This week You! shares a few films that feel right for a Mother’s Day watch, each offering something different to watch with your mom…
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As Mother’s Day rolls around each year, falling on 10th May this year, the usual
routine often takes over, flowers picked in a rush, a last-minute card, maybe a quick lunch squeezed into a busy day. But the truth is, time spent together matters more than anything wrapped in paper. Sometimes, the easiest way to slow down and connect is to sit side by side, press play and let a story do the talking. Motherhood never comes in one fixed shape. It shows up in biological ties, in chosen families, in grandmothers who raise entire households, in doting aunts who are often like your second mom and even in the strength women find within themselves. This list leans into all of that, the messy, funny, emotional and deeply human sides of it, through films that capture what it really means to love, argue, grow and still come back to each other. This week You! shares a few films that feel right for a Mother’s Day watch, each offering something different to watch with your mom…
Lady Bird
Growing up often feels like wanting to run in the opposite direction of everything that shapes you. That push and pull sits at the heart of ‘Lady Bird’, where Saoirse Ronan plays a restless teenager desperate to escape her hometown and, in many ways, her mother.
Laurie Metcalf’s portrayal of a hardworking, sharp-tongued mother grounds the film. Their relationship feels tense, filled with small arguments, misunderstandings and moments that linger long after they end. Yet underneath it all, there is a steady love neither quite knows how to express. Watching it with your mother changes the experience slightly. Lines that once felt dramatic suddenly feel familiar, even uncomfortably close to home and the silences between arguments start to say more than the dialogue itself. It becomes less about the character and more about recognising pieces of your own relationship on screen.
Freakier Friday
Life rarely stays simple and this sequel leans into that reality with more layers and a slightly more complicated family dynamic. Years after the original chaos, the story returns with body swaps, misunderstandings and a fresh look at motherhood. Lindsay Lohan’s Anna is no longer the rebellious teenager; she is now navigating life as a mother herself. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Tess, adding warmth and humour, while new characters bring fresh energy into the mix. With multiple body swaps, things get messy quickly, but also surprisingly insightful. Watching it with your mother adds another layer to the experience. The idea of literally stepping into each other’s lives feels less like fantasy and more like a reminder of how often both sides misunderstand each other and how much easier things might be if that gap was just a little smaller.
The Life List
Grief arrives quietly, but the way people deal with it often takes unexpected turns. In ‘The Life List’, a young woman is left with one final request from her mother, complete a list of dreams she wrote as a teenager in order to receive her inheritance. What starts as a simple condition soon turns into a journey through forgotten ambitions, unresolved emotions and the parts of herself she has long ignored. As she works her way through each item, she begins to reconnect not only with her past but also with the lessons her mother tries to leave behind. It’s the kind of film that feels different when your mother is right there beside you. The story gently nudges you to think about the conversations you haven’t had yet, the things you’ve put off saying and the soft ways mothers try to shape their children’s lives long before they realise it.
Mother of the Bride
Weddings are supposed to be joyful, but this one comes with baggage that refuses to stay in the past. When a daughter returns home with sudden engagement news and very little time to plan, her mother is thrown straight into chaos. Things spiral when the groom turns out to be connected to someone she once loved and lost. Set against a destination wedding, the film leans into awkward reunions, unresolved emotions and the kind of drama only family can create. Brooke Shields and Miranda Cosgrove play off each other with ease, bringing both humour and tension to a story that keeps escalating. It’s the kind of film that lands better when you’re watching it together, because the absurdity of the situation feels funnier when you can both laugh at it in real time, especially the parts that hit a little too close to how families actually behave under pressure.
Monster-in-Law
Some relationships come with a competitive edge and this one turns it into full-blown comedy. ‘Monster-in-Law’ takes the classic tension between a woman and her future mother-in-law and pushes it to hilarious extremes. Jennifer Lopez’s Charlie finds herself caught in a battle of wills with Jane Fonda’s Viola, who is determined to sabotage the relationship at any cost. What follows is a series of over-the-top encounters, clever tricks and moments that push both characters to their limits. It’s an easy, light watch, but one that becomes even more entertaining when you’re sitting with your own mother, trading looks at the more dramatic moments and silently agreeing that real life, thankfully, doesn’t always reach these extremes, even if it occasionally comes close.
Nonnas
Food often becomes the simplest way love shows up in everyday life and ‘Nonnas’ leans fully into that idea. Inspired by a true story, the film follows a man who, after losing his mother, decides to honour her by opening a restaurant run entirely by grandmothers. Each of these women brings her own history, personality and recipes into the kitchen, creating something far bigger than just a place to eat. It becomes a space filled with warmth, memory and the kind of care that comes from years of lived experience. Watching it with your mother turns it into something softer and more personal. The small gestures, cooking, serving, remembering, start to feel familiar, echoing the subtle ways love shows up at home, often without being acknowledged.
