Hollywood has given us a bundle of fuzzy, heartwarming moments celebrating the joys of motherhood -- many more than could ever be included in one single listicle! So, here's just a few old school classics that will make you appreciate your own mom even more this Mother's Day holiday weekend!
1. THE COMFORT FOOD MOM
What child doesn't love coming home and having mom whip up a tasty snack? Well, Debbie Reynolds sets the bar low here in the 1996 Albert Brooks mom-comedy, Mother -- yet, she's so darn cute that you could eat her up with a spoon!
2. COOL MOM
Since Mean Girls came out in 2004, this movie isn't really very old school; however, Amy Poehler's hilarious "Cool Mom" supporting character stole the show and will no doubt live on well past maternity! Here's a YouTuber's homage to Hipster Mommy Poehler all mashed up in one snazzy clip...
3. SEX TEACHER MOM
Every parent knows they're going to have to break out the ol' "birds and the bees" speech -- but Glenn Close takes it to another level in The World According to Garp when she solicits a prostitute for her son, young Robin Williams. Nothing like having a solid wingmama!
4. TOUGH LOVE MOM
Sometimes when you're not getting along with Dad, you need a wise Mom like Katharine Hepburn to give you a good old-fashioned, no-nonsense talking-to as she does here to Jane Fonda in On Golden Pond.
5. MERYL STREEP : GOOD MOM vs. BAD MOM
Sure, we all know that Ms. Streep is the greatest actress of our time. Nevertheless, in case you dare question her pre-Mamma Mia range, check out her powerful perfs in Sophie's Choice and Kramer vs. Kramer. (NOTE: The "I Can't Choose" moment from Sophie's Choice starts around the 2:12 mark below if you wish to skip ahead.)
6. EMBARRASSING MOM
Nobody does it better than Woody Allen when it comes to finding the humor in neurotic families. And his take on mother-son relations is especially revealing in this short, "Oedipus Wrecks", from New York Stories (1989).
7. COLD, DISTANT MOM
Mary Tyler Moore is a comedy legend from her TV sitcom days -- but she also shows off some serious dramatic Mom chops in this painfully awkward family portrait scene from Ordinary People.
8. HORRIBLE COMPETITIVE MOM
Yes, the "No more wire hangers!" line from Mommie Dearest has been done to death. So, here's another equally disturbing example of Faye Dunaway/ Joan Crawford's poor parenting skills in what has to be the world's worst swimming lesson ever...
9. MR. MOM MOM
Hey, not all moms follow traditional gender roles -- as we learned way back when from Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire, and the future Birdman himself, Michael Keaton!
10. GANGSTER MOM
You think your mom doesn't know when you're up to no good? She does. Moms know everything. Just ask Denzel...
11. DRUG BUDDY MOM
Unfortunately, not all of us are born with super awesome moms, and are lost...searching for someone to fill that hole, like Heather Graham's "Roller Girl" in Boogie Nights, when she tries to adopt her coke buddy-mother figure, Julianne Moore.
12. TEARJERKER MOM
Terms of Endearment probably did as much for mother-daughter relationships in the 80s, as Field of Dreams did for fathers and sons in the 90s -- and taught us even more about loss.
13. FLOWERS FOR MOM
Although Mother's Days may come and go, there's nothing like a crazy, squabbling Southern family ensemble to bring us all back together and make us smile again, Steel Magnolias-style!