Mother’s Day movie guide for every mood

Mother’s Day is for every mom, but no two moms are exactly alike. So, whatever vibe you’re seeking for this maternal holiday, we’ve got you covered with the perfect movie companion. 

Whether you want something sweet, something silly, something spooky, something savage, or a little bit of everything all of the time, there’s the pitch-perfect film waiting for you — even if celebrating Mother’s Day isn’t your thing. 

If you want your mind blown and your heart warmed: Everything Everywhere All at Once

Credit: A24

When reviewing this exhilaratingly unhinged adventure-comedy, I tried to shy away from the details at its core, because discovering the real story at the heart of this stuffed-to-the-gills romp is part of its pleasure. But Everything Everywhere All at Once has been out for weeks now, so spoilers: For all its multiverse madness, clever pop song employment, and general mayhem, it’s about a mother-daughter relationship in crisis. 

Michelle Yeoh stars as a harried mom/wife/laundromat owner/taxpayer, who is getting pressure from every possible angle. And that’s before an alternate universe version of her husband (Ke Huy Quan) crashes in to ask her to save all existence. Slingshotted into a myriad of other possibilities for her life, she sees red carpets, raccoons, and rock slides. Yet her focus is ultimately on her twentysomething daughter (Stephanie Hsu). Written and directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, this by far the most cerebral film on our list, but also the most celebrated. For all its weirdness, the warmth of this movie and its message will hit you like a googly eye between your brows. Then, joy will carry you home again. 

How to watch: Everything Everywhere All at Once is now in theaters. 

If you want something for the whole family: Turning Red 

Credit: Disney / Pixar

Like many of the movies on this list, Turning Red focuses on a strained mother-daughter bond. But incredibly, this Pixar pic finds a fabulous, funny, and furry way to explore the tensions of growing up and out of your parents’ embrace. 13-year-old Chinese Canadian Meilin (Rosalie Chiang) is the golden child to her mother (Sandra Oh), ever-obedient in her chores at their home and temple, plus studious at school. But to her friends, Meilin is a boy-crazy weirdo — and they love her for that! These identities come into conflict when a family secret turns the teen into a giant red panda. On one hand, it’s a cuddly metaphor for menstruation. On the other, it’s a launching pad for plenty of wild action sequences and supremely silly sight gags. 

If you’ve somehow missed out on the phenomenon that is Domee Shi’s Turning Red, use Mother’s Day as an excuse to catch up. Aside from the critically heralded comedy and commentary on coming of age, this animated adventure also has a banging soundtrack and cavalcade of female relatives who come together for each other, no matter what. 

How to watch: Turning Red is now on Disney+. 

If you want some quiet time: Petite Maman

Credit: Lilies Films / NEON

You know that world-rattling moment when you realize your mom was once a kid just like you? Petite Maman burrows into that tender time with a bit of time travel. The passing of her maternal grandmother draws young Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) back to the house where her mother (Nina Meurisse) grew up. While her parents sort through keepsakes and grapple with grief, Nelly accidentally meanders into her mother’s past, finding her as a child (Gabrielle Sanz) who relishes in building forest forts, playing on the lake, and making crepes. Through their playtime, Nelly gets a very mature insight into the pain her mom is feeling in the present. The gentle pace and comfortable silences don’t submerge audiences in agony. Instead, Petite Maman allows us to join in the fun and growing pains of two little girls who are in a rush to grow up. 

Critics have cheered the simple but sublime drama crafted by Céline Sciamma, the celebrated writer-director of the rapturous lesbian romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Painted in calming hues of blue, green, and yellow, Petite Maman is a visual lullaby, its song sung by two child actresses who reject the cloying precociousness of American feel-good movies. Instead, they are reflective, occasionally giggling, but consistently compelling. After watching this one, you’ll definitely want to call your mom. 

How to watch: Petite Maman is now in theaters. 

