The Most Iconic Movies About Motherhood最经典的母性题材电影

Mothers are the heart and soul of a family; at their best， they are pillars of strength and unconditional love who help shape their children in profound ways. Demonstrating the sometimes difficult dynamic between mother and child has been a go-to in cinema for decades， and has produced impressive and memorable results with more to come， as motherhood becomes culturally redefined.

Serial Mom

The king of camp1 and surrealism， John Waters wrote and directed 1994’s cult classic Serial Mom， starring Kathleen Turner as the titular mother， and features Sam Waterston， Ricki Lake， and Matthew Lillard. The black comedy tells the story of Beverly Sutphin， a seemingly perfect all-American mother who’d do anything for her children—even kill. When she’s not cooking delicious meals or separating her recyclables， Beverly is off murdering anyone who she perceives to be slighting her family or has weak moral values. This hilarious2 Waters flick was initially a box office bomb but found new life as a cult classic， and playfully subverts the traditional image of the ‘suburban soccer mom3.’

Mommie Dearest

Based on the abusive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother （silver screen icon Joan Crawford）， Mommie Dearest is adapted from Christina’s controversial 1978 auto-biography and depicts her upbringing. Starring Faye Dunaway as the titular “mommie” Joan and both Diana Scarwild and Mara Hobel as an adult and young Christina respectively， the film was met with mixed responses， but Dunaway’s heavily charged performance was praised and has been adored by the LGBTQ+ community. Infamous for its bizarre script， Mommie Dearest became an unintentional comedy and has developed a large cult following since its release. Despite not being a warm and fuzzy motherhood movie， the biographical drama is memorable and quite enthralling， and an important touchstone for anyone who’s had a narcissistic parent.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Featuring an impressive A-list cast including Sandra Bullock， Ashley Judd， Maggie Smith， and Ellen Burstyn， 2002’s Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is an adaptation of the 1996 Rebecca Wells novel. The film centers on Siddalee （Bullock） who receives a scrapbook from her estranged mother （Burstyn） detailing the exciting adventures of the “Ya-Yas，” her mother’s childhood friends. The emotional and moving movie details the strained relationship of the leads， as well as its ultimate repairment. The talented female-driven cast and the touching premise makes Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood a mother-daughter staple.

Bad Moms

With a hilarious cast of some of Hollywood’s funniest women， 2016’s Bad Moms follows three unappreciated and exhausted mothers who ditch their responsibilities for a taste of freedom and fun after reaching their breaking points. Featuring the talent of Mila Kunis， Kristen Bell， and Kathryn Hahn as the trio of burned-out mothers， Bad Moms is a wildly entertaining farce that offers a unique twist on the traditional domestic comedy. The girl-power film is jam-packed with good-natured debauchery， wild antics and uproarious performances from its leading ladies.

Lady Bird

Detailing the strained relationship between a high school senior and her mother， Lady Bird is an Oscar-winning dramedy4 headed by the accomplished Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf. The coming-of-age tale follows Christine， who gives herself the name “Lady Bird” and dreams of artistic hopes and attending college on the east coast. She seems ungrateful to her mother Marion， though， and the film showcases the mounting tensions between the pair as Lady Bird prepares to graduate. The movie earned a standing ovation5 at its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival， and earned Ronan a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

Mamma Mia！

The 2008 jukebox musical6 rom-com7 Mamma Mia！ is based on the songs of pop group ABBA and features a stunning cast including Meryl Streep， Amanda Seyfried， Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. The musical follows a bride-to-be as she attempts to discover the identity of her real father before her upcoming nuptials. Seyfried stars as the aforementioned bride Sophie， and iconic actress Meryl Streep appears as her mother Donna. With the help of her mother’s diaries， Sophie invites three potential men to her wedding in hopes of determining her biological father. This feel-good film is full of fun and silly musical numbers8， but also touchingly highlights the powerful bond between mother and daughter.

Mermaids

1990’s family dramedy Mermaids takes place in the ’60s and follows a carefree mother and her two daughters as they move to a small town in Massachusetts. Featuring memor-able performances from Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci as the daughters， Cher shines the most as unconventional mother Rachel， who relocates her daughters each time she ends a relationship. Mermaids depicts the events and tribulations the ladies go through that ultimately strengthen their familiar bonds， and is both an excellent coming-of-age movie and an essential meditation on the meaning of motherhood.