Call your mother already. And then what? With stay-at-home orders in place and everyone’s health at risk due to COVID-19, the annual afternoon brunches and family gatherings are out of the question. Besides, how is she supposed to see your smiling face behind a mask? But that doesn’t mean you still can’t take Mom to the movies (sort of). Consider this playlist for the perfect Mother’s Day movie marathon. Maybe you (and other family members) can even Zoom in to watch it with her. Bonus points for having her favorite snacks delivered to her door.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Streaming on: Disney Plus
One of the most popular and enduring movies of all time (literally — in adjusted dollars, its box office gross is more than $2 billion), this 1965 Best Picture Oscar winner has everything you could want in a movie for Mom: rapturous music, breathtaking mountain scenery, an aloof but charismatic aristocrat, looming peril in the form of Nazis and a family that needs a woman to pull them all together. Julia Andrews stars as the young nanny who takes charge of seven motherless children and ends up being much more to them — and their father. Odds are you have already seen this classic with your mom. But really, why not again? FOR AGES: 6 and up
MAMMA MIA! and MAMMA MIA!: HERE WE GO AGAIN
Streaming on: Hulu
ABBA songs, Greece and Meryl Streep — how can Mom possibly resist? Amanda Seyfried stars as Sophie, a young woman who invites three strangers (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard) to her wedding after learning one of them is her father. Music (including the title track) and romance ensue along with the predictable emotional fireworks between Sophie and her mother (Streep). As a bonus, the sequel introduces Cher. FOR AGES: 12 and up
STEPMOM
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
Julia Roberts stars as a woman planning to marry an older man (Ed Harris) while struggling to be accepted by the two children he shares with his less-than-warm ex-wife (Susan Sarandon). But what begins as a family dramedy emerges as a five-star salute to motherhood when the unexpected happens. Prepare tissues and your ugly crying face. FOR AGES: 12 and up
CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN
Streaming on: Disney Plus
There is nothing a mom loves more than confirmation everything would fall apart without her. Which is more or less the plot of this family farce about a couple (Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt) with 12 children who move to the big city after he gets a job coaching his alma mater’s football team. But life is truly thrown into disarray when she goes on a tour to promote her new book, leaving her husband and the kids to fend for themselves. FOR AGES: 10 and up
LADYBIRD
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
This tender, affecting coming-of-age drama follows the volatile, bittersweet relationship between a creatively-inclined high school senior (Saoirse Ronan), who dreams of leaving her hometown of Sacramento for somewhere more cultured, and her strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf). The film was nominated for multiple Oscars, including for Best Picture, Best Actress (Ronan), Best Supporting Actress (Metcalf) and Best Director (Greta Gerwig). FOR AGES: 16 and up