20 Movies Ideas for Moms and Daughters to Watch Together

Enjoying a movie with friends or family is always an enjoyable time to relax and be entertained. It can also be a great bonding experience. For mothers and daughters, the right movie can be fun and a great way to connect. Movies often have life messages embedded in them. Such movies are a go-to if there’s a message to be conveyed by either the mother or the daughter but can’t seem to say it out loud. TV series are also a great way to spend time together with your mom, and you can discuss fascinating facts about the shows.

So let’s agree that watching movies together is a great way to strengthen the bond with your loved ones (mothers and daughters). But why go the extra mile to strengthen the bond? Why is it so important?

Importance of a Good Mother-Daughter Relationship

The first role model of a young girl is mostly her mother. On the other hand, daughters are a reflection of their mothers. The proper understanding between a mother and her daughter is essential for the daughter to mould every other relationship in her life. Young girls learn the appropriate ways to tackle the challenges the world throws at them from their mothers. Fathers can’t always communicate to their daughters how a mother can, and mothers are their daughters better guide on most things. 

As mentioned before, watching movies together can be an excellent way of strengthening the bond between loved ones. Here are some of the best movies for mothers and daughters to watch together:

1. Stepmom

This 1998 comedy-drama film that stars Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, and Ed Harris will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride. The movie star deals with her ex-husband’s new lover, who will eventually become her children’s new stepmother.

The plot is quite interesting as Julia Roberts who is representing the main character Isabel, gets engaged to a guy named Luke (Ed Harris). Being a divorcee, Luke has to face a rebellious attitude from his children towards his engagement with Isabel. That’s why Luke always tries to make peace with them. On the other hand, Luke’s ex-wife, Jackie, also loathes Isabel. But things take a new turn when Jackie finds out that she has cancer!

This film will make you see the power of a mother’s love and the things she would do for her children. It will also teach you that patience, understanding, and love are the foundation of a family. The movie shows to what extent a mother will go for her children, even if she’s separated from their father.

2. Freaky Friday

Freaky Friday is a comedy-fantasy film that stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. Freaky Friday portrays the bond between a single mother and her daughter. This movie is about a mom and her daughter getting a dose of each other’s reality when they accidentally switched bodies.

So, the plot is this mother daughter dual, Tess and anna never get along with each other. But an interesting thing happens when in an accident, their bodies somehow gets swapped with one and other and they have to experience each other’s lives. So, they realize both of them have been st

This movie will teach you how to understand and listen to each other because communication is an essential ingredient of a relationship. A boosted level of mutual respect is brought to the surface due to time spent in each other bodies. Freaky Friday is enjoyable to watch but holds a critical message in it as well.

3. Mamma Mia!

This musical-comedy film that features the songs of ABBA made Pierce Brosnan sing back to back with Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, and Stellan Skasgard. This movie is an adaptation of the Broadway hit of the same title. Mamma Mia! will make you believe that a wacky and wild true love can happen. The movie showcases an independent mother preparing for her daughters’ wedding. The daughter even makes an effort to find out about her father, who she hasn’t met in her lifetime. Sophie, the main character wanted to meet her father before her wedding. So, While doing wedding preparations, she invites three men in the hopes of getting reacquainted with her loving father. All in all, the movie holds great value when talking about the sacrifices a mother is willing to make for her daughter.

4. Brave

Brave is probably the best animated film that you should watch with your mom. This film features a Scottish princess named Merida trying to break feminine traditions in her kingdom against her mother’s wishes. One day, a spell turned Merida’s mother into a bear, and that’s how they learned that family is more important than anything in the world, and she understands the true importance of being “brave.” This movie puts forward the message of how important communication is between a mother and daughter, the slightest bit of miscommunication can ripple into a colossal mess in the relationship.

5. The Blind Side

This biographical drama movie earned Sandra Bullock an Academy Award for portraying Leigh Anne Tuohy, the real-life adoptive mother of Michael Oher.

In the Blind Side, a White family adopts Michael, a homeless African-American youngster, and works with him to overcome his academic challenges so he can thrive in American football. This movie truly depicts the struggles of this boy adjusting into a new environment and eventually developing a communication bond with her new parents.

This inspiring true story film will make you cry your heart out, and it will make you believe that there is still some good left in this crazy world. A homeless teenager is taken in by a loving and caring family. The Blind Side does an excellent job of delivering the message that being good to someone can go a long way. Watching this movie with your daughter or mother will secretly embed the sense of doing good to each other unconditionally.

