Hooray! Hollywood has finally caught on to the fact that a mom’s life doesn’t end after divorce, a woman’s sex drive doesn’t expire after having kids, and female beauty only gets better with age.
We’re referencing, of course, the recent trend of romantic comedies that celebrate women of a certain age, representing them as whole people who are many different things. Like, you know, fierce mothers, brilliant go-getters, and objects of desire for people of all sexes and ages.
Ahead, you’ll see what we mean. We’ve curated a list of the best romantic comedies featuring moms in all their glory. There are even a couple one might consider the best romantic comedies of all time. Yeah, we said it. So read on for our favorite–as the industry likes to call them—mom-coms.
The Idea of You
The age-gap movie is having a moment, and this dreamy romance starring Anne Hathaway is one of the best entries into the modern subgenre. She stars as Solene, a single mom who chaperones her daughter and her friends’ trip to Coachella. While there, she kicks off a steamy affair with the much younger lead singer of the (fictional but pretty convincing) boy band, August Moon.
Stream it on Prime Video
Father of the Bride (1991)
One of the best romantic comedies of all time that gets funnier with every viewing, the 1991 version of Father of the Bride stars Steve Martin and Diane Keaton as parents adjusting to big news: Their daughter is engaged. The news excites Mom but sends Dad spiraling. Co-written by the reigning queen of comedy and a mom herself, Nancy Meyers, this one is a master class in how not to wedding.
Stream it on Disney+
Jerry Maguire
Love him or get weirded out by him, Tom Cruise is solid cinematic gold. One of his greatest gifts to the can is this revered romantic comedy directed by Cameron Crowe. In it, Cruise plays a sports agent whose moral compass gets him fired, sending him down a new career path with former colleague Dorothy Boyd, a young widow whose philosophizing little boy will steal your heart.
Stream it on Apple TV+ or Prime Video
A Family Affair
New this year on Netflix, A Family Affair sees Nic and Zac reunite for the second time as on-screen love interests (cinephiles will remember their time together in Lee Daniels’ pulpy Paperboy). This time, Kidman is a widow who knocks back a few shots of tequila with her daughter’s movie star boss, played by Efron, igniting a sexual awakening with comedic consequences and heartfelt twists.
Stream it on Netflix
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
Can we take a moment and all hail the queen? An icon, a legend, a force of nature, Angela Bassett stars in this nostalgic rom-com, playing a woman of a certain age who sets the sands of Jamaica on fire with a young local, played by Taye Diggs. Hot and steamy, their affair causes Stella, a successful stockbroker and single mom, to take inventory on love, life, and what matters most.
Stream it on Prime Video or Apple TV+
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Crazy Rich Asians
When Rachel’s boyfriend, Nick, asks her to be his date for a wedding in Singapore, where she will meet his family, she has no idea of the reveal she’s in for. Not only are the Youngs crazy rich, but Nick’s mother, Eleanor, is one tough cookie. An anti-hero for the books, Eleanor is central, sparking a conflict between mom and potential daughter-in-law that’s a powder keg ready to explode.
Stream it on Netflix
Related: 25 Netflix Shows Every Parent Should Binge-Watch in 2024
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Dakota Johnson and Cooper Raiff deftly handle this charming indie that borrows from real life for its narrative about a Bar Mitzvah party starter who builds relationships with a single mom and her autistic daughter. As writer, director, and star, Raiff said he got the idea for the film from his mother, who said her life was shaped by raising his disabled sister.
Stream it on Apple TV+
Mother of the Bride
Another new release on Netflix, Mother of the Bride is pure wanderlust pleasure. Set in the jewel of Thailand’s Andaman coast, the film recruits Brooke Shields and Miranda Cosgrove to play mother and daughter in a comical tale about a widowed woman who learns her daughter’s fiance is the son of the man who broke her heart decades earlier.
Stream it on Netflix
Enough Said
Julia Louis Dreyfus shines in a role that can only be described as a bit diluted for the comic icon. She plays a divorced and single mom hesitantly wading into the dating pool again, only to find out the man of her interest (James Gandolfini) is the ex-husband of her new friend, Marianne. The film comes from the mind of Nicole Holofcenter, whose films always cast life in a candid and realistic light.
