It’s Mother’s Day – a time to celebrate the mums, step-mums, nans, grans and all-round superwomen in our lives.
Whether they’re helping with homework, wielding magic wands or battling cyborg assassins, inspiring mums can also be found on screen.
Some encourage with words of wisdom and loving embraces, others show their affection by stepping in front of villains and being badasses.
Here are eight movie mothers who deserve that Best Mum mug.
Molly Weasley (Harry Potter)
Is there a fiercer mama bear than Julie Walters’ Weasley matriarch?
She’s soft and kind but tough as old boots, and she treats Harry like a long-lost son.
The duel between Molly and Bellatrix Lestrange is legendary; nobody tries to kill her Ginny.
Leigh Anne Tuohy (The Blind Side)
Strong-willed, plain-speaking interior designer Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) welcomes foster care teenager Mike into her home without a second thought.
Her protective instincts make her the kind of mum any kid would want to have in their corner.
Miss Jennifer Honey (Matilda)
Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz) is the very definition of a perfect fairy-tale mum.
She nurtures Matilda’s love of learning and shows the gifted little girl a kindness and affection her parents aren’t capable of.
If you watch Matilda and aren’t completely charmed by Honey, your heart is made of stone.
Brenda MacGuff (Juno)
Non-judgemental Bren (played to perfection by Allison Janney) doesn’t instantly strike you as best mum material but, as the film goes on, she shows just how much she loves her stepdaughter, Juno.
It’s a real fist-pump moment when Bren calmly rips a pompous ultrasound technician to shreds after she makes condescending comments about Juno’s unplanned pregnancy.
Sarah Connor (The Terminator series)
Determined heroine Sarah (Linda Hamilton in the original and sequel) goes through quite the transformation over the course of the Terminator franchise, but the one thing that never wavers is her devotion to her son.
She sacrifices everything to ensure his future; if there’s a better display of motherly love, let’s hear it.
Helen Parr, AKA Elastigirl (The Incredibles)
‘Of course I have a secret identity.’
Mrs Incredible (Holly Hunter) is a bona fide supermum, able to stretch her body and mould it into different shapes.
She’s resourceful, smart, unwaveringly loyal, and always puts her family first.
The fact that she quite literally saves the world is a bonus.
Ellen Ripley (Aliens)
One of the most iconic female characters on screen and also one of the toughest mother figures too.
Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is ferociously maternal in James Cameron’s 1986 Alien sequel, rescuing Newt from the xenomorph hive and proving that you don’t have to be blood to be a kick-ass mum.
Donna Sheridan (Mamma Mia!)
Fun, frisky and young at heart, Donna (Meryl Streep) is the mum who’s also your best friend.
Every scene with Donna and Sophie is perfectly indicative of the close bond between mothers and daughters, particularly when there’s been an absent father.
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