18 Classic Movies That Every Mom and Daughter Need to See Together
Mother-daughter relationships can be … complicated. The bond is irreplicable, but goddamn it, moms can be nuts. And daughters can be, too! There are a lot of ups and downs between moms and daughters. And it can be hard to explain or understand. Sometimes seeing it on the big screen can help makes sense of it all. We’ve found 18 classic mother-daughter movies that should be required viewing for every mom and daughter. Grab the popcorn and the tissues, you’re going to need them.
Classic mother-daughter movies can be funny, or like this first one on our list, absolutely, devastatingly heartbreaking. If you have a mom or a daughter, you need to see Terms of Endearment.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbulTHxgtux/?tagged=termsofendearment
Aurora and Emma have one of the most infuriating and inspiring mother-daughter relationships in cinematic history. The hospital scenes will rip your heart right out.
2. Brave
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbBIq6RFqmO/?tagged=disneybrave
Who among us HASN’T wanted to turn their mother into a bear? The journey that Merida and Elinor go on to understand each other is one we can all relate to, minus the witch and magic spells.
3. Mermaids
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb9HOtsnbMl/?tagged=mermaidsmovie
It’s not easy being a single mom. It’s also not easy to be the wallflower daughter of an eccentric mother. Determined not to follow in her mom’s footsteps with one failed relationship after the next, Charlotte vows to become a nun. And then goes and falls in love with a boy.
4. Steel Magnolias
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbpy3gsAdy3/?tagged=steelmagnolias
Watching M’Lynn stroke Shelby’s hand as she lay comatose in the hospital is really what a mother-daughter relationship is all about. And don’t get us started on the funeral scene.
5. The Joy Luck Club
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZr7yDYlJCO/?tagged=thejoyluckclub
The story of four mothers and their daughters navigating generational and cultural divides is one we can all relate to.
6. Mommie Dearest
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcNOuOgA0Lv/?tagged=mommiedearest
If you ever want to feel better about your own relationship with your mother, just pop in this classic. Christina Crawford tells the story of her traumatic upbringing as Joan Crawford’s daughter. Just like some classic mother-daughter movies make you cry, some can scare the crap out of you, too. NO MORE WIRE HANGERS.
7. Stepmom
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLwCbefjLHk/?tagged=stepmommovie
Susan Sarandon plays a mom dying of cancer, trying to come to terms with leaving her kids with their new stepmom, Julia Roberts. This one is as much about friendship as it is about mothers and daughters.
8. Thirteen
https://www.instagram.com/p/jfaOzpIztL/?taken-by=thirteen_movie
While not technically a classic (it came out in 2003), Thirteen does such an amazing job of telling the story of a mom trying to save her daughter from herself, that we had to include it.
9. Moonstruck
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcN-cXygmwX/?tagged=moonstruck
Cher plays Loretta, a woman who accepts a proposal from one man and then falls in love with his brother. In the process of figuring her shit out, she learns some secrets and lessons from her own mother about love and life.
10. Freaky Friday
https://www.facebook.com/MovieNetwork/photos/basw.Abq73wyWjqLRamaIElDnhKS2P7RdYf7NxA-o03rIiRKmNWjnWv7v0HOxTgUAIK-D6BxtnyK12NbGnCTXWNQNNH_4K770nvK4Ih2jE5deVrrTLbbNGI5u0xssQH2DJ7ZLeIfIRhCssJhchYZdHvAaW9ZNKejpEN1eTOzdIP-awb1-sy6mSxwyJyLWvniEOf2NY3o.832207726872315.10155802425290898.1145932615424913.748775855172036.1204460902902742.1119781868046223.10153476655217296.1420128674723306.791949607654062/832207726872315/?type=1&opaqueCursor=AbqbdymbWECcbvVuvfuNvMSYMbO__f5ZT2H0mkeUzY0TZA4nbLduBq2ZeHBNW4CLlHQ__sQEk9EUIxlVkn1EdW5Zb7KzbDrGOO_0z1ZUXbTI9WdF-NE3mkgy_4_fi1OSDbdap6U0HbU57pNsy1y5oYhrM90T0Jeexr9pxKcny27na9sgi3o4g6zqcipWTWVtncqe1D-O2oUdUW2RNjfDZWMyZQEkjiiYbnXWg-mzxQyKb8N336pCsrmbZIIa9xq-fFNp8oarQFLX4v_iYfd0tIaTX-BnZuioG5lbMJfZINC_YxHu4guDnxFO6ui1TiAQsJWTheFtfpptsCl2rrSlutp4gUK33WQXgMjVeAvm_u1MTdTly3W87E2kn4QwE-aZxBlWla4285z72knNuaDjdGyhwoFDoLeJe3ctOflMAPwDLKVhCK8twbd0qw4KQTVNwrc-6OyYFkNrYGYxaaCKoWoBJL9vAlDy_lRuJAdCo1CHlT2sc8kpLFmkxJQk3VzKnQ4V4UHXuAlO-zZdVgwq7c8DMnJ1bCKEpwhkXRzYiHpePJKy4SVr0wIU17PLJ2hP35-QbFm9Jv83Ut78esXwVURtJlPZwTWhmxj2FzrkhLLK7R9WJywTi8Pf8Ht62cIVhKMsLamkvIvJkKBfwWyvNSqHCx1afqgw7vA2QoQzQ6isHBxgz33NHf_DiCGvy39fYBrjcs9_ppK2NYws_lVDycic&theater
You’ll never understand your mother until you walk in her shoes. Like, LITERALLY walk in her shoes with her feet and in her body. Any list of classic mother-daughter movies would be incomplete without this gem.
11. Little Women
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcBQ-BOANpX/?tagged=littlewomenmovie
This film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel is all about a strong woman raising four strong daughters.
12. Bend It Like Beckham
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcQTqJmnnsQ/?tagged=benditlikebeckham
One of the hardest parts of being a mom to a daughter is accepting that they will forge their own path, and it might not be the one you want for them. One of the scariest things about being a daughter is finding the courage to set out on that path.
13. Coraline
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcTCNvVnNf-/?tagged=coraline
Daughters, appreciate the mom you have. Because your other mother might be a creepy giant spider in disguise who wants to replace your eyes with buttons.
14. Mamma Mia!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZCI56DH6oh/?taken-by=mammamiamovie
Trying to figure out your future by untangling your mother’s past can get … messy. And musical!
15. Now and Then
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcK8vFwHQ4D/?tagged=nowandthen
Four childhood friends reconnect as adults to relive the greatest summer of their lives, and see their adolescent selves through different eyes.
16. Troop Beverly Hills
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcSUP7bhzqK/?tagged=troopbeverlyhills
Listen, it’s just amazing, ok? Watching Phyllis try to convince her daughter (and herself) that she can lead a girl scout troop will never not be perfect mother-daughter bonding time.
17. Soul Food
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZgwn-xAVV5/?tagged=soulfoodmovie
When these daughters lose their mom, life begins to spiral out of control. It’s not until they realize they’ve been ignoring the lessons she taught them that they start to come together as a family again.
18. The Exorcist
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcPyWXag89C/?tagged=theexorcist
Ok, so maybe this one isn’t for the faint of heart. But if there’s a better example of a mom advocating for her daughter and literally saving her life from the forces of evil, we haven’t seen it.
So there you have it, 18 classic mother-daughter movies you must find the time to watch with your mom or daughter. Have you seen them all? Which one would be most special to watch with your mom or daughter?
Also read: 20 of the Worst TV Moms of All-Time
(Image: Facebook/Retro Wifey)