Do you still go to the movies with your mom? One DVD team member, now in her 40s, has been going to the movies with her mom since childhood and calls it “popcorn for dinner.”
Last month’s tragic loss of film icons Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher emphasized how powerful the bond the mother-daughter bond can be. For the next “popcorn for dinner” night with the special women in your life, DVD.com has curated several films that star real-life moms and daughters; as well as other movies that explore the relationship between mothers and daughters. After reading, add them all here.
Real-Life Moms and Daughters on DVD
A Star is Born
Liza Minnelli was one of the first famous daughters of Hollywood royalty. Like her mom, Judy Garland, Minnelli had a breathtaking voice, a captivating screen presence, and a difficult life. We take special joy in seeing the two sing together Live at the London Palladium in their first public duet from 1963. PBS ran a fantastic special of Judy Garland duets that also includes Liza.
Brilliant Actresses, Loving Moms and Daughters
Some of the greatest actresses of the twentieth century got to be in the movies with their daughters. Silent film star Maureen O'Sullivan played Mia Farrow’s character’s mother in Hannah and Her Sisters, while theatre legend Vanessa Redgrave appeared with not one, but two, of her daughters in different movies: Natasha Richardson in Evening and Joely Richardson in Anonymous.
However, Vanessa is not the only actress to appear with two daughters in the movies. Meryl Streep’s daughter, Mamie Gummer, appeared with her in both Heartburn and Ricki and the Flash, while daughter Grace appears with Streep in The House of The Spirits.
Jamie Lee Curtis, the star of Halloween, appeared with her mother Janet Leigh in The Fog and Halloween: H2O. Leigh herself was, of course, also the star of an iconic scary movie—Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.
Three Generations of Moms and Daughters in Film
Another Hitchcock star, Tippi Hedren (The Birds), has a famous daughter. Tippi and Melanie Griffith were both in the thriller Pacific Heights. Melanie carried on the tradition with her daughter Dakota Johnson, who made her film debut in Crazy in Alabama with half-sister Stella Banderas, both playing daughters to their real-life mom.
A Timeless Trend: Mothers and Daughters In the Movies
More on-screen mother and daughter pairings include Diane Ladd and Laura Dern in Wild At Heart, as well as Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow in Sylvia.
Even today’s hottest movie and TV stars are continuing the trend of sharing the screen with their moms and daughters. Before she created the hit series Girls, Lena Dunham, the daughter of Laurie Simmons, appeared together in Tiny Furniture. Meanwhile, Angelina Jolie’s daughter, Vivienne Jolie, appears with her in Maleficent.
Films About Mother-Daughter Relationships
These actresses may not be related to their film moms, but these classic DVDs about mothers and daughters are also perfect for a mother/daughter movie night.
If things with your mom were great, or you just wish they were, you’ll enjoy the comedy Freaky Friday, the musical Mamma Mia!, or the dramas Little Women and Sense and Sensibility.
If you like your mom and daughter movies with a bit more bite, check out Carrie Fisher’s Postcards from the Edge, a semi-autobiographical funny and complicated movie about her relationship with her mom, Debbie Reynolds.
You might also like these classic DVDs about mother-daughter relationships: Joy Luck Club, American Violet, Mommie Dearest, Terms of Endearment, Diary of A Mad Black Woman, Gypsy, The Kids Are All Right, and a 2016 film fittingly titled Mothers and Daughters.