Movies

With a pandemic putting beloved Mother’s Day traditions on hold this year, movies about conventional moms — the kinds with cute kids, kindly husbands and gorgeously sun-soaked kitchens — can provide much-needed comfort and solace. “Cheaper by the Dozen” will do nicely.But in this atypical time, it’s atypical moms who deserve screen time. These matriarchs are nobody’s idea of ordinary. They’re the tough oddballs and troublesome misfits and anything-goes women who are fiercely protective of their kids, and who strive, despite many obstacles, to help their families flourish and make bad situations better. These moms are strange, but you know what? Moms’ new normal is strange, too.No matter what kind of parent you’re celebrating this holiday, here are some terrific movies about out-of-the-ordinary moms to help make this anything-but-normal Mother’s Day feel just a little sweeter. (Except Ma. Keep an eye on her.)Robot Mom: ‘I Am Mother’ (2019)[embedded content]Who says you have to be human to be a mom? In this dystopian sci-fi thriller, a maternal robot named Mother (warmly voiced by Rose Byrne) raises a flesh-and-blood girl named Daughter (Clara Rugaard) alone inside a fortified bunker as part of a plan to repopulate a devastated postapocalyptic Earth. (There are eerie similarities between our grim present and the film’s quarantine-like setting and its characters’ aversion to — and skepticism of — outside contagion.) But when Daughter lets in a wounded human woman (Hilary Swank) who’s skeptical of Mother’s intentions, Daughter’s allegiance crumbles, and she begins to wonder: Does Mother know best? Tightly directed by Grant Sputore, “I Am Mother” keenly raises thought-provoking questions about modern medical ethics and artificial intelligence as the frenzied action snowballs. But tenderly threaded into the suspense and dread is a contemplative and heartfelt story — perfect for moms who love a good debate — about the many meanings and motivations of motherhood.Available on Netflix.Drag Mom: ‘The Queen’ (1968)Decades before there was Elektra — the mother of the fictional House of Abundance on “Pose” — there was the real-life Crystal LaBeija. With eyelashes to here, LaBeija was the mother, or drag overseer, of the House of LaBeija, the created queer family founded in the early 1970s in the opening days of the modern New York drag and ballroom scene. In Frank Simon’s fabulous documentary “The Queen,” LaBeija is among the drag contestants vying in the Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant, hosted by the drag icon Flawless Sabrina (a.k.a. Jack Doroshow, who died in 2017). When the top prize goes to the delicate Miss Harlow of Philadelphia, Miss LaBeija loses it. Feeling slighted by the judges, and competing amid the racism of pre-Stonewall New York City, she delivers a furious rant that’s a must-see snapshot of what happens when you mess with a drag mother. (For more on the House of LaBeija, watch the vital, influential documentary “Paris Is Burning.”)Available on Netflix, Kanopy, Amazon.Killer Mom: ‘Ma’ (2019)“What kind of mother parties with high schoolers?” screams an enraged mom to this film’s title character, setting up the diabolical premise in Tate Taylor’s deranged horror-thriller. Octavia Spencer stars as Sue Ann, a kindly veterinarian’s assistant in small-town Ohio who buys bored teenagers alcohol and invites them to get wasted in her basement, where “Safety Dance” is on the playlist as if the ’80s never ended. But the fun downstairs belies numerous terrors upstairs, which has been declared off-limits. That’s because Ma — as she wants the kids to call her — lives with a trauma from her past, and as a result has nefarious plans for her new young friends, some of whom are the offspring of Ma’s former, not-so-nice high school classmates. Ricocheting from sweetness to fury, Spencer gives a sharply calibrated, snowball-cold performance as a damaged Gen X parent with a bloodthirsty appetite for vengeance.Available on HBO Now.Mom Behaving Badly: ‘Bad Moms’ (2016)“It’s overworked and underappreciated moms who finally allow themselves to be a little bit selfish.” That’s how Mila Kunis has described the characters she, Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Bell play in this raunchy comedy, written and directed by two dads: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (the screenwriters of “The Hangover”). Silly and stuffed with sass, “Bad Moms” is an escapist fantasy about stressed-out suburban mothers who are so fed up with the pressure to be perfect neo-Donna Reeds that they stop playing nice and go for broke in wildly buffoonish, boozy and hilariously irresponsible ways. (Christina Applegate leads