Your favourite movie moms

With Mother's Day just around the bend, we thought it'd be fun to compile a list of our favourite silver screen portrayals of motherhood — from the true life story of Erin Brockovich to the fictional (magical) adventures of Mrs. Weasley.

We asked the Today's Parent team and our readers to tell us who their favourite movie moms are and why.

Click through the gallery to see who made the cut — some of the answers may surprise you!

"She inspired Forrest to be the person he is: hard-working, forgiving and kind-hearted. She never let him doubt himself and taught him valuable lessons throughout his life." — @GrandeSamantha via Twitter

"Everything she did, she did to help her special-needs son in a time when most would have been institutionalized. She is an inspiration." — Erin Hidlebaugh via Facebook

"Not only is she a mother to seven kids (and a witch, which is seriously cool in itself), but she is the ultimate mama bear. Despite not having very much money, she’s always taking in as many of her kids’ friends as possible and includes them as part of the family (ugly Christmas sweaters included). The scene where she’s protecting her only daughter, Ginny, in the last book/movie is probably one of my favourite mothering moments ever. She’s the best!" — Cassandre Cadieux, Today's Parent contributing copy editor

"She is just the right amount of sweet (mixed with) toughness that you need to raise a wonderful family! And she reminds me of my mom. You can't go wrong there!" — Elizabeth Heather Hope DeVirgilio via Facebook

"Juno McGruff (Ellen Page) is 16 and pregnant when she finds Mark and Vanessa Loring in the local Pennysaver and meets with them about adopting the baby she is carrying. While it is Mark (Jason Bateman) who impresses Juno — and  audience — with his charm and lasting commitment to the subculture of his youth, it is Vanessa (Garner) who gives her all to preparing emotionally and logistically for her child-to-be. While a bit stuffy as a character, you can’t help but cheer her on as she talks to her future son in uetero. Ultimately she becomes a single adoptive mom, and you know she’s going to be a solid one." — Tara-Michelle Ziniuk, Todaysparent.com editorial intern

"I loved both moms in Stepmom. Julia Roberts played the stepmother to Susan Sarandon's kids and, despite two very different parenting styles, they came together for the kids when Sarandon's character became terminally ill. True moms, no matter their style and choices, put the children above all else." — Natalie Rea via Facebook

"Julia Roberts in Stepmom. She is so out of her comfort zone and yet she keeps trying — and she knows better than to take out her issues with Susan Sarandon on the kids. She works to get over everything to make sure the kids are everyone's priority." — Jennifer Lynch Van Winden via Facebook

"Susan Sarandon in Stepmom. I love that she is so protective of her kids, but understands that loving them means letting Julia Roberts love them too!" — Ashley Locke via Facebook

"I can’t help but be smitten by the incredible actresses in Sam Mendes’s Away We Go. When the adorable Maya Rudolph finds herself pregnant, she travels the States with her partner (John Krasinski) to decide what might be the best place to raise children. Her novice-mom uncertainty was endearing, but the real wins for me as far as movie moms go, were the over-the-top caricatures played by Maggie Gyllenhaal (the EXTREME attachment parent) and Allison Janney (the tell-it-like-is mom). I think we sometimes take ourselves too seriously as parents, so having a laugh at motherhood reminds us that most of us are probably doing something to the extreme, so chill out!" — Nadine Silverthorne, Todaysparent.com managing editor

"I'd choose Helen Parr (Elastigirl) from The Incredibles. I love how real she is with her children even though its an animated movie. Holding onto her feminist roots, she has dedicated herself to being a supportive wife and mother." — Jill Sacks Hulley via Facebook

"Toni Collette's character, Sheryl Hoover, has to be one of the most realistic moms in the movies. She keeps her family together despite disappointment, drug abuse, attempted suicide and career failure. And she's not afraid to put a bucket of KFC on the table if it means the family is going to eat together." — Kristy Woudstra, Todaysparent.com web editor

"Rosemary is basically the type of parent I aspire to be someday — funny, adventurous, loving, supportive and, most importantly, has the ability to have open, honest conversations with her children. I love her frank and hilarious relationship with her teenage daughter (played by Emma Stone). And the fact that this role is played by the always-wonderful Patricia Clarkson just makes it that much better." — Laura Grande, Todaysparent.com editorial coordinator

"Fighting for justice, not giving up, strength, compassion and flaunting her femininity, Erin Brockovich is one of my all-time favourite movie moms. Not to mention she did it all on her own as a single mom... such an inspiration." — Kristy Woudstra, Todaysparent.com web editor

"Being a mother isn't about blood ties, it's about having a big heart." — @StephieChow via Twitter

"She showed her kids that love 'always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.'" — @TrenchesMomma via Twitter

"No, but for real, I’d say the mom from Christmas Vacation. She’s the best. She’s just trying to be a supportive wife to Clark, who just wants a good old-fashioned family Christmas. She’s so patient, despite everything that goes wrong (and, of course, everything does), and stays positive the whole way through. And she’s funny, too." — Cassandre Cadieux, Today's Parent contributing copy editor

"I adore Dianne Wiest. Growing up with a love for film, I noticed she pretty much always played someone's mom in any movie that came out in the '80's and early '90's. I love her as Peg in Edward Scissorhands, Vi in Footloose and Diane in The Horse Whisperer. But most of all, I loved watching her play the mom of two teenage boys in the 1987 vampire comedy, The Lost Boys. I thought she had such a natural chemistry with Jason Patric and Corey Haim (who played her sons) and, even though her role was secondary to the overall plot, she managed to embody the spirit, energy and protectiveness that you would imagine in a mother." — Laura Grande, Todaysparent.com editorial coordinator

"Cher as single-mom Rachel Flax in Mermaids is probably the movie mom who reminds me the most of my own. She’s not the most traditional mom, and you have to question whether she is constantly choosing men, and herself, over her two daughters (played by Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci.) In the end, you realize that she’s doing her best given her resources, trying to protect her daughters and care for herself." — Tara-Michelle Ziniuk, Todaysparent.com editorial intern
 

"OK, so Mr. Travolta isn't a woman, but Edna Turnblad is hardworking, supportive and dead sexy. ;) — Kate Stewart, Today's Parent assistant editor