PHOTOS12 Must-Watch Movies on Mother's Day: From 'Terms of Endearment' to 'Steel Magnolias' and More
Make some popcorn and celebrate mom with a day at the movies!
May 10 2025, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
Terms of Endearment
Playing a mother and daughter, Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger deal with divorces, cancer diagnoses and everything else life throws at them. The film is a roller coaster of emotions, showing just how strong — and complicated — a mother's love can be.
Yes Day
Mom (Jennifer Garner) decides that she's going to say "yes" to everything her kids ask her. The family film (with screen husband Édgar Ramírez) is lots of fun.
Steel Magnolias
Warning: Don't watch this movie without a box of tissues within easy reach. This certified tearjerker is a classic for good reason: It demonstrates the depth of love between mothers and their children. After the death of daughter Shelby (Julia Roberts), mom M'Lynn (Sally Field) makes a speech about grief you'll never forget.
Psycho
When office worker Marion Crane is trusted to bank $40,000 by her employer, she decides to take the money and run. But after she pulls into the Bates Motel, things get worse. The motel is managed by a young man named Norman who seems to be dominated by his mother. Chaos and violence ensue.
Baby Boom
Diane Keaton stars as a workaholic who suddenly finds herself responsible for a baby, and her life is turned upside down! Watching her stumble through motherhood is both hilarious and heartwarming.
Mamma Mia!
Free-spirited Donna Sheridan, played by Meryl Streep, and daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) are inseparable — except that Sophie yearns to leave their little Greek island and explore the world. Luckily, they work out their differences through a series of iconic ABBA tunes in this incredibly feel-good film.
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Serial Mom
This black comedy puts a twist on suburban life. When the movie starts, Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner) is a married homemaker with two teenage boys. Her life is as normal as can be — until she runs a teacher over with her car for speaking poorly about one of her sons. The jolt of adrenaline awakens something in her, and she begins to seek out more violent acts.
Bad Moms
Starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn, the fun flick is an ode to moms not being perfect but doing the very best they can. So instead of striving to be "good moms," they settle for being "bad moms," and decide to commit to the part.
The Joy Luck Club
The movie is an exercise in empathy, as four Chinese American women grow to understand their mothers, born in China, by learning about their pasts.
Stepmom
Watch this film with a box of tissues. After a divorced man (Ed Harris) marries a significantly younger woman (Roberts), his ex-wife (Susan Sarandon) and kids adjust to the change. But there's something about the situation none of them know. Psst … the ex-wife has terminal cancer.
Mermaids
After a failed relationship, carefree single mother Rachel Flax (Cher) moves her family to Massachusetts to start all over again. She drags along her daughter Charlotte (Winona Ryder), who is going through a confusing time in her life and wants to become a nun, and her younger daughter Kate (Christina Ricci). The threesome have plenty of ups and downs while they teach each other how to be a family.
The Guilt Trip
Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen play a helicopter mom and a son who would like more space. He gets the opposite when sitting next to her on a cross-country road trip to Las Vegas. There's lots of hilarious bonding as the miles roll by.