the gang of do-gooders who clash with the momsters.) For women who never dreamed a pandemic would be the reason they became stay-at-home parents, “Bad Moms” is a devil-may-care antidote to quarantine fatigue. Writing in The New York Times, Manohla Dargis called the film “a funny, giddy, sentimental laugh-in.” This one’s for moms who need a break and a laugh.Available on FX Now, Amazon, YouTube and iTunes.Complicated Mom: ‘Lady Bird’ (2017)Wonderful and weepy are movies about well-intentioned mothers in conflict with their self-involved daughters: Barbara Stanwyck in “Stella Dallas”; Joan Crawford in “Mildred Pierce”; Lana Turner and Juanita Moore in “Imitation of Life.” (What a Mother’s Day triple feature!) Add to that list Laurie Metcalf as Marion McPherson, the loving but ever-discontented parent of an individualistic teen daughter (a delightfully awkward Saoirse Ronan) in Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-nominated “Lady Bird.” Metcalf knows her way around flawed, multifaceted mothers, having brilliantly portrayed them on TV (“Roseanne”) and Broadway (“A Doll’s House, Part 2”). In “Lady Bird,” Metcalf — herself nominated for an Oscar — is all the things we’re fascinated and frustrated by in a complex matriarch: she’s wry but sensitive, demanding but practical, tough but supportive. Her perceptive performance as an all-too-human mother of a driven, oddball daughter makes “Lady Bird” an entertaining and lovely bounty for a Mother’s Day movie: it’s insightful, bittersweet and above all, remarkably moving.Available on Amazon Prime, Kanopy, YouTube and iTunes. More

Here are a few of the best events happening Friday through Sunday and how to tune in (all times are Eastern).Yee-Haw, It’s Tim McGrawFriday at 1 p.m. on Amazon LiveThe country music superstar Tim McGraw will kick off a new Amazon Music livestreaming series on Friday with a performance, in which he’ll play his new song “I Called Mama” live for the first time. Afterward, McGraw will sit down to answer fan questions, which can submitted during the show.When: 1 p.m.Where: Amazon Live on desktop, mobile, Fire tablet or via the Amazon Shopping app.A ‘John Wick’ Watch PartyFriday at 9 p.m. on YouTubeLionsgate is closing out its four-week series, “Lionsgate Live! A Night at the Movies,” with the Keanu Reeves action-thriller “John Wick.” Jamie Lee Curtis hosts, and the event will include messages from the movie franchise’s cast, including Reeves, Halle Berry, Lance Reddick and Asia Kate Dillon, as well as the film’s directors, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. Fans can participate in real-time chats, “John Wick” trivia and other movie-themed challenges. Age verification is required to view.When: 9 p.m.Where: Lionsgate’s YouTube and Fandango’s Movieclips YouTube.Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad EnsembleFriday at 4 p.m. on YouTubeJoin the world’s most famous cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, and his Silkroad Ensemble — a collective of musicians that, on Friday, will include Christina Pato, Sandeep Das, Eric Jacobsen and Colin Jacobsen — for a live performance. The event will raise money for the Silkroad Emergency Relief Fund for artists and crew, and the Playing for Change Foundation Emergency Response Fund. (Ma will also perform at the “Memorial For Us All” broadcast — an interfaith virtual service to remember those lost in the pandemic — on Sunday at 6 p.m. on the Lincoln Center’s social channels. Learn more here.)When: 4 p.m.Where: The Playing for Change YouTube channel.A Beloved Production of ‘The King and I’Friday at 8 p.m. on BroadwayHDRodgers & Hammerstein’s movie night returns with a live viewing party for the Lincoln Center’s hit production of “The King and I,” starring Ken Watanabe, the Tony Award winners Kelli O’Hara and Ruthie Ann Miles, and more. The show was filmed during its record-breaking 2018 run at the London Palladium Theater. For trivia and giveaways throughout the event, follow along on the Rodgers & Hammerstein Twitter and Instagram pages, and on Playbill’s Twitter and Instagram.When: 8 p.m., and the stream will be available for 48 hours.Where: The BroadwayHD website‘Is Now When I Should Panic?’: A Chat With Roz ChastFriday at 4 p.m. on FacebookRoz Chast, a cartoonist for The New Yorker, depicts anxiety-riddled city dwellers and their quirky, relatable tendencies. She probably has plenty to draw from these days. On Friday, Chast will join the Museum of the City of New York for a virtual conversation — titled (what else?) “Is Now When I Should Panic?” — about her work, discussing particularly timely examples of her art and taking questions. The program is hosted by Fran Rosenfeld, the