18 Movie Moms We Swore We’d Never Become, But Kind Of Did

Movies can be a great escape. They can also give you an idea of the kind of person you want to be, and the kind of person you DEFINITELY don’t want to be. Growing up watching movies, there were plenty of movie moms I swore I would never turn out like; some were uncool, some were overbearing, others were absolutely bonkers. But now that I’m a mom, I’m realizing that I might have turned out a bit like all those moms I swore I would never be like. One day you wake up and it hits you like a ton of bricks: maybe I don’t care about wire hangers, but I will lose my everloving shit over crumbs in my bed. These 18 movie moms have plenty of issues, but in hindsight, they make some good points. Raising kids isn’t easy!

The great thing about movie moms is that they are an exaggerated version of our worst selves, and they can make us feel a little less crappy about ourselves as parents. Sure, you made your kid cry because you wouldn’t let them have popcorn for dinner. But did you try to sew buttons onto their eyes or threaten them with wire hangers? No? Then you’re good! We are our harshest critics, and can beat ourselves up over the slightest misstep. But when compared to some of these movie moms, we’re doing just fine, guys.

Movie moms can be sweet and loving. Or, they can be Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest. I think we’ve all got a little Joan Crawford in us.

Obviously, Joan goes a bit … overboard when she discovers a wire hanger in Christina’s closet. But honestly, how many times do we have to say, “NO <insert whatever it is that drives you up a wall>!” My kids would sneak into my bed during the day and eat crackers. CRACKERS. IN. MY. BED. I stopped buying crackers for a good long while. We all have our breaking point. Whatever your thing is, whether it’s wire hangers or crackers in your bed or your kids using all the toilet paper to make casts for their baby dolls (hi, it me), one day we will reach out limit. 

Tess Coleman in Freaky Friday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qob6chpkvwI

“When I’m a mom, I’m going to be a cool mom, and treat my daughter like she’s my equal!” LOL, yeah no. I’m a little embarrassed by how much I relate to Tess before the switch. Tough love is still love, but having a little fun never hurt anyone, either. It’s a very fine line we walk, between wanting our kids to like us and needing to enforce those boundaries. I always tell my kids that we’ll be friends one day, but they have to understand that today is not that day! We have a good time, but I’m mom, and sometimes I have to bring that fun to a screeching halt. 

Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment

Aurora takes overbearing to a whole new level. And while I try not to be “that” mom on a daily basis, there is literally nothing I wouldn’t do for my kids. Like bitch out someone who isn’t doing all they can to help my daughter. The hospital scene in this movie might be the most MOM scene in any movie, ever. Like, I can actually feel her anger, and I have a very visceral reaction to her rage. Even the sweetest moms in the world will go full-on mama bear when their kid is in pain or in danger and not getting the help they deserve. 

Erica Sayers in Black Swan

This one hits kind of close to home for me. I’m a “dance mom”, but not like, Erica Sayers-level of dance mom. I’ll be damned if I don’t have to bite my tongue sometimes, though. So at least we’re different in that way! Watching Black Swan, you can’t help but wonder how much of Nina’s psychological turmoil was due to Erica’s increasing demands for perfection. When we have kids, it’s not uncommon to see ourselves in them, and see a chance at personal redemption (however that may look for you). Erica takes it a weeeeeeee bit too far though, at the expense of her own child’s life.

Other Mother in Coraline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyaGIaJsmTg

It’s a very fine line between Nice Mom and Other Mother. Is a little respect and gratitude too much to ask? I mean honestly. We all have a switch, and when it gets flipped, Other Mother can make an appearance. I think it’s safe to say that we stop at replacing our kids’ eyes with buttons, though. I do find it interesting that Other Mother is the one who appears to be perfect but is actually a giant spider. And Nice Mom is the one who’s flawed and imperfect but whom Coraline comes to appreciate the most. Remember that whenever you compare yourself to those seemingly perfect PTA moms (who’re probably spiders in disguise).

Beverly Sutphin in Serial Mom

Perfectly put-together on the surface. Raging murderous psychopath underneath. I’m not saying that all moms have these, uh, tendencies. But Beverly certainly strikes a chord, doesn’t she? While most of us just fantasize about eliminating our enemies, Beverly follows the “if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself” school of thought. Beverly is every single mom who’s had it up to here with putting up with other people’s shit. She just cracks on a level that’s waaaaaaaaay more intense then the rest of us. I’m fine with crying in the bathtub with some wine and snacks. Murdering people seems like a lot of work.

Gladys Leeman in Drop Dead Gorgeous

Is it really so bad to want your kid to win? Gladys sure doesn’t think so. Our kids are their own people, but tell me it isn’t a daily struggle not to co-opt their successes. The problem is that Gladys doesn’t so much see her daughter as her own person. She’s sees her as an extension of herself, and the chance to succeed where she failed. Who cares what our kids want, right?! There is no separation, they are one unit, and Gladys is bound and determined to ride those coattails all the way to state! That damn swan nearly derailed her plans, too.

Wendy Torrance in The Shining

All I could think when I watched this movie for the first time is why the hell Wendy would ever agree to move to that damn hotel in the first place. Obviously, now that I’m a mom, I understand that sometimes you do things you think will be good for your family. And sometimes you’re very, very wrong! Wendy ends up being sort of a wet blanket, which I guess is understandable when you find out your husband had turned into a murderous psychopath. But like, I wouldn’t let my kids do all the heavy lifting. Give Danny a little hand, mom.

