Mothers are among the most powerful women in the world. Not every mother is perfect, but many have an unbreakable bond with their child and find that love knows no bounds. It’s that close bond that’s showcased in the best movies about motherhood.
As a teen, I remember reading “Mommie Dearest.” I couldn’t understand how a mother could be like that. I understand now that it was likely an issue with Joan Crawford’s mental health. It makes sense. I used to have a neighbor who would tell her kid to go play in the road during heavy traffic; I could never understand how a mother could feel and act like that.
Some of the best moms in movies show their unconditional love. I would add “Not Without My Daughter” to the list, even if it wasn’t a movie everyone loved. I was taken by Sally Field’s performance of a mom desperately trying to flee an abusive Iranian husband without leaving her daughter behind. I’m thankful I’ve never had to choose from that.
The best movie moms will do anything for their kids. Seventeen-year-old Novalee (Natalie Portman) in “Where the Heart Is” did whatever she needed to do to give birth to her daughter after her boyfriend abandoned her. As unconventional as a Walmart birth was, it worked and helped her turn her life around. She’s another mom I’d add to my list of movies with the best moms. I recommend the book and then the movie, if you haven’t experienced them yet.
Those are the moms that came to mind. Here are the best movie moms per IMDb ratings. (In addition to movie moms, meet the 10 funniest moms in TV history.)
To determine the best movies about motherhood, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of April 2024, weighting all ratings equally. Only movies with at least 2,500 user reviews on IMDb were considered. Cast information is from IMDb.
50. August: Osage County (2013)
Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (87,450 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (39,180 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (207 reviews)
- Starring: Meryl Streep, Dermot Mulroney, Julia Roberts
49. Freaky Friday (2003)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (131,073 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (932,448 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (155 reviews)
- Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon
48. The Upside of Anger (2005)
Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features
Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (21,736 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (29,427 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (185 reviews)
- Starring: Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen
47. Panic Room (2002)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (268,940 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (236,006 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (187 reviews)
- Starring: Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker
46. Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (116,385 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (208,082 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (172 reviews)
- Starring: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves
45. Mermaids (1990)
Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (30,185 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (51,474 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (23 reviews)
- Starring: Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder
44. Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
- IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (48,347 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62% (37,872 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (202 reviews)
- Starring: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Debra Winger
43. Trust (2010)
Source: Courtesy of Millennium Entertainment
Source: Courtesy of Millennium Entertainment
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (41,922 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (10,229 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (66 reviews)
- Starring: Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Liana Liberato
42. Tumbleweeds (1999)
Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features
- IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (3,528 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (1,476 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (68 reviews)
- Starring: Janet McTeer, Kimberly J. Brown, Jay O. Sanders
41. Postcards from the Edge (1990)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (16,629 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (8,806 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (32 reviews)
- Starring: Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid
40. Lovely & Amazing (2001)
Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate Films
Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate Films
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (7,178 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (5,301 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (124 reviews)
- Starring: Catherine Keener, Brenda Blethyn, Troy Ruptash
39. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (255,836 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (1,029,466 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (53 reviews)
- Starring: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan
38. White Oleander (2002)
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (31,777 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (50,789 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 68% (136 reviews)
- Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Renée Zellweger, Robin Wright
37. Wild at Heart (1990)
Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (88,907 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (43,501 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (52 reviews)
- Starring: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe
36. Monster’s Ball (2001)
Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate
Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (86,413 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (57,784 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (142 reviews)
- Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Taylor Simpson
35. Thirteen (2003)
Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (83,437 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (214,577 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (154 reviews)
- Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter, Nikki Reed
34. Mother and Child (2009)
Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (11,945 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (6,956 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (128 reviews)
- Starring: Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Kerry Washington
33. Marnie (1964)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (47,226 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (19,324 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (40 reviews)
- Starring: Tippi Hedren, Sean Connery, Martin Gabel
32. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Source: Courtesy of Code Red
Source: Courtesy of Code Red
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (144,732 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (35,418 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (210 reviews)
- Starring: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller
31. Steel Magnolias (1989)
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (51,119 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (175,872 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 68% (31 reviews)
- Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Sally Field
30. Mother (1996)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (6,098 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (6,004 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (42 reviews)
- Starring: Albert Brooks, Debbie Reynolds, Paul Collins
29. Matilda (1996)
Source: Getty Images / Stringer
Source: Getty Images / Stringer
