30 Movies to Watch With Your Mom That Will Make You Laugh, Cry and Maybe Apologize for Those Teenage Years

• Run time: 118 minutes

With its standout cast (Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton and Daryl Hannah), this classic tells the story of love, loss and friendship in a small southern town. Disclaimer: Remove your mascara before watching.

• Run time: 110 minutes

A single mother (Cher) moves to a small New England town with her two daughters (Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci). Personalities (and love lives) clash, but your heart will swell watching this family figure things out.

• Run time: 125 minutes

There are films that make your eyes well up and then there’s this one that will have you openly sobbing and grabbing the tissues. Julia Roberts plays the soon-to-be stepmom to Susan Sarandon’s two kids and yep, we’re crying already just thinking about it.

• Run time: 110 minutes

A hardworking mother (Joan Crawford) has a difficult relationship with her spoiled daughter, but exactly how far will she go to protect her? This dramatic flick will definitely keep you glued to your seat, but if you want to spend the entire day on the couch, then check out the just-as-good miniseries starring Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce and Evan Rachel Wood.

• Run time: 139 minutes

Based on the best-selling novel by Amy Tan, this moving tale follows three generations across two continents as it explores cultural conflicts, mother-daughter bonds and how your parents’ experiences are inherently linked to your own.

• Run time: 107 minutes

When a lesbian couple’s teenage children want to explore a relationship with their sperm donor father, things get complicated…fast. A smart and funny film about a modern family with an all-star cast (Julianne Moore, Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo).

• Run time: 100 minutes

There’s no such thing as perfect parenting, and this laugh-out-loud film will be totally relatable to any mom. Keep watching for the hilarious (and ultra-sweet) post-credits interviews with stars Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn and their real-life moms.

• Run time: 131 minutes

Shirley MacLaine won an Oscar for her brilliant portrayal of Aurora, a fierce (and very funny) mom to daughter Emma (Debra Winger). These two may bicker constantly, but that doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. Relatable, no?

• Run time: 129 minutes

We’re partial to the Lindsay Lohan version for pure ’90s nostalgia, but the Hayley Mills original is just as good.

• Run time: 94 minutes

Greta Gerwig’s semi-autobiographical directorial debut scored her an Oscar nomination for her brilliant depiction of the highly complex relationship between a mother and daughter (beautifully portrayed by Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf). Tough love can be, well, tough.

• Run time: 142 minutes

When a young black woman decides to find her birth mother, she’s shocked to discover that the woman who gave her up for adoption so many years ago is white. The two form a bond and together work through their family’s titular secrets and lies in this very moving and skillfully acted melodrama. 

• Run time: 128 minutes

Based on a true story, a homeless teen is taken in by a wealthy family (Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw) and learns that love and hard work can make your dreams come true (in his case, becoming an all-American football player).

• Run time: 98 minutes

When mom Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) wake up to discover that they’ve switched bodies (thanks to some fortune cookie magic), chaos ensues. Watch when you need to take a moment to put yourself in your mom’s or daughter’s shoes.

• Run time: 109 minutes

Jaw-droppingly beautiful Greek islands, ABBA music and Meryl Streep—what’s not to love? Watch it now, and then maybe queue up the 2018 sequel.

• Run time: 123 minutes

Meryl Streep plays French culinary icon Julia Child in this light, feel-good movie that’s wholesome and easy to watch—just be sure to do so on a full stomach, lest the seriously delicious dishes featured in the film distract you from the storyline.

• Run time: 102 minutes

Christina Ricci stars in this 90s classic about four best friends and the coming-of-age moments they shared together in their youth. It’s a nostalgic tribute to the endurance of female friendship that will likely give you all the feels.

• Run time: 102 minutes

Alan Arkin, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, and Steve Carrell star in this critically acclaimed road film about a dysfunctional family who takes a cross-country trip to help their young daughter (Abigail Breslin) realize her dream of winning a California beauty pageant. Hilarious, smart and sometimes a little heavy—this is a comedy with loads of personality and substance, to boot.

• Run time: 170 minutes

This Academy award-winning musical comedy-drama stars Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, a poor Cockney flower peddler, and Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins, an arrogant professor who’s determined to transform her into an elegant and eloquent member of high society. The run time might be long, but the film is so witty and engaging you won’t mind.

• Run time: 101 minutes

Diane Keaton plays the part of an overbearing, meddlesome mother, Daphne, who tries to control the romantic life of her daughter, Milly (Mandy Moore), from behind the scenes. This one is just what you’d expect from a typical rom-com, which is to say it’s cute and easy to watch, but also very predictable.

• Run time: 94 minutes

Here, a romantic comedy about an overbearing family whose traditional Greek values clash with their daughter’s decision to marry a non-Greek man. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is riotously funny, heartwarming and mighty entertaining—a solid choice.

• Run time: 119 minutes

Meg Ryan is a small bookstore owner, Tom Hanks is her email pen pal and between them an unexpected (well, sort of) romance starts to bloom. You’ve Got Mail is rom-com gold and a must-watch for moms and daughters who share a love of the genre.

• Run time: 131 minutes

Erin Brockovich is based on the true story of a badass single mom who created a class action lawsuit from scratch in order to take down a major utility company responsible for contaminating the drinking water in a California town. Julia Roberts delivers a mesmerizing performance that captures Brockovich’s fiery personality, keen intellect and passion for justice—and the triumphant ending promises a solid dose of pro-woman inspiration that’s just right to share with your mom.

• Run time: 128 minutes

If you and your mom are suckers for British period romance, this 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen’s namesake book—featuring on-point performances from Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden—can’t be missed

• Run time: 116 minutes

Caitlin Wachs and Sandra Bullock star as a mother and daughter duo with a rocky relationship…until an offbeat group of friends known as the Ya-Ya sisterhood step in to facilitate some mutual understanding. Queue it up and prepare to laugh, cry and reconnect.

• Run time: 118 minutes

A film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic book, Little Women is a period drama with coming-of-age themes and plenty of nuanced sister-daughter-mother dynamics—all brought to life by an all-star cast that includes Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, and Kirsten Dunst (to name a few). If you and mom are in the mood to ugly cry side-by-side, this one has got you covered.

• Run time: 95 minutes

A disapproving mother and a free-thinking Scottish princess, who happens to be a pretty cool heroine, learn a thing or two about the importance of familial love in this heartfelt (and action-packed) animated Disney Pixar feature.

• Run time: 107 minutes

Disney Pixar’s Turning Red has made a splash with its fresh, funny and touching portrayal of coming-of-age (read: puberty-related) struggles, parent issues and the deep mother-daughter connections that can conquer all.

• Run time: 139 minutes

You’re in for a special treat when you tune into Everything, Everywhere All at Once—a truly original sci-fi flick in which an aging Chinese woman goes on an epic universe hopping adventure in order to reconnect with herself, and ultimately, her young adult daughter. There is a ton of kung-fu fighting and even more heart in this weird-but-genius exploration of midlife crises and family dynamics.

• Run time: 129 minutes

Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) are two best friends on the lam in Ridley Scott’s award winning drama. If your mom is your ride or die, this one is a perfect pick.

• Run time: 116 minutes

Here, a 2007 remake of John Waters’ 1988 musical comedy by the same name that caters to folks who don’t care for Waters’ signature kitsch and sleaze. And, in case you’re wondering, pudgy Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blotsky) is just as cheerful and magnetic as you remember, and the musical numbers that accompany her jovial dancing are as swinging as can be. File this one under ‘feel-good films to watch with mom.’