“Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” Unless you are in the middle of a divorce! What could be better therapy than watching movies about other people’s problems, even if they’re fictional? No doubt the problems will be worse than ours.
I have chosen 10 of my favorite movies in the theme of either single parenting, divorce or both. All of the films on the list take place in the sweltering heat of summer (except for one). My list is not in any particular order as all the films are equally wonderful. Each film has a unique situations and characters and I think you’ll identify with more than one! So let’s get started;
Top 10 Summer Movies for the Divorced Mom…
A woman catches her husband cheating and moves out and into her parents home. This is one of my favorites because of its portrayal of extended family relationships during divorce. In particular, father/ daughter, mother/ daughter and what happens when a good girl from the South decides to leave her husband. Bonus-if you’re into the horsey life, this one’s for you. 1999
Starring:
Julia Roberts
Dennis Quaid
Kyra Sedgwick
A young woman is led astray by her curiosity in another man. A hot sticky Toronto summer is the setting. 2012
Starring:
Michelle Williams
Seth Rogan
Sarah Silverman
A young, childless couple learn to let go. Celeste and Jesse have loved each other since ‘forever’ but while Celeste is ready to let go, she has second thoughts until she is forced to. 2013
Starring:
Rashida Jones
Andy Sanberg
A woman becomes a single mother to two boys after her husband dies suddenly, leaving her significant debt. Learning to live on less with two sons will strike a chord with any single, divorced Mom. The relations between Mothers and Sons being central to this film may be just the one for you. A quiet, slower moving film. 1990
Starring:
Jessica Lange
Kathy Bates
5. Georgia Rule
Grandmother, daughter and granddaughter live under one roof for the summer. Chaos ensues with issues such as blended family problems and sexual child abuse. 2007
Starring:
Jane Fonda
Felicity Huffman
Lindsay Lohan
6. Blue Jasmine
A fallen woman ( as a result of her husband’s shady dealings) of a certain age learns to live on less. If she wasn’t so reliant on alcohol and pills she just might make it. Woody Allen written and directed. 2013
Starring:
Cate Blanchett
Alec Baldwin
Sally Hawkins
7. Dear Frankie
A young mother moves around Ireland to avoid being found by the boy’s father. She goes so far as to ‘hire’ a man to act as his father for a day. This is a beautiful and unique film. Trust me, you will love Dear Frankie. This is the only film that doesn’t take place in summer but I just had to include it. 2004
Starring:
Emily Mortimer
Jack McElhone
Mary Riggans
Gerard Butler
8. Enough Said
A divorced woman meets an interesting man. When she finds out he’s the ex husband of her new friend, she changes her opinion of him. I love this film because it really shows us how much influence other people’s bad mouthing can have on our own opinion. 2013
Starring:
Julia Louis Dreyfus
James Gandolfini
Mother and daughter struggle with a move from Wisconsin to Beverly Hills. This is Natalie Portman when she is starting out and she is a fabulous young actress. 1999
Starring:
Susan Sarandon
Natalie Portman
A recently divorced woman goes on tour in Italy and surprises herself when she stays. If you love Italy, you will love the beauty of this film. 2003
Starring:
Diane Lane
What’s your favorite summer/divorce movie? Please share in the comments. I love to hear from my readers 🙂
Loved this and totally checking these out!
Great, Cicily! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy.