Mother's Day (2016)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A group of seemingly-unconnected people in Atlanta navigate their complex relationships with their mothers as Mother's Day approaches.
The story
As Mother's Day approaches, several individuals in Atlanta find themselves reflecting on their maternal bonds. Sandy, a divorced mother, meets Bradley, a widower with two daughters, while her friend Jesse encourages her friend Kristin to search for her birth mother. Meanwhile, Kristin's long-lost mother, a famous author named Miranda, surprises her. Simultaneously, Jesse and her sister Gabi must navigate a visit from their prejudiced parents. Amidst these personal journeys, Sandy seeks a job with Miranda, leading to a series of interactions that test and redefine their connections.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
As Mother's Day nears, a group of seemingly-unconnected people in Atlanta come to terms with their relationships with their mothers. Sandy is a divorced mother of two sons whose ex-husband recently married a younger woman. She meets Bradley, a former Marine whose wife died a year ago, leaving him with two daughters. Kristin, who was adopted at birth, is encouraged by her friend Jesse to find her birth mother. Jesse is married to Russell, who is Indian, and her sister Gabi is married to her wife Max; both face a visit from their racist, homophobic parents. Kristin eventually reunites with her birth mother, Miranda, a famous author and television personality, and they marry on air. Sandy, an interior designer, manages to land a job with Miranda after a blunt interaction. Jesse and Gabi's parents ambush them on a camper-van, eventually leading to a family picnic. Sandy and Bradley meet again in a hospital—she for her son's asthma and he for a broken leg—where Bradley finally begins to see Sandy in a positive light.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Garry Marshall
- Writers
- Garry Marshall · writer; Tom Hines · writer; Lily Hollander · writer; Anya Kochoff-Romano · writer; Matt Walker · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Aniston; Kate Hudson; Julia Roberts; Jason Sudeikis; Britt Robertson; Timothy Olyphant; Héctor Elizondo; Jack Whitehall
- Genres
- romantic comedy; romantic comedy-drama
- Themes
- mother-daughter relationships; family dynamics; reconciliation
- Tone and mood
- feelgood; manipulative
- Premise and plot tags
- romantic comedy; LGBTQ-related; family drama
- Content notes
- LGBTQ-related
- Reception
- The film was widely panned by critics and underperformed at the box office, though it received a 'B+' average grade from audiences on CinemaScore.
- Awards and nominations
- Worst Actress · Golden Raspberry Awards · 37th · nomination; Worst Supporting Actress · Golden Raspberry Awards · 37th · nomination
- Production trivia
- It was the final film of Garry Marshall's career before his death.; It was the final film appearance of his sister Penny before her death.; Julia Roberts was paid $3 million for shooting her part, which only took four days.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…