Mama

OK, too many puns available for this one, so we'll go straight to the list, in no particular order.

A spot will be held in reserve for Anne Ramsey - I must admit I haven't seen TMFTT, and only have a vague recollection of Goonies. Still, I will hold a spot in reserve, with a goal of rectifying this viewing lapse soon.

9. Beatrix Kiddo - Literally an ass-kicking mom, but what actually earns the spot is the willingness to offer herself for vengeance to the daughter of Vernita, understanding what it is to lose a mom.

8. Sheryl Hoover (Toni Collette, Little Miss Sunshine) - Toni could have earned this spot with Sixth Sense just as well, but her turn as the mom trying to hold her family together in this charmer was earnest (to put up with Kinnear as a husband!?!).

7. Carolyn Burnham (Annette Benning, American Beauty) - the WASP mom, out of control. She goes from happy-go-lucky (in the memory) to gun-toting, ultramaniacal adultress. After I saw this in the theater, one of my friends said "She reminds me of my mom." The girls in the group starting hitting him, saying "That's an awful thing to say!"

6. May Parker (Rosemary Harris, Spider-Man) - technically not a mom, but de facto for one of the top three superheroes of all time (my personal number 1, but that is for another List). She's just what Peter needs to keep him in line.

5. Lorraine McFly - long before there was Stiffler's mom, there was Lorraine McFly (wiping up drool from chin).

4. Mrs. Robinson - And before there was Lorraine McFly, there was the cougar. Mel Brooks was one lucky SOB to be married to Anne Bancroft, and Hoffman was lucky just to get to roll around with her.

3. Elaine Miller (Frances McDormand, Almost Famous) - some of us may disagree on the worth of the film, by McDormand pulled off the overbearing mother, ill-fit in the 70's, to a T. "Don't do drugs!"

2. Elastigirl/Edwina McDunnough (Holly Hunter, Incredibles and Raising Arizona) - amongst the many mothers Hunter has played, these 2 stand out (they are basically the same take on mother). They literally put themselves on the line for their kids. Plus, there is something about her Georgia accent that gets to me.

1. Joy Burns (Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April) - a pre-TomKat vehicle for Katie Holmes, this was actually a pretty well-done indie Thanksgiving story. Clarkson plays the mom to the disappointment that is April (Holmes). She is full of mixed emotions - bile, regret, hope - compounded with her terminal cancer. I know, it sounds hokey in print, but it is a more subtle role, and worth checking out (and I stress again, this list is in no particular order).