Mothers-in-Law TV and Cinema Series: World Mothers-in-Law Day

World Mothers-in-Law Day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of October. An occasion for someone, perhaps, a little odd; but who, in reality, wants to celebrate the role that these “special mothers” have in the lives of their children, even after marriage.

They are special women, some invasive (it must be admitted), others precious. Magnificent grandmothers, full-time babysitters, and also, almost possessive and perfect organizers, especially when it comes to the son. Which is stereotypically defined as “mother’s coconut”.

@Netflix/YouTube

But you know, although by convention the mother-in-law is almost a figure to be feared, in reality they are (often) wonderful women, without whom life (even the daughter-in-law) would be more complicated. And it is in their honor that we dedicate a small list of must-see TV series and movies in which mothers-in-law play a special role.

The mothers-in-law in the television series

To start the little recap of mothers-in-law who have passed through cinema and television, it is interesting to start with the most recent proposal. We are talking about the new Netflix series called A stepmother between the feet, which is playing well these days. We are indeed in the post-Covid period and Dona Isadir is forced to rent her apartment, north of Rio de Janeiro, and to move with her son and all his family to his villa. Cohabiting with this sassy, ​​intrusive and unbridled woman will be difficult for everyone, but especially for her stepdaughter Alice, who will also have to deal with the daily disasters of her stepmother. In the role of the eccentric woman, the actor Rodrigo Sant’Anna, ready to restore us a familiar sitcom between jokes, misunderstandings and improbable situations on bottom of modern comedy.

Modern Family @YouTube

Quoting Giovanni Verga, one could say: “Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the same house are like two wild mules in the same stable”. However, always staying in the realm of television series and taking a step back, we land in the “fantastic” world of Modern Family. This series, broadcast from 2009 to 2020, is a real “case study”; mirroring the changes in Western society and completely outside the so-called “traditional canons”. Modern Family, in fact, presents an extended family where ethnic, cultural, sexual and character diversities coexist, led by the “patriarch” Jay Pritchett. And it is he who introduces into this family, already unusual, a super charming stepmother, young and modern like Sofia Vergara, his second wife (Gloria in the series) younger than him and practically the same age as his older children.

The great performers of cinema

But when it comes to mother-in-law on the big or small screen, it’s nearly impossible not to call The Incredible Jane Fonda a terrible mother-in-law in, needless to say, That Mother-in-law Monster. Her alter-ego is the ever-beautiful Jennifer Lopez who plays Charlie, the girl who struggles through a thousand jobs and falls in love with Viola’s (Jane Fonda) son. When the two young people decide to get married, his mother does not take it well and, in the midst of fake fainting and trickery, she does everything to prevent the wedding from being celebrated, even going so far as to show up with a dress. white on the wedding day of the two boys. Viola, represents the mature woman who is going through the midlife crisis, replaced at work by a younger girl, sees all her certainties waver. But love will eventually triumph (at least I hope so).

This monster stepmom @YouTube

And quoting another fantastic mother-in-law, we can’t help but talk about the ever-perfect Meryl Streep in Prime. An actress who probably needs no introduction and who in this film embodies a mother-in-law therapist with a thousand moods. Rafi (Uma Thurman) is a 37-year-old career woman who just got divorced. Lisa (Maryl Streep) is his therapist who encourages him to have new experiences. The situation becomes complicated when Rafi, unbeknownst to her, falls in love with Lisa’s son in his early twenties, Dave. When Lisa discovers this relationship, everything will happen and the woman will no longer know which of her roles to privilege. But on the other hand, as Pope Francis also said: “There are no perfect husbands and wives. Even less the mothers-in-law”.