In a time where representation is very important in our entertainment market, it should be to no surprise that single mothers are seen more on the big screen. Single mother roles are on the rise as of late and I am very proud to say that WE ARE MAKING IT!!
Anyone else tired of seeing the damsel in distress? Well, mothers are moving on up!! Moms, we are living our best lives and checking ourselves out in the mirror like Drake said: “that’s a real one in your reflection without a follow, WITHOUT A MENTION”. As a fellow movie buff and a lover of this great thing called motherhood, I have created an awesome list filled with something from every genre of my top movies featuring single mothers in the lead role.
So let’s get into the list!
No. 5: Mamma Mia! The Movie
So I am jumping into the list with a 2008 musical movie that so many people have fallen in love with. Mamma Mia, starring Meryl Streep as Donna, and Amanda Seyfried as Sophie. This movie has a long list of supporting cast members that create a really colorful, campy blend that is Mamma Mia!
The whole movie is set on a very small colorful Greek island, where Sophie is set to get married but unfortunately does not know her father due to her mother dating three different men at around the same time. SCANDALOUSSS!!
What does Sophie do? Well, she invites all three men who show up and Donna is shocked that they are there. We follow Sophie and we meet her handsome finance, get to watch her spend time with all the men that could be her father, and her internal struggle with whether she wants to truly get married.
There are great scenes with Donna as she spends time with her two best friends and they reminisce about old times, deal with the emotions of being shocked she has three ex-lovers that pop up and watch as there are some very flirtatious boy-toy action amongst two of the characters. The movie ends with a very romantic twist and bam there you have it, Mamma Mia!
Why do I like it? I love it, because naturally, I love all things that are the Queen herself, Meryl Streep! But really I love the movie because overall I think Mamma Mia is a great coming of age film. I love the fact that it is really cheesy and has this tone of an easy carefree life: A mother who takes care of her daughter and they have this beautiful relationship. There is no bad blood just a good feelings throughout the entire movie.
No. 4: Terminator 2: Judgement Day
“Come with me if you want to live!”
A 1991 action-packed movie starring Linda Hamilton as Sarah Conner is a classic movie that truly was a staple for me growing up. The Terminator franchise was such a great franchise that even today it is still being made and continues to entertain and excite sci-fi fans around the world.
The premise behind the Terminator 2 continues the storyline from the first installment of the franchise. We see young John Connor who is found by both the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) who is the upgraded antagonist from the previous movie.
With John on the run for his life, he and T-800 break his mother (Sarah Connor) out of a mental hospital to essentially stop the… (Pause for dramatic effect) END OF ALL MAN AND RISE OF THE MACHINE!!
At the end of the movie, T-800 sacrifices himself and we are left to believe that this is the end of the future of machines trying to come back to take over the world.
Why do I like it? I love the movie because it was one of the first movies that I saw as a child and remember having the largest crush on young John Connor. The best part though is when Sarah Connor comes on screen and I remember as a child hearing people cheering and being very excited. At this point, it was like all the pieces had really come together for the movie. Then later we get to see this heroic mom doing whatever it takes to save her son and the future as a bonus perk!
No. 3: Enough
“You have a divine animal right to protect your own life and the life of your offspring.”
Flipping the script slightly we get to see actor Jennifer Lopez play in a thriller where yes she is a mom!
In 2002, the movie Enough was released and it was a great movie to see a woman and a mother deal with domestic abuse but go to great lengths to show when she has had enough!
Being in love is hard especially when you are in a domestic violence situation. When Slim Hiller finds herself being in a marriage that is not at all what she thought it would be, she tries to first take the legal way of getting out of her marriage. When she finds that route is not going to work for her she decides she has had enough and goes on the run. However, love is crazy and when she is found on the run by none other than her husband and then attacked she later goes to great lengths to never be found vulnerable again.
Why do I like it? It is inspirational watching a woman in a situation where she is not left hopeless when it is all said and done. For me, it was a great moment to not see a woman give up but to have hands on the wheel and take over her life. I love the scene when she is sprinting with her child in her arms because for me that was a mother with the fight to get her and her child to a safe place whatever the cost.
No. 2: The Joy Luck Club
Ever watched a movie because you were made to watch it but then realized that it was actually an awesome movie? That was the reality for me as a young adult when I was told I had been assigned this movie to watch.
A 1993 drama adapted from a book by Amy Tan where we follow the relationship between Chinese- American woman and their Chinese mothers. A lovely movie that stepped me out of my American culture and allowed me to truly have a love for the struggles of mothers before me.
This movie brings you to San Francisco where you see four women that have formed the Joy Luck Club where they play Mahjong. They reminisce over stories of the struggles that their mothers’ endured when coming to America for a better life for themselves and their daughters. Each story is told during the movie so you get to take a deeper look into each woman’s life. We also find out that there are anxieties when having to deal with coming from a Chinese culture but having to adapt to an American way and not forgetting where it is you came from.
Why do I like it? This film has rich family values that anyone can appreciate and a true door that opened up for the first time for me to have a bit of insight into a Chinese- American woman. With more and more of minority culture coming into the Hollywood scene, I think it is especially important to nod my head at the movie.
No. 1: Breaking In
In 2018 we are greeted with a different take on the American mother and hit with another thriller with lead Gabrielle Union playing Shaun Russell.
With so much technology on the rise could you imagine being locked into your own home and having to save your kids from a home invasion while you are on the outside? Breathe deeply moms because Shaun Russell, mother of two, shows exactly how to do that!
When Shaun Russell (Union) and her kids go to her recently passed father’s home to retrieve some of the items he has left inside, she is not prepared for the home invasion soon to come. As they are driving, she describes how her father’s home was built with some of the toughest security and smart house technology ever and it was like living in a prison. What the men inside the home do not realize is that Russell will stop at nothing to get her kids and in a breath-holding thriller we see what lengths she is willing to go to.
Why do I like it? I love the emotion that Union conveys throughout the movie as she seems very raw and I believe everything that she is going through. On top of that, I enjoyed most seeing a woman that does not give up and fights for her children.
So there you have it! 5 noteworthy movies that I truly do believe can inspire and bring forth emotion to any mother looking to find a relatable movie in their life. Although there are plenty of other movies that are out there I hope that these movies kick start you into the realm of the single mother lead!
