Girl Week 2017: Our Favourite Mothers in Movies


For the third year in a row, Dell at Dell on Movies is hosting Girl Week, a blogathon that celebrates women in films starting from November 20 to November 26. He’s aiming to post every day (so make sure to check out his blog daily), and so am I. Today being the only exception (Monday is franchises day), every day, from the 21st to the 26th, I’m going to review movies about women.

To be honest though I had a different idea for the first day of Girl Week 2017 from the moment Dell announced it. It’s my mother’s birthday today and that’s why I decided to dedicate this day to moms in movies. Not any moms, but some of our, my mom and I's, favourites.

So let’s start, shall we? 

Leigh Anne Tuohy, The Blind Side – played by Sandra Bullock


She is a fierce and protective mother who takes in an almost homeless teenager abandoned by his mother, but a roof over his head isn’t the only thing she gives him. She loves and pushes him as one of her own kids (she already has two) and she helps him understand the talent he has on the football field and reach a professional level of American football.

Mrs Gump, Forrest Gump – played by Sally Field


Having a kid like Forrest Gump is easily one, if not the most challenging thing for a mother, but nothing can stop Mrs Gump from getting what she wants for her kid, like getting Forrest into public school. Also, she teaches him that he could do and be anything.


Aibileen Clark, The Help - played by Viola Davis


Although technically she is not Mae Mobley’s mother, she is definitely the mother figure to the little girl. Aibleen lost her son but that doesn’t prevent her from loving and caring for her. She always makes sure she knows how special she is and to make her feel loved.


Donna Sheridan, Mamma Mia – played by Meryl Streep


She got pregnant at 20, she didn’t know who the father of her baby was and her bigoted mother kicked her out of the house but she wasn’t discouraged. She started a new life, raised a wonderful young woman all by herself and she didn’t stop being fun.

I'm not sure if this fits so I'll post something else later this week. Anyway, what are your favourite movie moms? 

12 comments :

  1. It works for me. There are some great ladies here. Ms. Gump is my fave of the bunch. So many other great movie moms, too. Off the top of my head, there's Ms. Incredible (The Incredibles), Mrs. Turnblatt and Motormouth Maybelle (Hairspray), Amelia (The Babadook). Thanks for contributing this.

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  2. Yes! I absolutely adore Mrs. Gump. She's the perfect example of that relentless strength that a lot of moms have, especially when it comes to their kids. Great pick. (Same with SB in The Blind Side)

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  3. Any thoughts on Bad Moms 2?

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    1. I haven't seen it yet. And I'm not that excited about it.

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  4. I think it's sweet you went with a mom theme on your mom's birthday! I love this idea. Aibeleen was a better mother than well..every other mother on screen in that movie. lol

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    1. True! Celia (Jessica Chastain) would have made a good mom though.

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  5. Some great picks here and I love that you picked The Help because she was a better mom to that child than the real mom. I think of Stella Dallas with Barbara Stanwyck who does everything to make sure her daughter gets a better life. So Big is another film that was made 3 times about a self sacrificing mother. Johnny Belinda is an excellent film about a deaf mute girl who is raped, becomes pregnant and loves her child unconditionally. There is also Mildred Pierce played by Joan Crawford about a mother who does everything for her spoiled rotten brat of a daughter.

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    1. I have never heard of any of these movies but now I want to see them. Johnny Belinda sounds terrific.

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  6. Nice approach to the theme. First of all happy (now belated) birthday to your Mom. I didn't love all these movies, and I HATE Forrest Gump with a passion, but all the performances are good ones and as mother figures go they are all ace. My favorite of these would be Aibileen but that might be because that's the film I liked best of the lot.

    Speaking of Sally Field I'd choose M'Lynn from Steel Magnolias as a great mother. She and Shelby had a very real relationship, loving but spiky.

    Otherwise I'd say:

    Annie Johnson's mother to the troubled Sarah Jane in Imitation of Life.

    Debbie Reynolds's ditsy but loving Beatrice Henderson in Mother.

    Mary Astor as Anna Smith in Meet Me in St. Louis.

    Shirley MacLaine's difficult but ferocious Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment.

    Though she's been played by several actresses (Spring Byington, Susan Sarandon and Mary Astor again to name a few) that paragon of strength and rectitude Marmee in all versions of Little Women.

    And I second all of Birgit's suggestions. Johnny Belinda is excellent-Jane Wyman won her Best Actress Oscar for it.

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    1. Thank you! I haven't seen any of those, but I guess I'll have to now. Those women sound incredible!

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