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Mother's Day
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As a kid I thought E.T. was a story about a sweet alien who found friendship on Earth. Now, as a mother of two, I use the film as a reminder that parenting is hard, thanks to a meme I saw that said “Don’t be so hard on yourself. The mom from E.T. had an alien living in her house for days and didn’t notice.” Listen, it was the ’80s. Parents would just let their kids go do whatever they wanted from dawn until dinner, and in the end, we all turned out kind of okay.
But mothers and parenting styles come in many forms, and that’s why we’ve created this list of ideal Mother’s Day movies to watch on Amazon Prime Video, all of which celebrate the beauty and diversity of moms and motherhood. But also we’re really celebrating Dee Wallace, who not only played Mary, the aforementioned single mother who was so busy working and managing a household that she didn’t notice her kids were harboring an alien fugitive in E.T., she also starred in 1983’s Cujo, about a mother trapped in a Ford Pinto with her young son and will do anything not to be eaten alive by a cuh-razy rabid dog. Honestly, let’s just make Wallace the patron saint of Mother’s Day, she’s been through so much.
'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial' (1982)
An alien is left behind on Earth and discovered by a boy named Elliott. Elliott, played by Henry Thomas, takes the alien home where his sister Gertie, played by Drew Barrymore, dresses him up, teaches him English by using a Speak and Spell, and they all try to keep his existence a secret – from the government, but even more importantly, from their mom (Dee Wallace).
'Cujo' (1983)
Cujo is a literal take on motherhood and how far mothers will go to protect their children, as well as a figurative metaphor about shit hitting the fan and the mental load women are burdened with. (Welcome to my Feminism 101 lecture.) Based on the book of the same name by Stephen King, Cujo is, on the surface, about a rabid dog that terrorizes a town, especially a young mother named Donna whose car has broken down and it’s the only secure place she and her son can protect themselves from the pooch. But Donna is struggling with household burdens, a marriage that’s on the rocks, and the actual physical fight to save herself and her child (Wallace has said that the toll of filming her emotional breakdowns was the hardest thing she’s ever filmed). It’s a horror movie, but it’s also a little too real.
'Arrival' (2016)
Mother’s Day is the source of a lot of complicated feelings for those who have lost parents or children, and Arrival tells a beautiful story about a mother’s love and loss. In Arrival, Amy Adams plays linguistic expert Louise Banks, who is grappling with the death of her 12-year-old daughter. Banks is brought in by the U.S. Army to attempt to communicate with aliens who have landed their spaceships all over Earth. Banks and the physicist she’s working with, Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), fall in love, and together they discover that the alien language actually allows people to perceive time differently and see their futures. This is when we realize [SPOILER ALERT] that Louise’s daughter has not actually been born yet, but that Ian is the father who will abandon them. Louise must live with the knowledge that he’s going to leave and her daughter won’t live past 12.
'Because I Said So' (2007)
Because I Said So expertly puts the complications of mother-daughter relationships on blast, which includes the joys of quiet (and not so quiet) judgements, nitpicking, and the butting in that comes with the territory. This one also points out the obvious, that being sisters with Mandy Moore, Lauren Graham, and Piper Perabo, with Diane Keaton as a mom, seems like it could have its real highlights. But more importantly, this film, released in 2007, featured four fantastic females front and center, and has no problem passing the Bechdel test. –Lea Palmieri
'Girls Trip' (2017)
Ask any mother what they really want for Mother’s Day, and the honest ones will tell you it’s not flowers or brunch, its time away from their family. Which means: a girls trip. So why not live vicariously through Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, and Jada Pinkett Smith who star in Girls Trip, a film about re-connecting with old friends while on a trip to New Orleans’ Essence Fest to remind themselves of what it’s like to be young and (child)-free. The hilarious film was a turning point in Haddish’s career, which has exploded in recent years.
'The Farewell' (2019)
Directed by Lulu Wang, The Farewell is a love letter to the beloved matriarch of a Chinese family. When Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) is diagnosed with cancer and her family is told that she has three months to live, they keep her prognosis a secret, pretending everything is just fine. Billi (Awkwafina) is Nai Nai’s granddaughter and the most cynical critic of the plot to keep Nai Nai’s death a secret. The family arranges a fake wedding in China so that everyone in the extended family can some together for a final goodbye to their beloved matriarch. Awkwafina won a Golden Globe for her performance.
'Mamma Mia!' (2008)
Moms can get it. No matter how old you are.
Mamma Mia! is a story about remembering your first love, being IN love, and then finding love again. Based on the ABBA jukebox musical, Mamma Mia! might be the most joyous film of this bunch, and that would be thanks to the music, to Meryl Streep and her overalls, and to the wonderful supporting cast of Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgard. I realize I’m listing most of the cast, but they’re all just so damn delightful. With Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and Sky’s (Dominic Cooper) wedding approaching, Sophie invites three men who could all be her father to the wedding. Her mother Donna (Streep) does her best to hide from these men, each of whom is a blast from her wild and wicked past, but how can you hide from love and passion!? Ugh, now I just want to go to Greece and dance.
