“Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” — Ellen Burstyn as Alice
Ellen Burstyn films could have made up half of this list, and we wrestled with giving her a triple entry along with her performance as the harried, desperate actress Chris in “The Exorcist,” and the absolutely harrowing Oscar-nominated performance as Jared Leto’s TV-addicted, pill popping mother in ‘Requiem for a Dream.” Instead, we decided on one of Burstyn’s most charming performances, for which she won an Oscar, as Alice in Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.” Burstyn’s Alice is a dreamer and a striver in addition to being a mom. When her husband dies, she hits the road with son Tommy, hoping to achieve her dreams of becoming a singer in Monterey. But due to cash flow problems, they are waylaid in Phoenix, where a dalliance with Ben (Harvey Keitel), goes bad, and then Tuscon, where she finds a waitressing job (the sassy camaraderie among the waitresses of Mel’s Diner inspired the spinoff sitcom “Alice”). Alice is searching for a better life for her son, but also herself, refusing to give up on her goals, even when the going gets tough. It’s not easy for Alice, but she’s got spunk, drive, good friends, and a strong sense of self. Eventually, Alice learns to be happy with what she has, her restless energy coming slowing down when she finds love with ultimate ‘70s hunk Kris Kristofferson.
Honorable Mentions
A few of the other moms who didn’t quite make the final list (and avoiding those we mentioned in features elsewhere, see intro) were Myrna Loy’s devoted wife in the heartstring-tugging WWII family drama “The Best Years of our Lives”; as well as Doris Day in Hitchcock’s 1956 remake of his own film, the Euro kidnapping thriller “The Man Who Knew Too Much.”
We love Frances McDormand in “Fargo,” doing police work at 9 months pregnant, as well as the icy Anjelica Huston as Morticia in “The Addams Family.” And who doesn’t love the lovable, working single mom that is Lily Tomlin in “9 to 5”? There’s also the one-two punch of married moms Julianne Moore and Annette Bening in “The Kids Are Alright,” and the bandit mama Holly Hunter in “Raising Arizona.”
Then there are the moms who do questionable things for the love of their children, which doesn’t exactly make them “the best,” but still memorable nonetheless. Remember, much of Anna Karenina’s distress comes from being separated from her child, even though that does result in a very bad confrontation with a train. We love Keira Knightley’s take on the character in Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina.”
Park Chan Wook also tackles the mysteries of motherhood in his revenge thriller “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.” His fierce mama, Geum-ja (Yeong-ae Lee), initially starts her vengeance journey when she’s wrongfully imprisoned for the kidnapping and murder of a young boy, but as her journey progresses, and she reconnects with her daughter, she starts to understand more the ferocity of a parent’s love, who will do anything to protect their children.
Tell us your favorites we’ve overlooked in the comments below, and be nice to your mother this weekend. And every weekend, obviously, plus all the weekdays in between, but especially this weekend.
