The 15 best moms in movie history

Definite candidate for mom of the year here. Shelley Duvall's Wendy Torrance is a (well, relatively) strong protective force for her kids despite all of the, um, unpleasantness surrounding her family.

Who knows where Forrest Gump would have ended up without the sage wisdom of his mother? Plus, the movie would have been a whole lot less iconic without that whole "Life is like a box o' chocolates" line.

There are very few other movie moms who are as comfortable with assault rifles as Sarah Connor. Or at least, very few who are also good moms. She stops at nothing to protect her kid (and the world) even though her son is absolutely the worst part of the movie.

Elastigirl is almost singlehandedly responsible for keeping her family together after Mr. Incredible's slow decline into obscurity. Sure, she may be a literal superhero, but her ability to support her entire family pretty much entirely on her own is more impressive than her stretch powers.

Yeah, it turns out that swapping bodies with your daughter and living in their shoes for a little while actually helps you understand their struggles and makes you a better mom. Who would have thought?

Though the movie is ostensibly about Jack accepting his role as a stay-at-home dad, never forget that his wife Caroline is the one bringing home the bacon and supporting the family. The movie could have just as easily been called Mrs. Dad.

Oh come on, of course this counts. This whole movie is pretty much an ode to moms, with Sandra Bullock's Leigh Anne Tuohy helping Michael Oher achieve his dreams.

It might be hard to imagine now given that we all know her primarily as the owner of the world's most entertaining Twitter account, but back in the day, Cher's turn as struggling mother Rusty Dennis in "The Mask" was legitimately touching and heartrending.

I had to include this on the list, if for no other reason than the fact that the movie itself is at its heart an ode to motherhood, and an examination of the worst-case-imaginable scenario that could happen to a family. 

Despite the fact that she (spoiler alert) dies incredibly early in the movie, and despite the fact that she doesn't even have a name other than "Bambi's Mom", her sacrifice carried a ton of weight. It also, as an added bonus, caused kids who were watching the movie for the first time to hug their parents just a little bit tighter that night.

Sure, the first time you watch it, you might be too engrossed in the action and atmosphere to realize it, but at its heart, Aliens is a movie about mothers -- the theme runs deep, as the titular alien itself is a mother as well. But Ripley is a quintessential mom -- a badass nurturer who will do anything to protect her kin.

The reason the original "Back to the Future" packs the emotional punch it does is that even though the movie opens with Marty's family tired, stressed out, and struggling, it's clear that there's a ton of love there. In addition, much of the family's responsibilities have been foisted upon Lorraine as George's life gets worse. It almost makes up for the fact that she hits on her son in the past.

Movie mob moms are the best, and Catherine Scorsese's portrayal of one in the classic film "Goodfellas" is no exception. At once loving, knowing, and scary, she provides a much-needed mother's touch to the movie despite only appearing in it briefly.

Anyone who knows a single mom knows that they are real-life superheroes, and in Renee Zellweger's breakout role as single mom Dorothy Boyd in "Jerry Maguire", she doesn't disappoint.

Peg isn't just a mom to her biological family, she also becomes an adoptive mom to a person who literally has scissors for hands when she learns that he has nowhere else to go. And though the story is ostensibly about Edward Scissorhands, his integration into society at large wouldn't be possible without the motherly guidance of Peg.