Stream it on Prime Video or Apple TV+
Top Five
If you haven’t seen Chris Rock’s rom-com from 2014, put it at the top of your list. Rock stars as Andre, an engaged comedian attempting to reinvent himself as a serious actor, while a single-mom reporter from the Times forces him to confront his past and explore more meaningful relationships. As funny as it is thought-provoking, this cameo-laced gem is a top-five rom-com.
Stream it on Prime Video or Paramount+
As Good As It Gets
When a crotchety old recluse, the no-nonsense waitress and single mother he’s in love with, and his gay artist neighbor agree to go on a road trip together, they discover that their enlightening odyssey into personal growth might just be as good as it gets. And when Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear are the actors behind the wheel, well, that’s pretty damn good.
Stream it on Prime Video or Hulu
Second Act
Jennifer Lopez is no stranger to rom-coms. Early on, she had The Wedding Planner and Maid in Manhattan, and later, Marry Me and Shotgun Wedding. But our favorite is 2018’s Second Act, which fits perfectly into the mom-com subgenre. About a store manager who ditches her job for a career on Madison Avenue, it includes an Act 2 twist you might see coming but will enjoy anyway.
Stream it on Vudu
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Mamma Mia!
Meryl Streep is the ultimate single mom in this glistening, azure-washed ode to ABBA. Living every midlifer’s dream, she runs a hotel perched on a Greek island and spends her days rocking overalls and grooving to Swedish pop. As she readies her venue for her daughter Sophie’s wedding, she gets a big surprise: Three men from her past—one of which is Sophie’s father—are on the guest list.
Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)
Lucille Ball’s Helen, a widow with eight children, jokes that the second she fills men in on the tidbit about her offspring, they ditch her before dessert is served. But all that changes when she meets Henry Fonda’s Frank, a widower with 10 kids. Blending their families into one massive unorthodox brood, the two discover that when it comes to love, there’s always room for more.
Stream it on Prime Video
Mermaids
Mrs. Flax (Cher) is a free spirit who prioritizes romantic pursuits over traditional responsibility, which causes conflict with her older daughter, Charlotte (Winona Ryder). Following their move to a small town, Charlotte grapples with sexual desire, while Mrs. Flax woefully balances parenting with her desire for independence. It’s a dynamic that’ll make you cry, cringe, and want to call your mom.
Stream it on Prime Video
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Love gets raunchy in this instant cult classic from Judd Apatow. It stars Steve Carell as Andy, a man-child who has reached midlife’s hill but still never done the deed, and Catherine Keener as Trish, a single mother who just might be the remedy to Andy’s drought. Lots of familiar funny people elevate this comedy, including Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Mindy Kaling, and Jane Lynch.
Stream it on Prime Video and Apple TV+
Crazy, Stupid, Love
A who’s who of Hollywood, this ensemble flick stars Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, and so many more. Though the story pivots around multiple romances, it centers on just one: the fractured marriage of Carell’s Cal and Moore’s Emily. Married for 25 years with three kids, the high school sweethearts find themselves at a junction that will make or break their bond.
Stream it on Prime Video and Apple TV+
Related: 14 Shows That Really Nail the New-Mom Experience
Gloria
In what might be one of the best romantic comedies of 2013, Chilean auteur Sebastián Lelio finds a glorious muse in Paulina Garciá, who brings the titular character to vibrant life. Gloria, a lonely mother of grown children, decides one day to hit the club scene and find a man. It’s a mission that lands her former naval officer with children of his own. But their journey to love is anything but smooth sailing.
Stream it on Prime Video and Apple TV+
It’s Complicated
Another Nancy Meyers special that twists the realities of dating into a cinematic pretzel that’s at once hilarious, relatable, and satisfying, It’s Complicated sees Meryl Streep’s Jane Adler fall into quite the predicament. While dating an architect (Steve Martin), she falls into an affair with her married ex-husband (Alec Baldwin), who is also the father of her three children. Yep, it’s complicated.
Stream it on Prime Video and Apple TV+
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
A two-handed chamber piece that ruminates on shame, sexual repression, and mortality, this rom-com isn’t as heavy as it sounds. It’s super sexy, with the chemistry between Emma Thompson and co-star Daryl McCormack being more erotic than any coital act. The gist: A mother of grown children whose husband has passed hires a sex worker hoping to achieve her first big O.
Stream it on Hulu and Apple TV+