If Mother’s Day isn’t a reason to celebrate: Hatching 

Credit: IFC Midnight

This eerie indie was one of our favorites out of Sundance. Director Hanna Bergholm spins a frightening fairy tale about a picture-perfect family destroyed by a mother’s unrelenting pressure. The home of this mommy-blogging influencer is precisely decorated in delicate details and pink pastels. Her children are tidy and industrious. But when adolescent gymnast Tinja (Siiri Solalinna) stumbles, her mother’s attention becomes a curse. Unexpectedly, the girl finds solace in nurturing an abandoned egg, which grows to the size of a suitcase before birthing a creepy critter. Despite its ugliness and the mess it makes, this creature becomes a child to Tinja. But as they grow close, its love for her leads to acts of protective violence. Nature versus nurture come into play as Tinja, her mother, and her hatchling barrel into a tale of deception, body horror, and mother-daughter destruction. 

This Finnish film is not for the faint of heart. But if you treasure the artfully unnerving, you’ll want to see what comes from this good egg of a horror story. 

How to watch: Hatching is now in theaters. 

If your relationship with your mother is complicated: The Northman

Credit: Aidan Monaghan / © 2022 Focus Features, LLC

Sure, it was only a few years ago that Nicole Kidman played Alexander Skarsgård’s wife in Big Little Lies. Yet now she’s playing his mother in The Northman. And before you grumble about sexism in Hollywood (I mean, you’re not wrong), be warned that Robert Eggers’ film adaptation of the 10th-century Viking legend is aware of how unsettling that memory might be for Kidman fans. That’s part of its twisted point. 

Kidman plays this mother role first when her princeling Amleth is just a boy, giddily farting with his father (Ethan Hawke) and readying to lead their people as a conquesting warlord. Once the king’s brother (Claes Bang) sweeps in for some fratricide/regicide, young Amleth flees as his mother is dragged off to the usurper. Years later, he is grown, burly, played by Skarsgård, and raring to return to his homeland to avenge his father, murder his uncle, and rescue the mother he idolized. But this mother-son reunion is less heartwarming and more blood-curdling. 

How to watch: The Northman is now in theaters. 

If you fear becoming your mother: Umma 

Credit: Sony

Funny enough, this is another recent release starring Sandra Oh as a mother of a daughter eager to strike out on her own. In Umma, Oh stars as Amanda, a Korean-American beekeeper, who lives off the grid with her teen daughter/best friend Chris (Fivel Stewart). Theirs is a quiet life, sweet as honey. That is until Chris starts talking about going off to college. Then to make matters worse, an unexpected visitor arrives with news that Amanda’s umma has died and left her a dubious suitcase of keepsakes. Now, Amanda is haunted by the past she’d tried to escape. Strange and scary visions plague her. As her daughter grows up and away from her, Amanda must confront her feelings about her own mother, and her greatest fear: becoming just like her.

Writer/director Iris K. Shim explores generational trauma, guilt, and the dark side of mother-daughter bonds in this haunted house horror movie with a distinctive vision and emotional depths.

How to watch: Umma is now available on VOD.

If you just want to kick back and laugh: The Lost City 

Credit: Paramount Pictures

Motherhood is not a theme of this action-comedy. But made in the footsteps of Romancing the Stone, The Lost City is guaranteed to give any mom an enchanting getaway. Sandra Bullock stars as a romance novelist who’s sick to death of doing publicity appearances with the cover model of her bodice rippers. But Alan (Channing Tatum) is more than a bulging pair of pecks and a pretty face! When she’s abducted by a tyrannical billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) — in search of an ancient artifact — Alan plunges into jungles unknown to be the hero he’s posed as for all her books. 

Stocked with affable stars, playful jokes, and comical action, and laced with a lusty (but PG-13) love story, The Lost City is the kind of movie mom might enjoy with some popcorn and a glass of wine. So maybe sneak her in a bottle. 

How to watch: The Lost City is now in theaters.