Mom movies

Sadly, there appears to be a dearth of movies that feature female leads at all, let alone mothers, except, perhaps, on the Lifetime channel. As XKCD points out, the ratio of male-to-female lead roles is definitely out of whack. Can you think of a big-budget film with a female lead (where the female wasn't just a love interest)? Sure, there's Tomb Raider and The Devil Wears Prada, but for every movie like that, there are literally dozens -- if not hundreds -- of movies with male leads.

Now consider the plight of the mother in Hollywood. Or, rather, lack thereof. Moms seem to be just an afterthought. Someone to give context to the male lead's homelife. Frankly, that kind of sucks. Still, I was able to come up with some maternal movies for Mother's day. Take a look at my list and then see if you can add any more in the comments.

Serial Mom -- I couldn't watch this. Not only does it suffer from Kathleen Turner (who can't act), it's a mediocre concept executed poorly and in bad taste.

Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot -- Another I couldn't watch. I have nothing against Sylvester Stallone, and you can't blame Estelle Getty for Bea Arthur, but I can't imagine any way that this concept could ever work. Sure, she's a tough mom and wants to help her son, but this is just too hokey even for me.

Where the Heart is -- A nice story about a young girl (Natalie Portman) who gives birth in a Wal-Mart after being abandoned by her boyfriend. She rebuilds her life with the help of Stockard Channing and focuses on caring for her daughter. A strong cast helps make this movie.

Baby Boom -- Diane Keaton stars in a predictable tale of a high-powered executive who goes all mushy and gushy when she ends up inheriting a kid. Instead of hiring a nanny, however, she gets fired, moves out to the country, and builds a baby food empire. I'm not sure I'm crazy about the message that as soon as they have a kid, women will -- and should -- give up their career, but it was an okay movie.

Raising Helen -- Same thing as Baby Boom, only it's Kate Hudson and she's a model, not an executive. Joan Cusack does a bang-up job as her experienced-mom sister.

Erin Brockovich -- Here's the counterpoint to Baby Boom and Raising Helen: a single mom takes on a giant corporation and wins. She manages to fight her battle and be a good mom on top of it all. I guess the difference here is that this movie is based on a real mom, not some Hollywood idea of what a mom is.

Juno -- I know a lot of people had problems with this movie, especially concerning how adoption was portrayed, but I rather enjoyed it. It's certainly no less realistic that Baby Boom or Where the Heart is.

Stepmom -- I haven't actually seen this but it's got a great cast (except for Julia Roberts, of course). My wife Rachel thought it was great. It's about a mom, diagnosed with terminal cancer, coming to terms with the new woman in her ex-husband's life being her children's mother after she's gone. Rachel described it as a real tear-jerker.

Mother -- Albert Brooks wrote and directed this film about a neurotic writer (Brooks) who moves back in with his mother (Debbie Reynolds, of Singin' in the Rain fame) to figure out what's wrong with his life. It's basically about a grown son reconnecting with his mom and the two of them learning about themselves. This is a great movie and easily my favorite on this list.

So, which of these would you recommend? Which films did I miss?