10 movie ideas for the Mother’s Day weekend

Movie: Father of the bride

What you need to know:

Mother’s Day. Here are 10 movies your and your mother can enjoy together this weekend.

May 10, the day on which Mothers’ Day falls, is only a day away. You probably have a gift or treat already lined up for her special day. But just in case you have not, and your mother happens to be a movie buff, you can have a movie marathon this weekend.
Note that she might have already watched twhem or even tried to make you watch them with her in the past, so watching the movie with her is what is special about this.
If you are a mother yourself with children, we have thrown in a few movies you can get and watch with your tweens or little ones.

Terms of Endearment
It is no secret that mothers can make the best of friends to their daughters, but they can also have the most strained of relationships with them. That is Aurora and Emma’s relationship. Portrayed by Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger respectively, the two are as close as mother and daughter can be when Emma is younger, especially since her father died when she was a baby. However, Emma’s marriage to a man, Aurora, doesn’t approve of causes a wedge so wide between the two that they don’t speak for years. In the end we get to see just how gracious wmothers can be. Have some tissues with you when you watch this one.

Little Women
Mother will love this one, especially if she has read the book by Louisa May Alcott. It is also a good one to watch with that sister who has been more like a mother to you all your life. The 1949 version, which used to air when TCM movies were on one of our local channels might be difficult to get your hands on, so the 1994 one starring Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon et al may be your safest bet. It tells the story of sisters Beth, Meg, Jo and Amy plus their mother Marmee. Their father is away, fighting in the war so it is up to Marmee to keep her girls in a straight line.

Brave
This is a good one if your mother loves animations or if you are a mother looking for a movie to watch with your little ones. The story of Merida shows what happens when you have a child so headstrong they would make you pull your hair out. Merida is the apple of her father’s eyes and is all about bows and arrows. She also believes her mother just doesn’t get her –how many of us have felt like that? However, as the movie goes on, Merida comes to understand that her mother more than means well –don’t they always?

The Sound of Music
This movie would make it to any list for whatever season thanks to UTV, now UBC. But it definitely has good family vibes. The musical starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer is making 50 years this year so odds are very high that everyone in your home has watched it. But it makes for a nice re-watch this weekend as it is an opportunity for you and your mother to talk about what you like most about the von Trapp family, sing along to the songs, and listen to your mother’s reminisce about what the movie reminds her of.

The Blind Side
It doesn’t matter that Sandra Bullock is more than half Quinton Aaron’s size, her mummy mode as Leigh Anne Tuohy means business. And is that exactly how mothers are effective at getting us they mean business. It does not matter how tall or old you are, when mother says something, you better do it or else. What is endearing about this particular movie aside from the fact that it is based on the life of American footballer, Michael Oher, is that it shows just how deep a mother’s love can be, whether you came from her womb or not.

Freaky Friday
A friend once said she cannot imagine that her mother was also once a teenager; that she must have come out of the womb in mother mode, with no idea what fun means. In this movie, Anna, portrayed by Lindsay Lohan, doesn’t have to imagine this since a freaky incident causes her to switch bodies with her stodgy mother, Tess, portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis. Anna gets a glimpse into her mother’s life as a widow on the brink of another marriage while Tess has a feel of Anna’s teenage drama with rock bands and boys. Talk about walking a mile in each other’s shoes! This should inspire some interesting conversations between you and your mother. There is also a 1976 version starring Barbra Harris and Jodie Foster but it might be hard to find.

Father of the Bride –both parts

I know. The title clearly says father, not mother, but we still recommend it for this weekend, especially if you are planning a wedding.
The first part shows the emotional rollercoaster that Steve Martin as George Banks, becomes when his daughter announces that she is getting married. In the second part, he is in a mess because both his wife and daughter are with child.
It goes without saying that the laughs you will get from watching this drama unfold will make for a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend.

Little Miss Sunshine

There is a saying thrown out a lot,that the mother is the glue that keeps the family together. The Hoover family’s adventure on the road is a testament to this.
In the movie, the family, which includes an uncle and a grandfather ,get on the road when their youngest member, Olive (Abigail Breslin) ,makes into a beauty contest. The family is beyond dysfunctional but we get to see how the mother Sheryl (Toni Collette) keeps things from spiraling, a nod to all mothers who are indeed the glue in their less than conventional families.

Casablanca
This one is purely to indulge her love for the classics –if she has any. And if she does, then she wouldn’t mind this Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman classic. Bogart and Bergman as Rick and Isla respectively captured audiences’ hearts in the 1940s and still do today, nevermind that it is a black and white movie. Rick is a jaded bar owner in Casablanca; jaded partly because of his failed relationship with Isla. So you can imagine the drama when Isla walks into his bar one day, her husband in tow, asking Rick to help her husband flee the country. If you have never watched and your mother has, and would like to do so again, indulge her. Let her mouth all the lines, if she knows them all by heart.

Stepmom
Okay, this one is a little sad, but it is so heartwarming, you will want to hug your mother tight after watching it. Starring Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts as Jackie and Isabel respectively, the movie explores having to deal with the other woman in your children’s lives. Jackie and her husband, Luke, are divorced parents of Anna and Ben. Isabel is Luke’s soon-to-be wife. Jackie and Isabel have a strained relationship to say the least but a terminal illness leads to a surprisingly sweet relationship.

Here are a few others
Mama Mia! – for all the ABBA music
Mrs Doubtfire – for the laughs from Robin Williams
The Divine Secrets of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood –for all the times you have rolled your eyes at your mum
Romancing the Stone –two words, Michael Douglas
Steel Magnolias – seeing Julia Roberts and Sally Field as mother and daughter
My Big Fat Greek Wedding –the drama of organising a wedding with your mother
The Incredibles –to remember why your mother is supermom
Forrest Gump –shows how far a mother’s faith in you can go
Fried Green Tomatoes –it also includes grandmothers
Dirty Dancing –Patrick Swayze and that old classic, The Time of My Life