When I watch certain movies, I’ll make a note to rewatch them later with my mom. There are specific films with that mother and daughter/son dynamic or family struggles that are better if I watch them with her. If you’re like me and are due for a movie night with your mom, here are six flicks you two can bond over. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Disclaimer: This movie has a comedic scene involving adult toys.

Depending on how comfortable you are watching the most ridiculous movie of the decade with your mom in the room, this is a great one to watch together. Unlike most of the films on the list, this movie focuses mainly on the mother’s perspective on the world and her family, which is something we don’t always see in these stories.

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Evelyn, played by Michelle Yeoh, is trying to manage her family business and her family. She is in the middle of tax season, planning a party, pleasing her own father and trying to figure out her moody daughter. Suddenly, her life takes an unexpected twist. All at once, she has to be everywhere and do everything. As if doing that with her business and family wasn’t enough, now she has to do it across all timelines to save her daughter and family.

You can stream Everything Everywhere All at Once on Showtime.

When Marnie Was There

You might know this film as everyone’s least favorite Studio Ghibli movie. While I know I’m not selling you on the movie yet, consider this when you watch it: many people go into this film expecting a romance between the two main characters; maybe even the characters themselves were expecting something like that. However, when you approach this flick expecting a lost little girl to discover the truth about her family and to learn she was always loved, it is fantastic.

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Based on the novel sharing the same name, When Marnie Was There is a fantastic story about family secrets and learning to love yourself. The vibes are similar to the dramas you’ll see playing on the Hallmark channel, with the bonus of being visually stunning. It’s possibly one of the best Ghibli movies ever and a great watch with your mom.

You can stream When Marnie Was There on HBO Max.

Turning Red

When I first watched Turning Red, I shut it off halfway through because I knew I HAD to show it to my mom. I think many people can relate to the overprotective nature of the mother, Ming, and the desperate, pleasing personality of the daughter, Meline. Maybe not to the same extent or in the same way, but most mothers long to desperately protect their children, while most children want their parents to be happy and proud.

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In the movie’s second half, Meline feels resentment toward her mother. It isn’t until she can truly understand what her mother went through and why she wants to protect Meline from certain things that they can repair their relationship.

You can stream Turning Red on Disney+. 

Lady Bird

If you haven’t seen this movie, maybe you’ve seen a GIF of one of the most iconic scenes. When Lady Bird rolls out of her mother’s moving car in an act of defiance, many people might wonder, “Who would do that?” and think this film is unrealistic. Clearly, it’s too extreme, and no one actually does that. Well, I did that. To me, the extreme behavior on the daughter’s side and the intense frustration on the mother’s make it all the more realistic and relatable. 

Growing up, I gave my mom a lot of sh*t that we now laugh about. If you thought you knew everything and look back and cringe at how you acted, this movie’s for you. 

You can stream Lady Bird on Showtime. 

Wolf Children

Okay, the watchability of Wolf Children depends greatly on if you’re open to watching anime with werewolf kisses. If you or your mom were a fan of Twilight, you’d probably be cool with this one. These children are like werewolves. Not the kind of werewolf we see in most media where they half transform for the full moon; they transform into actual wolves. 

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Despite the magic, it is a highly relatable movie for mothers and their adult children. Wolf Children, at its core, is about a mother, Hana, struggling to raise two children. She moves to the countryside and tries to give them the best life she possibly can, but without family or a support system, things are rocky. Raising kids isn’t easy, but she does her best with what she has, and that’s all we can ever ask from a mom.

This title is currently not available for streaming. You can buy the DVD on Amazon or rent it from your local library.

The Farewell

Mothers take care of everyone and, sometimes, everything. That couldn’t be more true for the grandmother in The Farewell. While living with terminal cancer, she still works hard to make sure her grandchild’s wedding goes off without a hitch. She toils endlessly for her family and is concerned about them when they look tired or sick.

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This is the story of a grandmother who doesn’t know she is dying and a granddaughter who wants to say goodbye. But how do you say goodbye to someone who doesn’t know they’re leaving? This will make you cry, so bring a box of tissues and a blanket to the couch.

You can stream The Farewell on FuboTV or for free with your library card on Kanopy. 

Get the popcorn and blankets; you’re now ready for a fantastic movie night with your mom. Which film are you dying to see first? Sound off in the comments below!

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