6. Crazy, Stupid, Love

This romantic comedy film that stars Steve Carrell, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, and Ryan Gosling will remind you that love is not always perfect. This film will make you see the complicated truths of love and relationships. It displays an essential factor that most people overlook in relationships: things can go wrong in some way or the other. If things do go wrong, there’s no need to grieve over them for the rest of your life. Take a stride forward and live the rest of your life to the fullest. This movie holds an important message for a mother-daughter relationship as it will help convey messages without the need to speak about them. All in all, this movie will make you laugh and maybe shed a little tear.

7. Mermaids

This comedy-drama film stars Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder, and Cher. It is about a mother who has a larger-than-life personality and is raising two daughters from different fathers independently. And things get complicated when the three of them moved to a small town in Massachusetts. For most people, there comes a phase in your life when you get annoyed by the restrictions or instructions put on you by your parents. The same was the case in the movie, and the older daughter is upset by most things her mother does. Further in the film, we can see that accepting and understanding each other is the best option for the daughter. This movie shows that even when you don’t always get along with your mom and vice-versa, your family is always the most important thing in this world.

8. Akeelah and the Bee

Sometimes, your dreams and your mom’s dreams for you don’t align perfectly. This movie revolves around the same fact. The daughter is skilled in spelling out words, and she wants to glorify her skill and move on in life with it. The mother does not support her daughter in this process and has other plans, but the daughter still keeps true to her aim and finally makes it one day. As a daughter, this movie will teach you to aim high and work hard for your dreams despite what everyone says about you. As a mom, Akeelah and the Bee will guide you on how to support your child in every endeavor she decides to take.

9. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Play writer Siddalee offends her theatrical, Southern mother while candidly discusses her terrible upbringing. Their argument continues until some of her mother’s friends step in to resolve the matter once and for all!

This comedy-drama film will teach you how to understand and forgive each other even if you know that letting go is not easy to do, especially if there are deep-seated issues in your family. The main star of the movie has no problems telling about her unhappy childhood in an interview. The mother of the star ends up reading the interview and is furious to find out about it. The quarrels and issues go on for a long time until a mutual helps resolve them, eventually liquefying the distress and reuniting the mother and daughter. Divine secrets of the Ya-Ya sisterhood is the perfect film to watch if you want to reconnect with your mom.

10. Now and Then

Now and then is a coming-of-age film released in 1995, which stars Rosie O’Donnell, Melanie Griffith, Demi Moor, Christina Ricci, Rita Wilson, and Aston Moore. This film follows the story of four best friends as they grow up, grow apart and how they find their way back together to be there for one of their friend’s first pregnancies. During pregnancy, the support of a mother is the best thing you can ask for. Someone who has gone through a pregnancy can be your best guide to help you out through yours, and if that someone is your mother, you’re sorted out. This 90’s film is perfect for watching with your mom, who also happens to be your best friend and will most probably be there for you in your first pregnancy.

11. Real Women Have Curves

This 2002 comedy-drama film was America Ferrara’s debut role. Everyone goes through the puberty stage in their lifetime and may experience various bodily changes during this phase. It is crucial to have someone to support you through this phase of your life, and for a girl, her mother is the best option to help her. The star in this movie wants to go away to college and pursue her future, but her mother has other plans. With all this pressure on her and going through the puberty phase, she starts experiencing body changes that come forward as a challenge. She fights her way through all of these challenges and loves her body and herself for who she is. Watching this movie with your daughter or your mother will boost self-love and self-care. This film teaches that we should always love who and what we are.

12. Soul Food

A mother always plays a vital role in bringing everyone together, and getting everyone together once a week is no easy task. That’s why when Big Mama, the matriarch of a Chicago family, falls into a coma, her family struggled to stick together. The family goes through a hard time without big mama, and things start to deteriorate slowly. Still, they began to adjust their life without Big Mama as there was no other option. Soul food is an excellent movie to watch with your daughter or mother as it embodies the message that family comes first and how important your family can be even if you don’t realize it.

13. Steel Magnolias

This comedy-drama film will teach you how much you need your best friends by your side when things get rough. The emotional and physical support put through by a loved one can come in handy when going through rough patches in life. For most people, if someone puts in the effort to make them feel special when they’re at a low stage in life, they hold that person very close to you when that rough stage passes by. A mother knows you better than most people in your life and can help you better than most people. This movie shows the support of friends and your mother is your best friend if you think about it. You should watch this film with your mom to show her that no matter what, you two will always be each other’s best friends and that you will be there for each other no matter what happens.

14. Terms of Endearment

This 1983 film won five Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Writing, and Best Actress. Terms of Endearment shows the 30-year relationship between Aurora Greenway and her daughter Emma. The daughter marries a teacher against her mother’s wishes and eventually splits up with him. After the divorce, the daughter goes back to her mother. Emma develops health issues in which her ex-husband and her mother support her to the fullest extent. Terms of Endearment delivers a message of supporting your loved ones through tough times, even if there were prior disagreements on various issues. It teaches us that moms and daughters are always bound to disagree, but their bond and relationship will always be special.

