15 Mother-Daughter Movies To Watch

May 5, 2010 by Shophaven

Continuing with our week celebrating Mothers everywhere, we made up a list of 15 mother-daughter movies that we’ve watched. Since both of us are writing it, we’re going to add our own personal notes on each.

Stepmom

Nelly: Julia Roberts is technically the central character. But Susan Sarandon’s performance and heartbreaking moments in the end got me belting out “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with tears in my eyes.

Natasha: I agree. This is a movie I watch over and over again. Great performances from Susan and Julia.

Little Women
Nelly: Nothing is better than the book, the 1994 edition was a snoozefest. The book itself though was great, an early outlook on women running households and coming to terms with our own flaws.

Natasha: I haven’t seen this one

Nelly: I don’t think you’re missing much. Read the book instead. Far better.

Heartbreakers
Nelly: While it is a mother-daughter relationship movie, with twists and turns, I didn’t personally like it. Mother & daughter seduce & scam teams? No thanks.

Natasha: It was not the greatest movie I have ever watched, but it had some comical moments.

Spanglish

Nelly: Love love loved it. Sandler’s surprising good performance aside, what a great movie! First, you have great contrast. Warm and compassionate Flor (Floor!), and her daughter, right up against frigid Deb and her self-conscious daughter Bernie. Then you see how both mom’s are working towards the same thing: happiness for their daughters in what they perceive to be their social circles. One of the best movies out there on mother/daughter relationships.

Natasha: I have never seen this one but I heard it was a good one.

Monster in Law
Natasha: I watched this one with my mom and mother in law when it first came out. We all LOVED it! I thought it was hilarious. It made me very thankful that my mother in law is not a monster in law.

Nelly: The best part of that movie is Jane Fonda giving J-Lo a hard time. And I find it hilarious that it’s THE clash of divas. Fonda, of course, rules.

Little Miss Sunshine
Nelly: I think I watched that movie 3 times. Love it. Toni Collette (which rocks my world, and I mentioned that in my Oz-ification post), is a phenomenal mom doing her best to give her children everything. She is a very devoted and modern mom. She teaches compassion, understanding, confidence too. Her family, of course, provides Olive (the daughter) with great examples of diverse people you come across and respect. The drug-addicted somewhat perverted grandpa, the suicidal gay uncle, the antisocial awkward teenager brother, the prototype BabyBoomber go-getter dad… Great movie. Great mother-daughter relationship.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Nelly: I watched this movie twice. The first time, I hated it. It reminded me a little of my nutty family. Then I watched it again a couple of years later, and absolutely loved it. It was very interesting to see how the mother was protecting her daughter from some harsh realities, and in the process of doing so, she ended up alienating her for a really long time. It also goes to demonstrate the importance of honest communication at the right time. If it weren’t for the fun ladies of the sisterhood, the daughter (Siddalee) wouldn’t have known of the sacrifices and deep hurt her mother suffered because of her early decisions. How many of us heard the same cautionary tales from our own mothers and grans too? Too many. So yes, one of my favourites for sure.

Natasha: I watched this movie because I am a huge Sandra Bullock fan. I thought it was a good movie but I do not think I would watch it again.

The Notebook
Nelly: Thought it’s a love-story at heart, the mother-daughter relationship significantly dictates the events that unfolded between Allie and Noah. If the mom didn’t project as much of her own emotional misfortune on her daughter, we wouldn’t have had the separation of the two in the first place. And the letters would have gotten there.

Natasha: I love Nicholas Sparks, this is one of my favorites. Fantastic movie! You will definitely need a box of tissues.

Anywhere but Here
Nelly: Ohhhh! I HATED Susan Sarandon’s character here. I mean, I understand where she’s coming from, but if I had a mom like that…

Natasha: I completely agree with you here.

White Oleander
Nelly: What a complicated story. The mom is at the core of the problem right away. I realize she’s a free-spirited passionate person, but very very selfish. And the daughter is obviously completely lost. The fact that she didn’t cut the relationship with her imprisoned (and yes, murderer) mom is eventually something I understand. But throughout the movie I was just thinking, “walk away Astrid!”

Natasha: I’ve never seen this one.

Nelly: You have to be in the right mood for this movie. It’s really complex. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it as a Friday-night-in-PJs kind of thing though.

Freaky Friday
Nelly: Good grief, I wouldn’t want to switch places with Lindsay Lohan any day. But the movie was entertaining, mostly because of Jaime-Lee Curtis. The premise was neat, I actually think it was a remake of an older movie. It was a very superficial but funny way of looking at the teenager/embarrassing-mom stereotypes.

Natasha: I, surprisingly, really enjoyed this movie. It had a great story line and was pretty funny too.

Chocolat
Nelly: When this movie came out, I decided to read up on chocolate making and move to Europe to live happily ever after. I made some chocolates and they were soggy, I ended up eating most of it then getting a tummy ache. That’s neither here or there, but it is to say I loved the movie. Binoche and Depp have great chemistry, and the location is picturesque. But the key plot was Vianne’s (Binoche) relationship with her daughter, Anouk. The way she romanticized some of her previous choices in life, and the way she taught her daughter to be proud of her oddities was phenomenal. I still remember the daughter’s imaginary friend, Pantoufle the Kangaroo, was of no bother to the mom that realized the importance of imagination and adventure. There are obviously a few other lessons tucked in there for little Anouk.

How to Make an American Quilt
Nelly: Loved the book, hated the movie. I don’t know if it’s Winona Ryder that I personally dislike, or whether it’s her same mopey interpretation of every character that repels me. Her acting skills aside, the story was good. The interactions between the doting older women at the quitling circle and this young woman were great. A demonstration of the old saying, “it takes a village to raise a child”. That’s how the movie qualifies -for me- as a motherly advice movie.

I am Sam
Nelly: I put it on the list because there is a mom/dad/children cross-relationships going on. While Michelle Pfeiffer’s character has a son, and Sam has a daughter, at some point in the movie you see the families intertwine. It’s also a movie that tugs at all the hearts’ strings. If it’s not exactly about moms and daughters, at the very least it’s about the unconditional love parents have for their children and the different ways in which they express it. Also, the adoptive family of Lucy were great in the movie; sacrificing their happiness for hers. Moving in every way.

Natasha: It was a very touching story. Great performance by Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Nelly: If you want to see my raccoon eyes after some serious crying, bring this movie over. I cry every time.

Natasha: Two words: waterproof mascara.

Nelly: Haha! Thanks. Footnote: wearing waterproof mascara routinely will dry off and break your lashes.

Volver
Nelly: I won’t go beyond saying that it’s a very complex movie with a twist in the end. It kind-of-sort-of fits under the mother/daughter theme, but then, well I won’t ruin it for the rest. I wouldn’t watch it over and over again, but it’s worth a viewing if only to live thorugh Almodovar’s style.

Now that we’ve listed ours, what are some of your favourtite mother/daughter movies?