is a coming-of-age fantasy, the imaginative story revolves around the delicacies of a teenage daughter's relationship with her overprotective mother, Ming (Sandra Oh).
Where to Watch: Disney Plus
The Guilt Trip (2012)
Sam Emerson/Paramount Pictures
Road trips can be a blast with your best friends. But they can get a little turbulent when you bring your mother. In Guilt Trip, Andy (Seth Rogen) asks his mom Joyce (Barbara Streisand), to go with him on a cross-country road trip from New Jersey to San Francisco to try and get his environmentally-friendly cleaning product in a retail store. But little does his mother know that Andy is also on a mission to find Joyce's long-lost love.
It's a hilarious road comedy, only made more hysterical by Rogen and Streisand's fantastic on-screen chemistry.
Where to Watch: Paramount Plus, Hulu and Prime Video
Lady Bird (2017)
IMDB/IAC Films
Lady Bird may be a coming-of-age dramedy, but it's mostly about Christine, aka Lady Bird's (Saoirse Ronan) strained and complicated relationship with her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf). Lady Bird is a senior in high school trying to figure herself and the world out while juggling her mother's expectations.
It's a beautiful, authentic telling of how a mother-daughter relationship can evolve as you move into adulthood. And it's Greta Gerwig's directorial debut, where she brilliantly balances comedy and heartbreak.
Where to Watch: Hulu and Disney Plus
Other People (2016)
IMDB/Park Pictures
When a struggling comedy writer, David (Jesse Plemons), finds out his mother, Joanne (Molly Shannon), is dying of cancer, he temporarily moves home to take care of her. That kicks off a yearlong journey for their family to make the most of their time with Joanna and accept that she'll soon pass away.
Other People is a smart, subtle look at the complexities of family dynamics and grief. While it is a heartbreaking story, the characters bring a satisfying blend of humor and seriousness to a difficult topic.
Where to Watch: Netflix and Apple TV
Lion (2016)
Long Way Home Productions
If you're feeling lost and disconnected from your family, or if you're holding out hope your missing loved one will return, Lion is for you. Based on a true story and on the nonfiction book by Saroo Brierley, it follows Saroo's (Dev Patel) journey to return to his hometown and mother after he accidentally goes missing as a young child. Saroo was adopted by an Australian woman, Sue (Nicole Kidman), but never gives up hope he'll find his way home.
It's a wrenching and emotional film, but the performances by Patel and Kidman give incredible depth that transcends culture and country.
Where to Watch: HBO Max
READ MORE: The Best Last-Minute Mother's Day Gifts Mom Will Actually Love
