The 15 best, and 5 worst, movie moms

Portrayed by Emily Blunt, who is just as comfortable holding a shotgun as she is a swaddled infant, Evelyn Abbott in and is both a survivor and a protector. As the matriarch of a family living under constant threat from alien creatures with an acute sense of hearing, she is forced to step up more than most. In the original film’s most harrowing sequence, she goes through labor alone and in near total silence as the rest of her family tries to ward off an attack. In the second film, the responsibility of keeping the family safe falls to her, then expands to include what’s left of civilization. It’s a difficult burden that she bears gracefully, because that’s just what tough mothers do.

What would the little women of be without their mother, Marmee? In the most recent of the many adaptations (seven, in all) of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, Greta Gerwig found a balance between being true to the timeless source material and crafting a story with appeal to a new generation. Fans focus on the stories of the March daughters, with all their professional and romantic ambitions, but Laura Dern’s saintly Marmee is the one who gives them the space to have such ambitions in the first place. Whether she’s encouraging them to share their Christmas breakfast with their impoverished neighbors or quietly worrying over her husband’s safety as he fights in a Civil War far from home, she’s a strong role model for her girls, and for all other mothers as well.

The inner lives of mothers can be hard for the rest of the world to see, especially when they have to hide their true selves from a racist, authoritarian regime. In the emotional depths of Jojo’s mother Rosie (played by Scarlett Johansson) gradually unfold over time. She lets him cosplay as a member of the Hitler Youth, because that’s what’s expected of them both, but she’s definitely not on board with the whole genocide thing. Rosie walks a careful line, caring for her son on her own and encouraging his military pursuits, while living a secret double life. Against insurmountable odds, she at least attempts to make a difference in the world. And even if she only succeeds in opening the eyes of one boy to the horrors of Nazism, at least that’s something.

Evelyn Wang’s love for her daughter crosses universes and spans realities. It’s so strong, you can feel it coming through the screen, even when the two of them are rocks. That might sound strange if you haven’t seen (if so, where have you been for the last year?), but it’s one of the things that makes the film so special. That, and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh’s heartbreaking, life-affirming performance. “Of all the places I could be,” she tells her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) in the film’s emotional climax. “I just want to be here with you.” If you watched this film with your mom or daughter on Mother’s Day last year, here’s your chance to start an annual tradition.

As a stand-in for Steven Spielberg’s own mother in , Mitzi Fabelman is a kind and nurturing muse who fully supports her son Sam’s interest in filmmaking every step of the way. Michelle Williams looks incandescent in so much of this movie, especially in the moment she hands Sam (Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord) a moving-picture camera for the first time, igniting a passion that will become his life’s purpose. She’s not a perfect person, but the movie asks us to understand and forgive her (as, we assume, Spielberg forgave his mother) for wanting a fuller, more creative life than her scientifically minded husband could give her. Thanks to Williams’ delicate performance, it’s not hard to do.

We don’t ever actually meet the late Mrs. Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece (though she does pop up in subsequent prequels). What we know about her comes from her son Norman’s (Anthony Perkins) hallucinatory episodes. She was so cruel and controlling when she was alive that Norman internalized her scorn and, after her death, developed a secondary personality based on her. Whenever he found himself acting in a way he knew she wouldn’t approve of, her personality would take over, sometimes acting out violently. Perhaps Norman was always prone to mental illness, but his mother’s terrible parenting certainly contributed to the fracturing of his fragile psyche.

There was no one more ill-equipped to handle a child with paranormal abilities than Carrie’s mentally unstable, Christian fundamentalist mother (Piper Laurie) in the film . She already thinks her daughter (Sissy Spacek) got her period due to sinful thoughts, and accuses her of showing off her “dirty pillows” in a low cut dress, so a display of Carrie’s telekinetic abilities is enough to send her crazy mother into a murderous rage. A better mother might have averted that bloody killing spree at the prom, but alas, Carrie got stuck with Margaret.

The camp factor is high in this melodramatic adaptation of Christina Crawford’s shocking memoir about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her adoptive mother, actress Joan Crawford. That doesn’t make any less tragic. Faye Dunaway’s memorable (maybe for all the wrong reasons) portrayal of Crawford won her a Razzie Award for worst actress of 1981. But at least her gloriously over-the-top “No more wire hangers! Ever!” scene will live forever as part of Hollywood history. It also makes a great counter-programming choice for Mother’s Day (look for screenings on cable or at your local indie theater), as long as you don’t think too hard about the real story that inspired it.

Matricide is generally frowned upon, but once you meet Mrs. Lift (Anne Ramsey) in the ’80s comedy , you can understand where Danny DeVito’s character Owen is coming from. Anne Ramsey, who also memorably played Mama Fratelli in —she had a type—is devilishly despicable as Owen’s controlling mother, who constantly berates him and complains non-stop. The only way out he can see is murdering her, except he can’t bring himself to do it. Enter Larry (Billy Crystal), who has been having a few murder-y thoughts of his own about his ex-wife. Criss cross.

Mo’Nique’s character Mary in Lee Daniels’ is a straight-up monster with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Just when you think she’s the worst mother you’ve ever seen, she proves she can be even more despicable. There’s no need to list all the horrible things she does, and lets others do, to her daughter (Gabourey Sidibe) in the film. Let’s just say that her reaction to her husband raping Precious is to be jealous and angry at her daughter for stealing her man. That gives you a pretty good idea of what Precious deals with for most of her life, which makes us appreciate her ability to rise out of it even more.