Mothers Day Movies Gift Basket - Fun and Easy!
Mothers Day is celebrated on May 9th in many countries, including the United States and is the perfect day to watch a movie about moms and motherhood. One of the best homemade gifts for mom is a gift basket with a Mother’s Day movie theme. Older moms who don't go out to the movies as often really appreciate having the theater come to them! Here's how to make it:
1. Pick a basket or bag with a movie theme appearance. If you would like to purchase the basket or bag with the snack goodies in it, you will have many authentic options to choose from -- popcorn buckets, images of film reels, film tins, and clapboards. You can also make the basket or gift bag yourself.
Your local party supply store will be able to help you find the movie-themed supplies, and then just add her favorite snacks. For a traditional basket, you can choose popcorn, candy, soda or for a more upscale art house cinema basket, and include gourmet chocolate, cookies, coffee, or tea. If you plan to give or renew a subscription to online movie service such as Netflix, include the gift certificate in the basket! So easy! 3. Choose mom-themed DVD(s). You can either buy the DVD(s) and include it in the gift basket, or if you are on a budget, just rent. Stuck on which movies to pick? I've done your homework for you. Just read the list below on this page to find her favorite including many award-winners, comedies, dramas, classics, guilty pleasures, foreign films, and documentaries. All of these are easy gift to rent or buy online. Films are American unless I stated otherwise, and I have done my best to represent international films. I'll be adding more as Mother's Day approaches. All you need to do is pick the genre... Rated G - Great for All ViewersI Remember Mama (1948) Not rated This is the story of a middle-class immigrant Norwegian family living in 1900's San Francisco and their everyday challenges. Oscar nominee Irene Dunn plays the resourceful, and loving matriarch, Martha Hansen. This film is not rated, but content is appropriate for all ages. A great film to spark discussion about your own family tree.The Sound of Music (1965) G There may only be a few people left on the planet who haven't seen this classic musical, starring Julie Andrews as the wholesome Austrian singing governess who becomes a wife and mother to the Von Trapp family children. A good choice for moms to watch with young kids, especially those learning to sing. ComedyFreaky Friday (1976, 2003) PG Disney film with a silly supernatural twist where mom and daughter switch bodies and things go crazy. A “so-bad-it’s-good” guilty pleasure. Watch both and decide which version is funnier - the original with Jodie Foster or the modern take with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) PG My sisters (both moms) swear that even though at face value this is just a very amusing comedy about Lily Tomlin surviving becoming a miniaturized mom from exposure to household cleaners, there is a double meaning about motherhood as being a time when your own identity can “shrink” from the many needs of your husband and kids. You be the judge. 
Baby Boom (1987) PG Diane Keaton plays the ultimate power-yuppie mom of the 80’s who rethinks her life when she adopts a baby. This is another excellent, funny and touching film by director Harold Ramis.
Raising Arizona (1987) PG-13 Warped but hilarious story about an infertile couple’s desperate attempt to become parents by kidnapping a young boy from of a set of quintuplets. Holly Hunter plays the dysfunctional but loving Edwina who, “needs a toddler!” Mermaids (1990) PG-13 Quirky and silly with a few serious moments…Cher plays the wacky free-spirit Mrs. Flax and Winona Ryder as her faux-Catholic daughter. The Brady Brunch Movie (1995) PG-13 Here's a T.V. to movie adaption that really works. Clever plot and dialogue makes the most of the humor coming from a wholesome family living in the modern world. Carol Brady is the ultimate 70's T.V. mom. So cheesy, so fun. Mother (1996) PG-13 Albert Brooks plays the a neurotic son who moves back in with his mother, played by Debbie Reynolds, to understand more about why his two marriages failed. Golden-Globe nominee. Lovely and Amazing (2001) R If you need an antidote to formula stories, this half comedy, half drama film about modern motherhood and sisterhood will do the trick. Starring one of my favorite actresses, Catherine Keener, a very young Jake Gyllenhaal, and an excellent debut performance from Raven Goodwin. Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity (2004) Not rated Set in a Northwestern Canadian Chinese neighborhood, this is an enchanting and funny tale of Taoist magic and motherhood, starring Sandra Oh. Juno (2007) PG-13 Indie film about a pregnant teenager's nine months and her child's adoptive family won an Oscar for "Best Screenwriting". DramaLittle Women (1933, 1949, 1994) PG Whether you choose the original version with Katherine Hepburn or the more recent one with Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder, this is a story all women will enjoy to understand the story of the great American woman author, Louisa May Alcott, mother to four girls growing up during the Civil War period.Mask (1985) R Cher gets the opportunity to really show off her acting skills playing the mother of a teen boy with a facial deformity and took home a "Best Actress" award at the Cannes Film Festival. A Cry in the Dark (1988) PG-13 Multi-award-winning Australian docudrama which tells a tale of every new mother's worst nightmare, being wrongfully accused of a crime against your child. Meryl Streep is excellent in this adaption of the novel "Evil Angels", and the film goes by that name in Australia. I would not recommend film to any new moms -- they have enough to worry about! Great for moms in the legal profession (with older kids) as it is named one of the ten best courtroom dramas by the American Film Institute. Not Without my Daughter (1991) PG-13 Sally Field plays an American mother who struggles to escape an oppressive marriage against the backdrop of Iran in the 80’s. Based on a true story this is “heavy” film but with an uplifting ending and stands as a testament to the power of motherhood in a clash of cultures. The Joy Luck Club (1993) R Adapted from the book by author Amy Tan, and nominated for a BAFTA award, this is the tale of four Chinese-American mothers and daughters. An insightful picture about motherhood and the struggle of becoming an American citizen while trying keep old county traditions alive. Fargo (1996) R How many films have a 7-month pregnant policewoman as the lead role? This brilliant, disturbing, Oscar-winning film captures the flavor of Minnesota, and is a true tribute to the good sense a mother-to-be can bring to a corrupt world. 