15. Mrs. Doubtfire

Mrs. Doubtfire is a comedy-drama film that stars Pierce Brosnan, Sally Field, and Robin Williams. It follows the story of a separated father who disguises himself as a nanny to be close to his children again. Mrs. Doubtfire portrays a message that everyone can make mistakes, even if they’re your parents. The movie is entertaining to watch and has many secret messages hidden in it, a father disguising himself in the role of a nanny to be close to his children is wholesome and cute to see. Mrs. Doubtfire is a perfect film to watch with your daughter or mother to have a quick laughing session full of wholehearted scenes and plots. Watching an enjoyable movie together can help boost the bond with your mother.

16. Girl in Progress

This 2012 drama film is about mothers and daughters and the choices they make. It is not always simple to take out sufficient time for your daughter, especially if you’re a single mother who has to work her job and care for other needs of her life. With less time given to your daughter or mother, the bond between them can weaken but never break. The never-ending bond between a mother and daughter is precisely what this film tries to show to the audience. It is human nature to make mistakes along the way when dealing with loved ones, but making mistakes doesn’t necessarily mean we overlook the relationship with the person. Girl in Progress shows how strong a mom-and-daughter bond could be and that nothing can ever tear it apart, even if sometimes we make the wrong choices.

17. Bend it Like Beckham

This movie is a romantic comedy sports film that tells the story of an 18-year-old girl named Jess who plays football. Her parents don’t support her passion, and they did not like the idea of her playing football because she was a girl. But Jess still decided to follow her dreams against her parent’s wishes and gets into a semi-pro team. Jess hid all of the matches from her parents to stay true to her passion. It’s always tricky to try to fit in with other cultures or ethnicities, but this movie shows that if there was proper support, Jess could’ve accomplished a lot more and a lot quicker. Watching this movie with your mother will help the both of you understand the importance of accepting and supporting each other’s decisions throughout life.

18. The Joy Luck Club

This film is about four Chinese immigrant women who have adult Chinese-American daughters. It shows the hidden past of the older women and their daughters and how their lives were changed and shaped by the fusion of Chinese and American cultures as they try to understand each other. It is challenging for the mothers to understand and accept their changed daughters, who have now accepted the American traditions as their own. The joy luck club is a very informative film to watch with your mother as it shows that accepting your daughter or mother no matter what is the way to a healthy and solid relationship between a mother and daughter.

19. Beaches

This film tells the story of two best friends named Cecilia and Hillary, who met as kids while on vacation in Atlantic City. They had pursued different careers at different places, but they still manage to find the time to travel together and see each other when they needed to support the most. There is no doubt that there are quarrels and issues that arise in almost all relationships. The same was the case in this movie. Keeping all the problems aside, the two friends supported each other no matter how bad their prior fights and quarrels were. Watching this movie with your mother or daughter will help you both understand the importance of constant support in your relationship, even through rough patches.

20. Little Women

This movie tells the story of four young women growing up in New England with their strong and independent mother in the civil-war era. Together they face financial shortages, growing pains, family tragedies, and romantic rivalries. All four women make sure they work hard and earn a living for themselves, yet they never forget to support each other through any means possible. The main message this movie embodies is that no matter how distant you become or how busy in life you are, you should always be there to support your mother or daughter. Watch this film with your mother for a wholesome experience and grave messages to be learned.

The Takeaway

Who would’ve thought that watching movies with your mom or daughter could be so beneficial? Watching a movie together won’t only boost your bonds, but it is also a fun way to kill some time and take a break from everyday life. 

It’s time for you to plan a movie night with your mom or your daughter, and you always come back to our guide to pick out a movie to watch. 

The bond of a daughter and mother is unique, but what about the bond of a dad with his daughter? Dads are nothing less than a superhero to their daughters. Are you a dad who is wanting to strengthen the relationship with his daughter? Buy her a gift! Don’t know what gift to buy? Well, you’re in luck. Go through our guide on gifts for dad to give his daughter, and you’ll be one step ahead in the process. 

Wrapping Up!

Enjoying a movie with friends or family is always an enjoyable time to relax and be entertained.  It can also be a great bonding experience. For mothers and daughters, the right movie can be fun and a great way to connect. TV series are also a great way to spend time together with your mom and you can discuss interesting facts about the shows as well.  Here is a great list of movies that every mom and daughter should watch together.

It will not only make you enjoy your leisure time but will help in developing a stronger communication bond with your mother or daughter. To all the mothers and daughters out there, have a great movie time together since you all deserve this retreat once in a while!