Mother’s Day is here, and with your busy schedule you might still need to come up with an idea for how to celebrate your mom. Well, one can never go wrong with a good, old-fashioned movie day!
While movie theaters are starting to reopen and big public events are reemerging after a long quarantine, many people may still want to celebrate their moms from the comfort of their own homes.
Luckily, streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ have an abundance of options when it comes to fun family fare, which you can watch together in the same house, or watch together virtually!
We’ve rounded up a few of the best films about moms and their kids that are perfect for Mother’s Day, with options for movie lovers of all kinds, so you can share your appreciation for your mom on her special day.
Mamma Mia!
This fun rock opera musical tells the story of a free-spirited mom named Donna (Meryl Streep), her 20-year-old daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and a trio of Donna’s ex-lovers, whom Sophie has sneakily called together so she can try to deduce who her real father is — all set to the catchy megahit songs of ABBA!
Stream Mamma Mia! on Peacock TV.
Freaky Friday
Like The Parent Trap, both the 1976 and 2003 versions of Freaky Friday tell the story of a mother and daughter at odds who, through magic, have to live in each other’s shoes. Like all iconic body-swap movies, lessons are learned, understanding is achieved, and you’re left wondering if the curse was really a blessing in disguise. Also, in these weird and turbulent times, the underlying theme of the importance of having empathy for others is never a bad message to reiterate.
Stream Freaky Friday on Disney+.
Terms of Endearment
One of the most celebrated and timeless films about a complicated yet loving mother-daughter bond is this 1983 dramedy starring Shirley MacLaine as Aurora, a widowed mother who has a challenging and deeply human relationship with her daughter, Emma (Debra Winger). It also happens to be one of Hollywood’s most notorious tearjerkers, so make sure you and your mom have enough tissues stashed in your respective pandemic bunkers.