museum’s director of public programs and the curator of the 2016 exhibition “Roz Chast: Cartoon Memoirs.”When: 4 p.m.Where: The MCNY Facebook page and YouTube channel. Attendees are encouraged to register here.Myq Kaplan, From the Nowhere Comedy ClubFriday at 10:30 p.m. on ZoomMyq Kaplan, a.ka. Mike Kaplan, wants to chase your quarantine blues away. On Friday, the comedian — who has appeared on the late-night shows of Conan O’Brien, David Letterman and Seth Meyers, as well as on “Comedy Central Presents” and the NBC shows “Last Comic Standing” and “America’s Got Talent” — will celebrate his new comedy album, appropriately titled “A.K.A.” The live special is part of the Nowhere Comedy Club events: a virtual comedy club experience. Tickets are $10 to $25.When: 10:30 p.m.Where: Purchase tickets here to get access to the Zoom chat.Music and Mental Health AwarenessFriday through Sunday on Facebook, beginning at 11:30 a.m. each dayA virtual concert with a focus on mindfulness and mental health awareness. That’s the goal of 320 Festival this weekend, which will mix live performances and Q. and A. sessions — Chris Martin of Coldplay, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, Kiiara, Lindsey Stirling, Art Alexakis of Everclear, Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October, Frank Zummo of Sum 41 and more are taking part — with more than 20 panels. Topics include thriving after trauma, women’s mental health and anxiety in the social media age.When: 11:30 a.m., and runs through the evening.Where: The 320 Festival’s Facebook and YouTube pages, as well as KNEKT.TV Network on Roku and Apple TV.Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani at The OprySaturday at 8 p.m. on FacebookIf you never thought you’d see the ska queen Gwen Stefani perform at the Grand Ole Opry, now is your chance. Even though the venue will be empty, she’ll make her debut there on Saturday, joined by her country music star boyfriend, Blake Shelton. (The couple currently have a hit on the Billboard country chart with their duet “Nobody But You.”) Dustin Lynch and Trace Adkins will also perform, and Bobby Bones will host. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. for the Opry’s online preshow, Circle Sessions, featuring Sara Evans from her home.When: 8 p.m.Where: On the Grand Ole Opry Facebook page and the Circle All Access Facebook page. You can also watch the show live on Circle television, Dish Network and Sling TV.Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, Head to HeadSaturday at 7 p.m. on InstagramTwo of neo soul’s biggest artists will be taking part in Verzuz TV’s Instagram live battle series on Saturday — the first women to do so. The series, curated by the music producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, has been hugely popular in recent weeks. In fact, the battle between Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Teddy Riley on April 20 was viewed by more than half a million people, with reportedly millions more trying to access the stream.When: 7 p.m.Where: Verzuz TV’s Instagram page.Broadway Goes Big for Mother’s DaySunday at 3 p.m. on the Broadway Does Mother’s Day websiteIf you can’t take your mother to a Broadway matinee on Mother’s Day, the matinee will come to you. Join Broadway stars, their children and their mothers for musical numbers, comedy, special guests and surprises. This one-time event (just like your birth) will feature sketches and performances from Broadway shows including “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” and “Jagged Little Pill” and by Broadway stars including Harvey Fierstein, Vanessa Williams and Beanie Feldstein. The event will benefit the Broadway Cares Covid-19 Emergency Assistance Fund.When: 3 p.m.Where: The Broadway Does Mother’s Day website.A Modern Opera That Grapples With RaceSunday at 7 p.m.Opera Philadelphia’s 2017 production of “We Shall Not Be Moved” will stream online for the first time, as part of the new opera streaming project Digital Festival O and in partnership with the Apollo Theater. The show, directed by Bill T. Jones and with music by Daniel Bernard Roumain, was named one of the best classical music performances of 2017 by The New York Times. It’s “a raw, powerful opera” that “tackles issues of race and inequality by looking back at an infamous 1985 incident in which Philadelphia police bombed a rowhouse occupied by a group of black separatists,” The Times wrote, adding that Roumain “deftly folded gospel, funk, jazz and classical styles into his arresting score.”When: 7 p.m., and will be available to stream through Aug. 31.Where: Opera Philadelphia’s YouTube and website.Peter Libbey contributed research. More