That’s Alright Mama (My Mom’s Top Five Movies)

The grinnin’ fool you see before you would be yours truly. I’m not certain exactly how old I am in that photo, but I’d guess somewhere around seven or eight. The lovely lady to my left would be my mom, Margaret. I’d venture a guess how old she was when this photo was taken, but I don’t think she’d appreciate that very much.

My mom and I are somewhat different when it comes to our movie-watching habits. For starters, mom isn’t the biggest fan of watching movies she’s seen before over and over again – though she isn’t adverse to the odd repeat viewing. For seconds, my mom doesn’t share my leaning towards dark/heavy stories.

However, my mom was a pretty big part of my cinematic education. She had a knack for picking some pretty good movies when we’d go to the video store. They weren’t all winners, but it certainly give me a boost towards good cinematic taste. So in honour of Mother’s Day this weekend, I thought I’d turn this week’s top five over to her. I’ve added a thought or two for each, so take a look after the jump at…

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)… Note: Mom couldn’t rank ’em, so I’ve listed these in chronological order This is a fitting place for my mom’s list to start, given that she spent much of my childhood working in municipal politics. I’m not sure if that was Jefferson Smith’s influence or not, but I’m willing to bet that part of the reason she did it for as long as she did, is because much like Mr. Smith, she has a deep-rooted desire to help people.

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)… My mom didn’t come from high society, but I’ll bet deep down she wishes she did (she was always making jokes about what would happen when she won the lottery). There isn’t much in the plot of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY that I can stem back to my mom, except perhaps some daydream of having a life like Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant always seemed to have in the movies. Although, the fact that it makes her list does re-affirm my estimation that she has pretty good taste when it comes to movies.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)… For starters, it reminds me that my mom – like me – thinks that many of the best movies were made before she (and likewise I) was born. I also have to smile at the fact that this is the third James Stewart movie on her list – and second Frank Capra film. I think this story stuck with my mom… that she holds tight to the effect our lives have on those around us. She’s always imparted upon me the virtues of being a good person, and doing what’s right. As such, a movie like this only underlines her life-lessons to this humble blogger.
THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)… Wanna know what part of my mom’s character this reminds me of? Her knack for challenging me. Why? because I’ve never seen this movie, so I haven’t the foggiest clue what my mom loves about it. Perhaps it’s her subconscious way of saying “Hatter sweetie, you’ve missed a good one – get on it.” Ya just gotta love that sort of parenting. Moving right along…

THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)… For starters, I like that my mom chose five absolute classics, and likewise, how her fifth is such a cool movie. It’s also a slightly amusing choice, since she’s never been a big fan of motorcycles. It could be that she wishes that she married or gave birth to someone as cool as Steve McQueen (no luck in either case). Or, it could be that there’s something about the platoon’s determination that speaks to her (a theme in many of the movies on this list actually). Or, it could be that a band of brothers who were constantly up to no good reminded her of her kids. Whatever the reason, this is a solid inclusion in her top five – such good taste is one of the reasons why I’m proud to call her my mom.

Curiosity brings a change this week – Please ask your moms about the movies they love, and leave comments with your mom’s top five movies, along with suggestions for the next top five.