Having Our Say: The Delany Sister’s First One Hundred Years (1999) Not rated (VHS only) This is an remarkable story about two African-American sisters who survived racial prejudice prior to the Civil Rights movement, lived to be over one hundred years old and “still missed their mother at 104”. Although the story focuses on their relationship, the influence of their mother is a constant theme.
All About My Mother (1999) R Oscar-winning Spanish film by acclaimed director Pedro Almodóvar explores the roles females play whether they are women, mothers, actresses, or a combination of all. Contains a great line; “a woman is more authentic the more she looks like what she has dreamed for herself.” Penelope Cruz fans...you will enjoy seeing her early work. Erin Brockovich (2000) R Julia Roberts is astonishingly good in this true story of a how an ordinary but feisty working mother won the largest class action lawsuit against a major California utility provider. Chocolat (2000) PG-13 French film with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp is the romantic story of a mother and daughter team who shake up a small village by opening a chocolate shop. A Peck on the Cheek (2002) Not Rated Filmed in India and Sri Lanka this is a film about a 9-year-old girl's quest to find her birth mother with beautiful footage and multiple international awards. Because content involved war and its consequences, this would probably get a PG-13 rating. 
Familia (2005) Not rated This Canadian film won the Toronto Film Festival by asking the question, "Do all women grow up to become their mothers?"
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005) PG-13 "She raised ten kids on twenty-five words or less." I love this movie! Julianne Moore plays an talented 1950's American housewife who must support her ten children and enters a commercial jingle-writing contest. Be aware that her husband's character is cruel and abusive, so while there is a happy heart-warming ending, the movie has very serious moments. Based on a true story. Kabei (2008) PG “Our Mother” All–star cast Japanese film about a Tokyo wife and mother during World War II with two small daughters and a husband jailed for his political beliefs.
Changeling (2008) R Set in Los Angeles in the 1920's, the film stars Angelina Jolie as a mother whose son goes missing, and explores her strength in facing down the L.A. Police Department when they try to pass off another child as her son to "solve" the case. This is a serious tale, so I would recommend it only to mothers who can appreciate an award-winning film with harsh content. Based on true events. The Blind Side (2009) PG-13 Sandra Bullock received a "Best Actress" nomination for her portrayal of an adoptive mother who helps a young man become part of her family and NFL history.
Action/ThrillerAliens (1986) R The classic very scary blockbuster sci-fi sequel to Alien. Now I know Sigourney Weaver doesn’t play a mother, but this is the tale of her battle with the mother queen Alien, and the film has a very cute line from little Newt when she calls Ripley “Mommy” at the end – listen for it!Madeo (2009) R Madeo translates as “Mother” and this Korean murder mystery about a mother’s quest to help her son who is wrongfully accused of a crime. An official selection at the Cannes, New York, and Toronto film festivals.
Naughty MomsIf you and your mom are in the mood for something a little more risqué … here are films some naughty moms who are definitely not going to win a Mother of the Year award, but are so fun to watch.The Graduate (1967) PG Anne Bancroft, the original cougar, doing her wicked best to simultaneously seduce Dustin Hoffman and keep him away from her daughter. The content is closer to what a PG-13 would be today. 
Tadpole (2002) PG-13 The NY Times called it a “delicious bonbon of a film” and if you are a Sigourney Weaver fan, you’ll enjoy seeing her play stepmom.
DocumentaryQueen Mother: A Royal Century (2001) Not rated Britain's Queen Mum was an icon and her legacy is remarkable.
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