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (138,266 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (384,409 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (21 reviews)
- Starring: Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Mara Wilson
28. Frozen River (2008)
Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (25,341 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (85,880 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (138 reviews)
- Starring: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott
27. The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (128,186 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (63,636 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (226 reviews)
- Starring: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo
26. Terms of Endearment (1983)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (57,738 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (36,375 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (54 reviews)
- Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson
25. Instant Family (2018)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (99,218 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (3,702 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (155 reviews)
- Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Merced
24. The Others (2001)
Source: Courtesy of Dimension Films
Source: Courtesy of Dimension Films
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (350,811 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (344,533 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (165 reviews)
- Starring: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan
23. Poltergeist (1982)
Source: Courtesy of MGM/UA Entertainment Company
Source: Courtesy of MGM/UA Entertainment Company
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (150,926 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (182,495 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (63 reviews)
- Starring: JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, Craig T. Nelson
22. Dolores Claiborne (1995)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (41,505 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (30,286 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (44 reviews)
- Starring: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer
21. Sophie’s Choice (1982)
Source: Courtesy of Associated Film Distribution
Source: Courtesy of Associated Film Distribution
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (45,838 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (21,561 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (41 reviews)
- Starring: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol
20. What Maisie Knew (2012)
Source: Courtesy of Millennium Entertainment
Source: Courtesy of Millennium Entertainment
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (27,317 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (15,281 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (112 reviews)
- Starring: Julianne Moore, Alexander Skarsgård, Steve Coogan
19. The Ice Storm (1997)
Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (54,903 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (34,486 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (68 reviews)
- Starring: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver
18. The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (357,084 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (110,127 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (226 reviews)
- Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff
17. Carrie (1976)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (175,705 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (353,181 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (67 reviews)
- Starring: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving
16. Stella Dallas (1937)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (5,176 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (2,147 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (9 reviews)
- Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, Anne Shirley
15. Places in the Heart (1984)
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (11,356 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (6,752 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (38 reviews)
- Starring: Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris
14. Mask (1985)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (30,063 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (44,020 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (28 reviews)
- Starring: Cher, Eric Stoltz, Sam Elliott
13. The Help (2011)
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (462,347 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (107,976 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (230 reviews)
- Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer
12. Imitation of Life (1959)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (15,508 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (9,598 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (27 reviews)
- Starring: Lana Turner, John Gavin, Sandra Dee
11. Lady Bird (2017)
Source: Courtesy of A24
Source: Courtesy of A24
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (260,681 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (22,988 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (398 reviews)
- Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts
10. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (273,291 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (459,634 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (182 reviews)
- Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn
9. The Sound of Music (1965)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (215,991 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (606,531 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (71 reviews)
- Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker
8. Arrival (2016)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (633,887 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (83,786 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (434 reviews)
- Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
7. On Golden Pond (1981)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (29,427 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (20,585 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (43 reviews)
- Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda
6. Mildred Pierce (1945)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (24,380 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (8,261 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (44 reviews)
- Starring: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott
5. In America (2002)
Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (42,455 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (34,736 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (177 reviews)
- Starring: Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Djimon Hounsou
4. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (454,829 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (427,295 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (218 reviews)
- Starring: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear
3. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (109,172 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (130,924 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (64 reviews)
- Starring: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, James Fleet
2. CODA (2021)
Source: Courtesy of Apple TV+
Source: Courtesy of Apple TV+
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (136,026 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (1,000 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (291 reviews)
- Starring: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur
1. Room (2015)
Source: Courtesy of A24
Source: Courtesy of A24
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (392,959 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (49,823 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (317 reviews)
- Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers