So, you decided to avoid the crowds and chaos at the restaurants for Mother’s Day this year and have invited your mom over to your house instead. Good for you. Now, what are you planning on doing? Why not make a nice brunch and enjoy a movie together? If so, avoid Mommie Dearest and Throw Momma From the Train and go with one of these instead:

Mom’s Night Out (2014)
Staring: Sarah Drew, Sean Astin and Patricia Heaton
Rated: PG

This underrated faith-based comedy arrived in theaters last Mother’s Day and was a hit with many moms if not the critics. In it, Allyson is overworked and “up to here” with her kids, but then, that makes her feel guilty for feeling that way. Her husband encourages her to go on a “mom’s night out” with some friends from church. They can even invite the pastor’s wife. What could go wrong? Any mother feeling guilty for not being the “best” mom will appreciate this. The film is full of laughs, is non-preachy and encouraging and is something the whole family will enjoy.

Brave (2012)
Voice Talent: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson
Rated: PG

This is the ultimate mother/daughter movie that even the boys in the family will like. Merida is the strong-willed daughter and princess of Fergus and Elinor who is about to be paraded among some available bachelors, but unlike other Disney princesses, she wants none of it. So, with the help of a strange old lady, Merida chooses to change her own fate with humorous and almost tragic results. The film is full of strong messages with the main one being that sometimes being brave means to say that you are sorry.

The Sound of Music (1965)
Starring: Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer
Rated: G

Though the film is now 50 years old, it still has a timeless quality to it. Julie Andrews starts out as a nun, and then a nanny, and then back to a nun and then back to a nanny only to become a wife and mother of seven almost-perfect children. Okay, that last part might depress your mother, but overall, it is a film that is family-focused, has cheery music and can even be played in the background while you’re eating brunch.

Steel Magnolias (1989)
Starring: Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts
Rated: PG

Perhaps it’s the ultimate “chick flick,” (the male characters screen time is very limited), but it is a well-cast one based on a very popular play. It may be better suited for moms and older daughters. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll appreciate your family that much more. For those unfamiliar, Steel Magnolias is about a group of women who hang out a beauty shop over a period of years and different seasons helping each other to get through weddings, births and deaths.

The Blind Side (2009)
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron and Tim McGraw
Rated: PG-13

The inspiring true story about how Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family, took in a street kid, (mind you, a BIG street kid), eventually adopt him and helped him become the All American football player, Michael Oher. Even moms who are not football fans will enjoy this award-winning movie, as the story has a lot more to do with relationships and caring for others than football.

Freaky Friday (1976 and 2003)
Starring: Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster or Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan
Rated: G or PG

Silly fun about a mother and daughter who don’t see eye to eye who magically change bodies and literally walk in each other’s shoes. Both movies are produced by Disney and are fairly squeaky clean. Though the premise of the two movies is the same, they feature completely different storylines. These are the best options for group with smaller children.