A Mother's Love: Magnificent Movie Moms

A movie fest with Mothers in mind -- but, right off the bat...there'll be no discussion of Mommy Dearest here. For those of you that have seen it, enough already. For those of you that haven't, well, I'm just not into that one for inclusion here.

But I'll try to cover new movies, old ones, musical ones, tearjerker ones, period ones and funny ones. Not an authoritative sort of list by any means...but a good sampling, I hope you'll like my picks.

Now, when Bette Midler's movie persona comes to mind...lots of movie buffs zero in on The Rose, her famous breakthrough role, or Beaches, where if you're stretching it, motherhood is a crucial element of this classic chick flick. But, Bette's done her fair share of being a mom on film. For the Boys, Stella, Down and Out in Beverly Hills and even First Wive's Club all show the Divine Miss M as a good ol' mom. From where I'm sitting, start with For the Boys. Of those mentioned here it's got to be Bette at her mom-best, a dramatic role where we also get to watch her sing. As a WWII widow raising a son and working as a singer/comedienne, Bette's character is a completely dedicated mother who ... oops almost gave away the story to any of you out there who haven't seen this one. But whether you're interested in mother-movies or not, take this one for the musical performances where Midler grabs the screen and doesn't let go! (Rockin': "Stuff Like That There," Tender: "P.S. I Love You" and the Beatles' "In My Life")

Terms of Endearment (1983)where Shirley MacLaine plays one of the most irritating mother roles in the entire genre of mommy-movies. So irritating, yet so dedicated, really have the entire box of tissues with you alongside the popcorn...she won an Oscar for this one. Then again in 1990, when MacLaine paired up with Meryl Streep in Postcards From the Edge as one of those infuriating mothers that's guaranteed to give a grown daughter a migraine or two. But just like our real mother's...we adore her all the same. In her role as mom in 1977's The Turning Point, MacLaine plays a ballet dancing mom who struggles with long time competitor Anne Bancroft over MacLaine's daughter. Then, there's Mrs. Winterbourne, where MacLaine is loving but no-nonsense to Ricky Lake. Of the four, Postcards my favorite for MacLaine as Mom. It's a lot of mothering for an actess so adored as the adorable hooker in her earlier career.

I'm betting this one would have been overlooked by many of you: Woody Allen's Interiors (1978) is just about the slowest, most depressing, yet sorta brilliantly photographed and conceived...whatta the girls do when momma's really depressed! Geraldine Page received an Oscar nomination for best actress, but what a dreary dreary way to spend an afternoon. Included here because I've always remembered it...it's just that memorable in its artsiness. A warning here...be sure you're current with your anti-depression meds before you sit down with this one! ( LOL )

Julie Kavner (the voice of Marge Simpson) in Nora Ephron's This is My Life. Kavner plays a Brooklyn-ish single mom with two daughters who strives to keep her focus on her dream of becoming a stand-up comedienne while her older daughter just wants a "normal" mom. With Carrie Fisher and Dan Akroyd.

Cher's mother role in Mermaids (1990) is pretty much in the same genre. Offbeat mom, sarcastic struggling teen. When it comes to playing mom, Cher can't possibly top her performance in Mask. Cher might have won her Oscar for Moonstruck, but she was great in this complex role. Winona Ryder plays the unhappyp teen daughter here.

For funny, a favorite movie-mom-role was Goldie Hawn's in Overboard.

For a double mom hit, you can't do better than Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts in StepMom. For the best in grieving mom scene, it's Sally Fields in Steel Magnolias.

And we shouldn't forget Fields again for her role in Forest Gump.

Helen Hunt as the totally stressed out mom in As Good As It Gets, and even Jennifer Lopez's sweet maid-mom in Maid in Manhattan or her commando mom role in Enough. Diane Keaton, pictured above as a daughter, was the perfect foil as mom to Steve Martin's Father of the Bride and a funny, sweet, befuddled toddler-toting workaholic mom in Baby Boom.

Keaton continues as mom in Something's Gotta Give, Because I Said So and in The Family Stone.

Mary Steenburgen and Dianne Wiest both were great mom roles in Steve Martin's Parenthood.

For a Fifties take on motherhood, there's Joan Allen in Pleasantville. And for outrageous mom performances, can anyone top Laine Kazan? She was the mother in My Favorite Year, Beaches, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding ! And fantastic in each role!

Seems that although the press talks a lot about the film industry's focus on movies for the 13-year-old demographic, there's still lots of great mom roles being created. Speaking as one myself, Yeah!

(Information here, especially dates, that I didn't remember myself came from Wikipedia)

Now take a look at Fabulous Fathers on Film !

And for the latest "mom" movie, check out http://hubpages.com/hub/Mamma-Mia-Movie Enjoy!