Rosemary Woodhouse in Rosemary’s Baby

I mean, she probably should’ve beat feet the minute she saw its eyes. That’s what I swore I would have done. But he’s her baby, you know? I get that now. We carried these little creatures for months, gave them actual life, felt as they moved around in our bellies. We love them from the moment they arrive! It’s totally a mom thing to do, overlooking a major cone head or demonic features. That’s our baby, and our baby is perfect. What’s a little demonic possession, right? Movie moms can overlook A LOT of shit, but none more so than Rosemary.

Mrs. George in Mean Girls

Ugh, Mrs. George is mortifying. And also, now that I have daughters, sort of my secret hero. I mean, I’m not ever going to be the “cool mom”. But damn if I don’t want to be seen as one sometimes. She’s definitely one of the most relatable movie moms. Our kids steal our youth, so who can blame us for wanting to cling to it?! Mrs. George seems to get that the Fountain of Youth takes many forms, one of them being our teenage daughters. And also, don’t lie to yourselves – we all look forward to the day we can inflict that much embarrassment on our kids. 

Alice in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

It’s hard to understand how amazing Alice is, until you have your own kids. Sure, it’s easy to think you’d just put your own life and dreams on hold for the good of your child. But sometimes, doing the hard thing is the best thing. The thing is, as moms, we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t. Criticized for putting our own needs above our kids’, and lambasted for not being more successful or having a life outside of the home. The way I see it, Alice had one shot, and she took it. Was it pretty? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

{Also read: 20 Times We Totally Understood Where Movie Villains Were Coming From}

Mama Fratelli in The Goonies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E0UjQDZCTo

“I may have kept you chained in that room, but it was for your own good!” I mean, yeah. Not to THAT extent, but yeah. Mama Fratelli’s heart is in the right place! Sort of. All she wants is to operate a successful crime family, and to do that, she needs to be a little hard on her kids. It’s not that she doesn’t love them (except for maybe Frances). She just has high expectations and needs to run a tight ship! In her defense, two of her sons are bumbling idiots, and Sloth is too kind to be bad, so what else is she supposed to do?

Margaret White in Carrie

Listen, she’s a little overbearing. No one is denying that! And sure, she could’ve done a better job of explaining puberty. But she just wanted to protect Carrie. And she wasn’t wrong. They all DID laugh at her. But did Margaret say I told you so? Well, she might have had she been given the chance. I think we’re a little hard on moms like Margaret. It’s easy to judge when you haven’t walked in someone’s shoes, and to be honest, I have no idea how I would parent a child with telekinetic rage. Seems very stressful and probably never ends well.

Mildred Pierce in Mildred Pierce

Mildred goes above and beyond to placate her miserable little shit of a daughter. And while my own kids aren’t anything like Veda (THANK GOD), I certainly understand where Mildred is coming from. I’d take a bullet for my kids, and I suppose I’d take for the fall for them, too. Mildred Pierce has always been one of my favorite movie moms, but it wasn’t until I became a mom that I truly appreciated the sacrifices she made for her kids. I’m sure she felt a lot of guilt with how things turned out, I know I would. Veda had it coming, though.

Pamela Voorhees in Friday the 13th

Movie moms tend be REALLY extra, and Pamela’s vengeful plan is no exception. Pamela is hurting, anyone can see that. When someone hurts our kids, they hurt us. And let’s be honest, everyone was SERIOUSLY awful to Jason. They teased him, they tormented him, they let him drown, for fuck’s sake. Pamela was just doing what she could to prevent another tragic accident! It’s not her fault people kept trying to open that stupid camp. Maybe a few murders and fires should have been reason enough to leave it closed for good, and let Pamela grieve in peace like any mom deserves.

Jackie Harrison in Stepmom

I always thought I’d be more like Isabel, because there were a few times when Jackie was pretty much unbearable in this movie. And then I had kids, and yeah. I’m a Jackie. It’s almost impossible to imagine preparing your kids for your own death. Wanting them to be taken care of, wanting to make sure every detail of the rest of their lives is planned out. But that’s what we do, right? We’re moms. This movie is a five tissue tearjerker, for sure, and the hardest scenes to watch are when Jackie is talking to her kids about her hopes and dreams for their futures, knowing she won’t be around to see it. 

Kate McCallister in Home Alone

SHE FORGOT HER KID AND FLEW TO PARIS. Who the hell does that?! <grows up, has kids> It’s OK, Kate. Happens to the best of us. In fact, just the other day, I forgot to take my kid to school. Just flat-out forgot she had school, on a Monday. There are a lot of balls in the air at all times! Now listen, I’m not blaming Kevin for getting left home. Except I sort of am, because if he hadn’t been such a turd, he’d be sleeping in his bed, and he would’ve been on that flight. But then their house would have been robbed, so I guess it all worked out. 

The Queen in Aliens

Movie moms don’t have to be human! I know, The Queen is technically a bad guy. But objectively, she’s just trying to propagate her species and protect her young. 100% relatable. And then Ripley (whom I love) comes through and just completely destroys all of her eggs and children. Like, how else is she supposed to react? You can’t expect her to stay calm while watching this human invader literally torch all her babies. I get mad when the old ladies at Costco accidentally bump into my kid with their cart. I get it. Humans should have left that mama well enough alone.

So which of these movie moms did you swear you’d never be, and ended up relating to a little too much after you had kids? Tell us in the comments!

Similar Posts