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Relatable Mom Quotes from On-Screen Moms We Love

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Many of us wouldn’t be where we are today without the leading ladies in our lives — our moms.

If you’re looking for the perfect way to celebrate yours this Mother’s Day, check out our collection of shows and movies about moms that capture the essence of motherhood and give us a peek inside their world. Plus, we’re featuring our favorite mom quotes spoken by and about some truly iconic, relatable, and inspiring on-screen moms.

Mother’s Day Movies About Moms

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Jennifer Lopez, and Brooklyn Decker starring in What to Expect When You’re Expecting

“Making a human is really hard. I have no control over my body or my emotions.” —Wendy, What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Reason number one to celebrate your mom: making a human is really hard. That’s why it only makes sense to start your Mother’s Day movie marathon with What to Expect When You’re Expecting, a relatable comedy that follows five couples who are working through the challenges of impending parenthood.

Watch: What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Where’d You Go Bernadette

Cate Blanchett posing in a trench coat and sunglasses in Where’d You Go Bernadette.

“Sleep? What’s that?” —Bernadette, Where’d You Go Bernadette

Bernadette does it all. She’s a supermom and, like so many moms, she fell into a pattern of putting everyone else’s needs before her own. Starring Academy Award®-winning actress Cate Blanchett, Where’d You Go Bernadette follows Bernadette’s journey to rediscover herself outside of motherhood.

Watch: Where’d You Go Bernadette

Terms of Endearment

“Okay, you’re allowed to say one mean thing to me a year. That’ll do until you’re 10.” —Emma, Terms of Endearment

Another Mother’s Day weekend must-watch is the ’80s dramedy Terms of Endearment, which centers on a special mother-daughter bond between Aurora (Shirley MacLaine) and Emma (Debra Winger). The classic film, which won several Oscars® and Golden Globe Awards®, follows the duo through life’s ups and downs over 30 years.

Watch: Terms of Endearment*

*Terms of Endearment requires STARZ® on Hulu add-on subscription. 

Terms of Endearment © 1983 Paramount Pictures. STARZ and related channels and service marks are the property of STARZ Entertainment, LLC. All other titles and related trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Mother

Women in nature staring off into the distance

“My son didn’t do it.” —Mother, Mother

Never underestimate a mother’s love.

The best moms stand by their children no matter what, and would go to the ends of the earth to protect them. From the director of the four-time Academy Award®-winning film Parasite comes the Korean drama Mother, following one woman’s fight to clear her son’s name after he was accused of a heinous crime.

Watch: Mother

TV Shows About Moms

This Is Us

title art for the NBC drama This Is Us, featuring Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, and cast

“When you’re a mom, you get a front row seat to the best show in town: Watching your kids grow up.” —Rebecca, This Is Us

The heartwarming series This Is Us centers on the Pearson triplets and their parents, Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia). The Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning NBC series captures the family’s intense bond through several phases of life.

Watch: This Is Us

Little Fires Everywhere

Title art for Little Fires Everywhere, featuring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.

“I take motherhood for granted sometimes. That they’ll love you forever. That they’ll love you at all.” —Elena, Little Fires Everywhere

Motherhood is the focal point of the Hulu Original drama Little Fires Everywhere. Based on the popular book by Celeste Ng, the miniseries centers on Elena Richardson (Reese Witherspoon) and Mia Warren (Kerry Washington), two mothers whose polarizing views of the world create, quite literally, little fires everywhere.

Discover more movies based on books streaming now.

Watch: Little Fires Everywhere

The Handmaid’s Tale

June (Elisabeth Moss) swaddling baby Nichole in The Handmaid’s Tale.

“Raise your daughter to be a feminist. She spends all her time waiting to be rescued by men.”—June, The Handmaid’s Tale

Another Hulu Original centered on motherhood, The Handmaid’s Tale follows one woman’s fight to escape the dystopian society of Gilead, where women are treated as second-class citizens. June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) leads a resistance to free her daughter, Hannah, and other children from a life of oppression.

Check out the Beginner’s Guide to The Handmaid’s Tale for everything you need to know before diving into Hulu’s Emmy®-winning sci-fi drama.

Watch: The Handmaid’s Tale

Mom

Allison Janney and Ana Faris sitting on the couch in the show Mom.

“I’m just here as your mother. I’d rather not get involved.” —Bonnie, Mom

Moms have this special, loveable way of inserting themselves into their children’s problems — and the hit series Mom captures that dynamic perfectly. Starring Emmy® Award-winner Allison Janney and Anna Faris, the CBS sitcom follows a hilarious mother-daughter duo working to get their lives on track.

Watch: Mom

Better Things

Title art for the FX show Better Things, featuring wall art photos of a woman and her three daughters.

“You just…you get up and you do your best.” —Sam, Better Things

Mother-daughter dynamics are always entertaining, so you can imagine the hilarity that would ensue in a story about a single mom raising her three daughters in Los Angeles. Don’t miss the award-winning FX comedy series Better Things.

Watch: Better Things

Looking for more titles that deliver strong female vibes? Check out our Guide to Women Empowerment Movies & Shows.


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