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Happy Working Mothers Day, everyone! We have a bevy of brilliant working moms on our Milwaukee Film staff, and to celebrate the working mom (and to take our minds away from the swirling vortex of news surrounding us) we’re taking a look at some of our favorite cinemoms! Enjoy…
THE TOP FIVE WORKING MOMS IN CINEMA!
(NOTE: For whichever reason, cinema’s portraits of working mothers skew heavily towards single moms –
please drop us a line with your favorite portraits of happily married or cohabitating working moms as well!)
1. Waitress
(dir. Adrienne Shelly | USA | 2007)
Why wasn’t this Keri Russell’s cinematic breakthrough? We’re out here hiding this woman behind bulky Star Wars helmets even though she’s generating 20 megawatts of charm and star power in a movie like this? Anyway, this is a lovely movie about a mom finding strength and self-worth in the face of a pregnancy and childbirth, and is a film to cherish from a filmmaking career cut tragically short (Director/Co-Star Adrienne Shelly).
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2. One Fine Day
(dir. Michael Hoffman | USA | 1996)
The story of a divorced architect (Michelle Pfeiffer) who bravely engages in a relationship with a divorced journalist (George Clooney) in spite of his Prince Valiant-ass haircut. Jokes aside, this is a pleasant variation on the romcom formula, injecting the proceedings with screwball energy while acknowledging the struggle of balancing work and home responsibilities.
3. Matilda
(dir. Danny DeVito | USA | 1996)
Unique in the sense that the working mother we’re referring to here does not truly become one until the film’s finale, Matilda nevertheless is both a raucous adaptation of the Roald Dahl source material, while also providing an exemplar of empathy in Embeth Davidtz’s Miss Honey. Side note: Any time you share a trailer for a movie starring Mrs. Davidtz, that’s what’s known in the industry as an Embed-th Davidtz.
4. Bachelor Mother
(dir. Garson Kanin | USA | 1939)
While playing a little fast and loose with notions of adoption (but as we’re all well aware, when held up to modern mores, most classics will fall short), this case-of-mistaken-mom-dentity rom-com is a lovely showcase for Ginger Rogers (whose cinematic contributions are often relegated to her Astaire partnership), as well as a reminder that David Niven was a snack, to use the parlance of our times.
5. Chocolat
(dir. Lasse Hallström | UK/USA | 2000)
Juliette Binoche’s chocolatier wins over a sleepy French village in this Footloose for your taste buds. She’s also the mother of a little biscuit by the name of Anouk, and their relationship is at the heart of this lovely romantic drama.
Posted by: Tom Fuchs