Mother's Day 2016

As Mother’s Day approaches in Atlanta, a group of seemingly-unconnected people begin to confront the complicated web of mothers, daughters, and partners that shape their lives.

Sandy, Jennifer Aniston, is a divorced mother of two sons, Mikey and Peter, whose ex-husband Henry has recently married a younger woman, Tina. Still navigating this new dynamic, she runs into Bradley, a former Marine, in the supermarket, and a conversation about family, responsibility, and second chances begins to unfold. Bradley, Jason Sudeikis, is a devoted father who has his own baggage to work through: his wife Dana, a Marine Lieutenant, died a year earlier, leaving him with their two daughters, Vicky and Rachel. The encounter hints at a potential, if unlikely, connection between two people who have been through different kinds of loss and are looking for hope in small, ordinary moments.

Kristin, adopted from birth, has her own daughter, Katie, and she mulls over marrying the father of her child, Zack. She considers her life incomplete and her friend Jesse encourages her to search for her birth mother. Jesse also happens to be Sandy’s best friend, weaving these separate arcs into a shared circle of confidants. Jesse is married and has a son, Tanner, with Russell, who is Indian. Her sister Gabi is married to her wife Max and has a son, Charlie. When their racist, homophobic parents, Earl and Florence, unexpectedly show up, the two generations are forced to come to terms with who their daughters are and the partners they have chosen, testing loyalties and challenging long-held beliefs.

Miranda, Julia Roberts, is an accomplished author and television personality promoting her latest book while navigating fame, public scrutiny, and personal history. Kristin arrives with a surprise that shifts the course of everyone’s plans: Kristin reveals her plan to marry Zack on air, and Miranda agrees to participate. The on‑air proposal becomes a catalyst for healing and a reminder that family can be rebuilt even when the past seems to stand in the way. The moment is both hopeful and emotionally charged, illustrating how a public event can intersect with private longing.

Back in Atlanta, Sandy, an interior designer by trade, hopes to land a job designing the stage for Miranda’s new talk show. A cascade of delays and miscommunications nearly derails her chance at the dream opportunity, as many small misfortunes conspire to keep her from the crucial design meeting. Frustrated, she stages a public scene that lays bare all the reasons for her tardiness, and Miranda—curious about the real life behind the author’s public image—asks to meet with Sandy. What begins as a tense encounter evolves into something more intimate, as Sandy’s blunt, humorous, and refreshingly unpolished answers to Miranda’s questions reveal a person with depth, ambition, and resilience. The result is more than a design gig; it becomes a doorway to personal recognition and professional respect.

Meanwhile, Jesse and Gabi’s families confront past grievances in a vivid, if chaotic, sequence of moments. The camper-van confrontation, aided by Russell’s mother through Skype, forces Russell to reconcile with Jesse. As the families eventually gather for a Mother’s Day picnic in the park—with a strong emphasis on forgiveness, gratitude, and the complex love that binds generations—the day shifts from conflict to community, underscoring the story’s central message: motherhood is a spectrum of joys and struggles, and choosing to stand by one another can redeem old wounds.

The story threads converge when Sandy and Bradley cross paths again, this time in a hospital where an asthma attack involving Sandy’s younger son and a mishap at Bradley’s Mother’s Day party create a moment of vulnerability for both of them. In the sterile corridors and the quiet rooms, their shared responsibility for the children in their lives becomes a bridge rather than a barrier. With the encouragement of their daughters, Bradley begins to see Sandy in a more hopeful light, and the possibility of a new chapter—one built on mutual support, patience, and a willingness to grow—starts to take shape.

Across these interwoven plots, the characters navigate love’s imperfect timing, the ache of imperfect families, and the bittersweet texture of aging relationships. The film paints a portrait of Atlanta’s diverse communities, highlighting how mothers, whether biological, chosen, or found across friendship, influence the choices people make about who they are and who they wish to become. The celebration of Mother’s Day becomes more than a holiday; it becomes a collective acknowledgment that even when life’s puzzles don’t fit neatly, there is value in reaching out, listening, and choosing to repair what is broken.

In the end, what remains is a tapestry of small, hopeful moments—an invitation to see the good in everyday connections and to recognize that family can be redefined through empathy, honesty, and a little courage. The film’s warmth comes from its ensemble of characters who, through misadventure and heartfelt conversations, discover that the path to belonging often runs through reconciliation, forgiveness, and the daily acts of care that sustain relationships.

If you’re seeking a story that blends humor with compassionate moments and a celebration of motherhood in all its forms, this ensemble piece offers a resonant, feel-good continuation of the everyday truths about family, friendship, and the enduring question of how we love those who raised us.