Mother’s Day is fast approaching and all children may now be thinking of the best gift to give to their moms. While giving her a bouquet of roses or a card may be a sound idea, one cannot deny the fact that roses and cards are generally a piece of a cliché. And while it is quite typical for moms to receive cards and roses on special occasions, there is a huge tendency for them to deem such gifts more of unremarkable than exceptional. Giving them material gifts may also be a good idea, but not all sons and daughters have enough in their pockets to afford items that their moms can surely appreciate. If you are looking for inexpensive ways to make Mother’s Day extra special, renting a DVD and watching a movie together with your mom and the rest of the family could be the best option you have. Aside from the fact that it is easy on the pocket, it is out of the ordinary since it is not every day that family members get to have some quality time together. Here is a list of the ten best movies to watch on Mother’s  Day:

 

10. Mother India (1957)

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A melodramatic movie about an impoverished woman who raised her son with dignity despite life’s challenges, Mother India was directed by Indian director Mehboob and starred Indian artists Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar. This movie was a remake of the movie of Mehboob Khan entitled Aurat which was staged in 1940 and featured a poor woman who struggled in raising her sons and eventually went on top of an evil money lender. Mother India is a good choice for Mother’s Day since it demonstrates the goddess-like example of mothers. Even today, this film is ranked among the top grossing movies of India and is often described as “an all-time Indian blockbuster.”

9. Steel Magnolias (1989)

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Shown in year 1989, Steel Magnolias was directed by Robert Harling and featured the story of the friendship of a bunch of women from a parish in the Natchitoches, Louisiana. This movie was starred by Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah, Shirley MacLaine and Julia Roberts and was based on a play that was staged two years prior to its showing, entitled Steel Magnolias. The director of the film, Robert Harling, was inspired to do the film following the death of his sister. He entitled the movie that way to suggest that women can be as delicate as magnolia flowers though they can also be as hard-hitting as steel.

8. Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)

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Directed by Shawn Levy, Cheaper by the Dozen was a story of a father who lived with his wife and his dozen kids while he was experiencing a grave struggle in his new job. This American family comedy film took its title from the biography of a man named Frank Bunker Gilbreth and his wife Lillian Maller Gilbreth who had a problem raising their twelve children. Both the title and the concept of a family having a dozen kids were greatly inspired by the story of the couple, though it greatly deviated from the original Cheaper by the Dozen book. The film was released in year 2003 and was produced by the 20th Century Fox.

7. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

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Starred by Hollywood stars Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Alfred Lutter III and Mia Bendixsen, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore featured the story of a woman who got widowed and had to find herself and her son a new life despite never ending difficulties. The main character in this film travelled with her preteen son through the American Southwest and tried to live anew by pursuing her career as a singer. This movie was directed by Martin Scorsese and  co-starred Diane Ladd, Leila Goldoni, Billy Green Bush, Jodie Foster, Vic Tayback and Harvey Keitel. It was in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore that Ellen Burstyn got her first Best Actress award from the Academy Awards.

6. Sophie’s Choice (1982)

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Directed by Alan J. Pakula, Sophie’s Choice featured the story of a woman who survived the Nazi concentration camps and was able to find a reason to live her life the way she used to in the character of a man named Nathan. This romantic drama movie starred Kevin Kline, Peter Mac Nicol, Rita Karin and renowned Hollywood actress Meryl Streep. In this film, Sophie was a Polish immigrant who fell in love with a sparkling lover and lived under the same roof as a young writer from Brooklyn. Sophie’s Choice won Meryl Streep one of her earliest Academy Awards for Best Actress as it is considered even today as one of her finest performances in the silver screen.

5. Gypsy (1962)

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An American musical film that was staged in 1962, Gypsy was based on a Broadway hit that featured the life of a burlesque dancer named Gypsy Rose Lee together with her stage mother Mama Rose. This movie was film-produced and directed by Mervyn Leroy and was an adaptation of a stage musical that was completed by 1959 entitled Gypsy: A Musical Fable by Arthur Laurents. This play was also adopted from another earlier play entitled “Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee. The 1959 adaptation of this play was starred by Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Rosalind Russell and Paul Wallace and featured the songs of renowned composer Jule Styne.

4. Forrest Gump (1994)

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A popular 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film that featured Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise, Forrest Gump was about a man named Forrest Gump—a not so intelligent man who accidentally got involved in several historic moments. It generally depicted several decades in the life of the naive and stupid Forrest Gump who also happened to witness and influence some of the most defining events of the 20th century. This movie was well received by critics and became one of the top grossing films of the 20th century. It was later adapted into a television series which expanded to several countries worldwide. In total, Forrest Gump sold more than 8 million copies around the world.

3. Erin Brockovich (2000)

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Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Erin Brockovich featured the story of an unemployed single mother who eventually became a legal assistant. The main character in this movie was able to bring down a giant California-based power company that was accused of polluting the water supply of the city. Erin Brockovich starred Albert Finney, Dawn Didawick, David Brisbin and Julia Roberts who played the role of Erin. In real life, this character fought against the US West Coast Energy Corporation Pacific Gas and Electrical Company. This film can be an excellent choice for Mother’s Day since it demonstrates the empowerment of women in the 20th century.

2. Volver (2006)

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A 2006 Spanish thriller film that was written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, Volver was about the story of a mother who died and returned to her home town in spirit as she sought to fix the tough situation she was not able to resolve within her family when she was still alive. Starred by actress Penelope Cruz, this movie featured a family of women from Madrid, including a working woman named Raimunda and her daughter Paula, as well as the mother of Raimunda and the acting head of the family, Irene. Volver successfully tackled several themes such as sexual abuse, death and magic realism and was originally adopted from the film entitled The Flower of My Secret.

1. Terms of Endearment (1983)

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Directed by James L. Brooks, Terms of Endearment was a drama film that was shown in 1983 and was adapted from the Larry Mc Murtry novel that starred Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine. The movie featured the three decades of relationship between a mother named Aurora Greenway and her daughter Emma. Terms of Endearment is the best movie to watch this Mother’s Day as it tackles how far a mother can go for the love of her daughter.