Movies about mother-daughter relationships can sometimes be wildly relatable. Sometimes, a relationship between a mother and daughter can be very sweet, loving, and amazing. Other times, the relationship can be messy, emotional, and bleak. Healthy mother-daughter relationships require open communication, honesty, trust, and quality time. Unhealthy mother-daughter relationships are often filled with a lot of criticism, judgment, unsolicited advice, and nosiness. It is good for mothers to be protective over their daughters to some extent, but in some cases, that protectiveness can come off as being too overbearing. There is a fine line!
These 10 mother-daughter films focus on a variety of familial relationships. It isn't always easy to be a mom, nor is it easy to be a daughter, and these movies shed light on some of those struggles. Some of these movies also shed light on the beauty that a mother-daughter bond can have.
Mothers And Daughters: A Pregnant Photographer Is Estranged From Her Own Mother
Mothers and Daughters is a 2016 film that stars Selma Blair as Rigby, the leading character. It also stars Courteney Cox, Sharon Stone, and Susan Sarandon. Talk about some big names!
This movie is about a photographer who takes candid pictures of motherhood moments. She is expecting her first child and experiencing those moments of nervousness, excitement, and uncertainty about her baby. She is estranged from her own mother and decided to do some reflecting on that situation.
Lady Bird: A Mother And Daughter Are More Alike Than They Realize
Lady Bird is an amazing film that was just recently added to Netflix! Netflix is known for adding great movies to its lineup on a regular basis, so we are not surprised that they added Lady Bird. The movie is about a hard-working mother who must deal with her strongly opinionated and rebellious teenage daughter. They butt heads often because they do not see eye to eye on many things, but, ultimately, they are actually much more alike than they even realize.
Freaky Friday: A Mother And Daughter Swap Bodies
In Freaky Friday, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis play the roles of a mother and daughter who do not get along at all. The teenage daughter loves rocking out to loud music with her band, while the mom is preparing to get married to a new man. They take a trip to a restaurant where one of the employees decides to curse them with fortune cookies. The mother and daughter wake up in each other's bodies and must scramble to sort things out and get back into their own bodies as soon as possible.
Girl In Progress: Her Mom Is More Like A Friend Than A Parent
This 2012 movie stars Eva Mendes as the mother and Cierra Ramirez as the daughter. This coming of age story focuses on a girl who craves more attention and time from her mother, who is much too busy juggling many things. Her mother has to work long hours being that she is a single mom, and she also has her hands full juggling two romantic interests at one time. The character that Cierra Ramirez plays decides to seek out validation in all the wrong ways.
Because I Said So: A Meddling Mom Interferes In Her Daughter's Love Life
Because I Said So is a 2007 romantic comedy starring Mandy Moore and Diane Keaton as daughter and mother. Other actors included in this film are Piper Perabo, Lauren Graham, and Gabriel Macht. This movie focuses on a mom who does not know when to quit meddling in her daughter's affairs.
She hates the fact that her daughter is unhappily single and decides to set up a dating profile for her daughter online. She handpicks the perfect guy for her daughter, but she has to figure out that it is not up to her.
Mamma Mia!: A Young Woman Inquires About Her Mom's Past Lovers
Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep are the leading actresses in this adorably sweet musical movie. The fact that this movie is filled with so many great songs and dance numbers makes it even more enjoyable to watch. It does not surprise us at all that this movie got a sequel a decade later. The first film was released in 2008, and the sequel followed in 2018. The mother-daughter bond in this movie is totally enviable!
Mother's Day (2016): Many Mother's Stories Are Intertwined
In 2016, Mother's Day was released starring a long list of A-list celebrities... Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, and Jennifer Aniston, just to name a few. It also included Sarah Chalke, Britt Robertson, and Shay Mitchell. This movie included several different storylines about mothers going through life and facing their own individual struggles. One of the interesting mother-daughter storylines in this movie revolves around Julia Robert's character as the mother of Britt Robertson's character.
Snatched: A Mother And Daughter Get Kidnapped
This hilarious comedy was released in 2017. It stars one of the most well-known female comedians of all time, Amy Schumer, in the leading role. She plays the daughter of Goldie Hawn's character.
In this movie, a mother and daughter go on a vacation together and end up getting kidnapped by very dangerous people. Their exotic South American getaway ends up getting turned upside down. They are held for ransom and must do what they can to escape.
Heartbreakers: A Mother And Daughter Financially Scam Men
Heartbreakers is a 2001 romantic comedy about a mother-daughter duo who work together to scam men out of their money. They coast off of their good looks in order to convince men that they are in love, when, in reality, all they care about is pocketing as much cash as possible.
Their plans to scam men come to a halt when they fall in love with their targets and decide that they want to give up on their mischievous ways.
Thirteen: A Mother And Daughter Have A Tumultuous Relationship
In the movie Thirteen, viewers are able to see the tragic and tumultuous relationship between a mother and daughter who are really struggling to maintain a close and honest relationship with open communication. The daughter wants to be popular more than anything, and her desire to fit in with the popular kids gets in the way of her own personal safety. Her mother is a struggling addict, and having to deal with her rebellious daughter does not make things easier.