The 10 Best On-Screen Mother-Daughter Duos Of All Time
The relationship between a mother and a daughter is a special one. Some are super close and others couldn't be further apart. There are moms and daughters who are complete besties and then there are some that, well, let's just say mama always makes sure you know who is boss.
Because art often imitates life, there are a few movie and TV relationships between mothers and daughters that will resonate with us no matter how old we get.
Check out the mother-daughter relationships that will live on and on in our hearts.
1. Rory and Lorelai
Rory and Lorelai from "Gilmore Girls" were more like besties and roommates than mother and daughter. They were always there for each other through everything from guy issues to running the business at Lorelai's bed and breakfast, the Dragonfly Inn.
2. Fran Fine & Sylvia Fine
There was only one person more glamorous than Fran Fine from on "The Nanny," and that was her mother, Sylvia Fine.
Both women adored their animal print and furs and loved to share a good cackle. Where they often bumped heads was during discussions about Fran's love life. Fran, like many daughters, dreaded hearing her mom pressure her about finding a husband.
Of course, both Sylvia and Fran, were overjoyed when Fran Fine finally married her affluent boss, Maxwell Sheffield.
3. Dorothy and Sophia
The "Golden Girls" pair kept the laughs rolling.
Sophia never hesitated to call Dorothy out on, well, everything. And although Dorothy was always rolling her eyes about living with Sophia and hearing her many "Picture It: Sicily" stories, it was obvious that she wouldn't have had it any other way.
Sophia will always be the shadiest, cleverest mom on television and Dorothy was the daughter who never hesitated to clap right back.
4. Regina George and Mrs. George
Oh, those Georges. The one thing Regina George and Mrs. George could agree on in "Mean Girls" was that Wednesdays were for pink, right?
Mrs. George was obsessed with showing her daughter and all of her friends just how "cool" she was and Regina hated it, despite being just as self-absorbed as her mom. They definitely had a "pot meets kettle" relationship, but I don't think they ever figured that out.
5. Maleficent & Aurora
Not even, Maleficent, the cold queen of the forest played by the ever stunning Angelina Jolie, could resist the charm of the innocent and sweet Princess Aurora.
During both her infancy and teenaged naïveté, Aurora was Maleficent's whole heart — no matter how angry she was at Aurora's father for stealing her magical wings.
Didn't you just cry and cry and cry when you found out that the "true love's kiss" needed to awaken Aurora actually came from her mother-figure and not some corny Prince Charming? Swoon!
6. Anna Coleman and Tess Coleman
"Freaky Friday" is like the GOAT when it comes to sappy teenaged comedy films, but what made it really cool was how relatable watching Anna (Lindsay Lohan) and Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) switch roles turned out to be.
A switch-a-roo like that can never happen in real life (right?), but so many moms and daughters seek understanding from each other. This film showed a relationship that achieved it in such a hilarious way.
7. Kim Parker & Nikki Parker
Talk about hilarity! "The Parkers" is an unsung sitcom spun off from Mo'Esha. It's where Oscar-winning actress, Mo'Nique, got her first big break playing single mother, Nikki Parker, and where she solidified herself as one of the funniest women on television.
She and her daughter, Kim Parker (played by "Mo'Esha" alum, Countess Vaughn) were everything to each other: roommates, classmates, sorority sisters and more.
They loved one another unconditionally even though they bumped heads whenever Kim would go rogue and forget who the real boss was. (Ahem, "Mama!")
8. Matilda & Ms. Honey
From the first scene of the film, it was clear that Matilda (the film's namesake) and her biological mother, Zinnia Wormwood, were not at all going to mesh. Mrs. Wormwood was more worried about playing her numbers, keeping her hair bleached to perfection and watching TV with her husband and son.
When Matilda's teacher, Ms. Honey, entered the movie with a voice and personality as sweet as her last name, she was the relief that both Matilda and us, the viewers, needed.
She and Matilda hit it off instantly, sharing a love for both books and math. The ending could not have been more appropriate when Ms. Honey ends up adopting her after they defeat the evil principal, Ms. Trunchbull.
9. Tia Landry, Tamara Campbell & Lisa Landry
On the sitcom, "Sister, Sister", Lisa Landry was funny as hell, always dressed to impress and always down to be there for the girls like she birthed them herself.
Although Lisa Landry was technically only Tia's mom via adoption, she welcomed Tamara Campbell (adopted by Ray Campbell) with open arms once the young ladies discovered that they had a twin.
10. Clair Huxtable & The Huxtable Girls
"The Cosby Show" may have been pulled from the air because of Bill Cosby's heinous transgressions, but Clair Huxtable's motherhood is still an iconic part of the show.
No matter how busy Clair got with her job as a lawyer, she was never ever too busy to spread love and lessons to daughters, Rudy, Vanessa, Denise, Sondra and later her granddaughter, Olivia.
