Movie night with mom? Here are six movies to watch on Mother’s Day

A sentimental drama of a mom and her daughter on the Greek islands of Skopelos, a rom-com about a body switch, or a delicious journey of a chocolatier who drifts across Europe with her daughter… which movie will you choose for a movie marathon with your mom? You could choose by going by her interests – does she like stories of faraway lands, tales of gore, or pure escapist fantasy? Check out our recommendations that you can enjoy with her on her special day….

MAMMA MIA

Set on a beautiful Greek island in the Aegean Sea, Mamma Mia is a movie about a young girl who invites three men for her wedding, each one possibly her biological father. The story is delightfully delineated: bride-to-be Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is all set to marry her fiancé Sky (Dominic Cooper) in her mother’s dilapidated hotel in the fictional island of Kalokairi in Greece. Her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) has no idea that her three former lovers are landing up for the wedding. When Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgard), and Harry Bright (Colin Firth) arrive on the island along with Donna’s other guests Rosie Mulligan (Julie Walters) and Tanya Chesham-Leigh (Christine Baranski), there is chaos all around.

The enigma of ‘who is Sophie’s father’ forms the premise of the film, but what makes the movie truly special is the ABBA soundtrack that runs through the story, as each of the characters burst into song, every now and then. If your mom belongs to the 70s generation that grew up loving the Swedish pop group, this should be your must-not-miss movie for Mother’s Day this year.

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FREAKY FRIDAY

Love the idea of switching places with your mom for a day? If so, Freaky Friday is the perfect movie for you. Anna (Lindsay Lohan) is a 15-year-old who is always fighting with her mom Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her younger brother Harry (Ryan Malgarini).

Tess is a control-freak psychotherapist, who is getting ready for a second marriage. One night, an old lady in a Chinese restaurant casts a spell on them and they wake up the next day, inhabiting each other's bodies. Anna has to get ready for her mom’s wedding and look after her psychiatric patients while Tess gets to hang out in high school.

This movie is fun-filled romp as Jamie Lee Curtis' portrayal of a teenager is brilliant and Lindsay Lohan is equally convincing as an adult. The film eventually shows how love and understanding are key to building a warm and beautiful relationship between a mother and her daughter.

MOTHER’S DAY

When a film comes with a title like Mother’s Day, this is definitely the right film for this day. The movie captures the lives of several people who are coming to terms with their relationship with their mothers even as Mother's Day approaches that year.

Sandy (Jennifer Aniston) is a divorced mother with two sons Bradley (Jason Sudeikis), who is a former marine now a widower with two daughters, and Miranda (Julia Roberts) who is an author who gave up her only child Kristin (Britt Robertson) for adoption at birth. If you like movies with many subplots, Mother’s Day may be just the movie for you.

BAD MOMS

Looking for something irreverent to watch with your mom? Bad Moms has often been described as an “ode to rebellious parenthood”. It has an ensemble cast, starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, who play the roles of moms struggling to hold it together in the chaos of life with young children. Amy Mitchell (Mila Kunis) is a married woman in Chicago suburbs reeling under the weight of being a perfect mom and finally decides to say ‘no more’.

She joins forces with two other over-stressed moms and they decide to liberate themselves from their responsibilities and go on a happiness binge to explore a life of freedom and self-indulgence. Of course, this attitude puts PTA Queen Bee Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) and her followers on the warpath.

What happens next? Watch this light-hearted film with your mom to find out what can occur when conventional rules fly out of the window.

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STEPMOM

While Cinderella’s stepmom was the ultimate evil, not all stepmoms are like that.  Stepmom explores this idea in a new and modern way. The protagonist Luke (Ed Harris) is a successful businessman divorced from his first wife Jackie (Susan Sarandon), and has recently moved in with his young girlfriend Isabel (Julia Roberts).

His ex-wife hates Isabel and makes sure that her two children feel the same. Though Isabel works hard at building bridges with Jackie and winning the affection of the children, she is unable to handle the hostility and hatred that she faces every day. Things reach a climax when Luke asks Isabel to marry him and Jackie learns she has cancer.

This over-sentimental tearjerker will have you reaching for the tissues, so opt for this film only if you like emotional stories that can keep you sobbing till the end. But hey, if your mom loves movies that tug at the heartstrings, this might be the best film to curl up with.

CHOCOLAT

If you’ve read the book written by Joanne Harris, which captures beautiful images of mouthwatering bonbons, steaming mugs of liqueur-laced cocoa and flaky cream-filled pastry, then don’t miss watching the movie either.

Chocolat is the story of a young mother, played by Juliette Binoche, who arrives at the fictional, French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes with her six-year-old daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol) and opens a chocolate shop there. Her chocolate quickly begins to influence the lives of the townspeople in ways that they had never imagined. With Judi Dench playing the role of her eccentric landlady, the movie is elevated to a new level of excellence.

If you and your mother love food-based movies, with a hint of mysticism and some town politics thrown in, this would be an interesting film to watch.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab the popcorn, close the blinds, and let your movie night begin!

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