Highest-Rated Movies about 'Manipulative Mother'

The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Splendor in the Grass (1961), The Awful Truth (1937), The Scarlet Empress (1934), Remember the Night (1940), The Patsy (1928), Cinderella (1950), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Manipulative Mother movies.

#1. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Storyline: Major Ben Marco (Frank Sinatra) is an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army. He served valiantly as a captain in the Korean war and his Sergeant, Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), even won the Medal of Honor. Marco has a major problem however: he has a recurring nightmare, one where two members of his squad are killed by Shaw. He's put on indefinite sick leave and visits Shaw in New York. Shaw for his part has established himself well, despite the misgivings of his domineering mother, Mrs. Eleanor Iselin (Angela Lansbury). She is a red-baiter, accusing anyone who disagrees with her right-wing reactionary views of being a Communist. Raymond hates her, not only for how she's treated him but equally because of his step-father, the ineffectual U.S. Senator John Iselin (James Gregory), who is intent on seeking higher office. When Marco learns that others in his Korean War unit have had nightmares similar to his own, he realizes that something happened to all of them in Korea and that Raymond...

Plot Keywords: conspiracy, political thriller, cold war era, korean war, cold war, playing cards, sniper rifle ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#2. Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Storyline: It's 1928 in oil rich southeast Kansas. High school seniors Bud Stamper and Deanie Loomis are in love with each other. Bud, the popular football captain, and Deanie, the sensitive soul, are "good" kids who have only gone as far as kissing. Unspoken to each other, they expect to get married to each other one day. But both face pressures within the relationship, Bud who has the urges to go farther despite knowing in his heart that if they do that Deanie will end up with a reputation like his own sister, Ginny Stamper, known as the loose, immoral party girl, and Deanie who will do anything to hold onto Bud regardless of the consequences. They also face pressures from their parents who have their own expectation for their offspring. Bud's overbearing father, Ace Stamper, the local oil baron, does not believe Bud can do wrong and expects him to go to Yale after graduation, which does not fit within Bud's own expectations for himself. And the money and image conscious Mrs. Loomis just wants...

Plot Keywords: melodrama, breakup, brother sister relationship, church, connecticut, doctor, face slap ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#3. The Awful Truth (1937)

Storyline: Before their divorce becomes final, Jerry and Lucy Warriner both do their best to ruin each other's plans for remarriage, Jerry to haughty socialite Barbara Vance, she to oil-rich bumpkin Daniel Leeson. Among their strategies: Jerry's court-decreed visitation rights with Mr. Smith, their pet fox terrier, and Lucy doing her most flamboyant Dixie Belle Lee impersonation as Jerry's brassy "sister" before his prospective bride's scandalized family.

Plot Keywords: divorce, piano, infidelity, based on play, screwball comedy, recital, racetrack ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#4. The Scarlet Empress (1934)

Storyline: Young Princess Sophia of Germany is taken to Russia to marry the half-wit Grand Duke Peter, son of the Empress. The domineering Empress hopes to improve the royal blood line. Sophia doesn't like her husband, but she likes Russia, and is very fond of Russian soldiers. She dutifully produces a son -- of questionable fatherhood, but no one seems to mind that. After the old empress dies, Sophia engineers a coup d'etat with the aid of the military, does away with Peter, and becomes Catherine the Great.—John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>

Plot Keywords: execution, adultery, rise to power, prince, oppression, mental illness, decadence ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#5. Remember the Night (1940)

Storyline: Just before Christmas, Lee Leander is caught shoplifting. It is her third offense. She is prosecuted by John Sargent. He postpones the trial because it is hard to get a conviction at Christmas time. However, he feels sorry for her and arranges for her bail; he also ends up taking her home to his mother for Christmas. Surrounded by a loving family (in stark contrast to Lee's own family background), they fall in love. This creates a new problem: how do they handle the upcoming trial?—John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>

Plot Keywords: morality, christmas present, gift, perfume, corset, dance, wedding dress ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#7. Cinderella (1950)

Storyline: Cinderella, the beautiful and kind-hearted daughter, sees her world turn upside down when her beloved mother dies, and her pained father remarries another woman, the wicked Lady Tremaine, who has two equally cruel daughters, the jealous Anastasia and Drizella. But, once more, things will go from bad to worse, When Cinderella's father, too, dies, leaving her all alone in the Lady's clutches to serve as her maid-of-all-work. Under those circumstances, a shabby and neglected Cinderella doesn't stand much of a chance of attending the King's royal ball--let alone, captivate the handsome Prince--unless she turns to her loving Fairy Godmother who has quite a few tricks up her sleeve. Nevertheless, will the wronged damsel ever find peace--and with it--her own Prince Charming ?

Plot Keywords: disney, one word title, female protagonist, based on fairy tale, rags to riches, stepmother stepdaughter relationship, mouse ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Storyline: Seven elderly Britons, for a variety of reasons, respond to an online ad and travel to Jaipur, India, where they find run-down hotel with a young, exuberant, and optimistic host. Evelyn, newly widowed, wants low-cost experience, Graham seeks a long-ago love, Douglas and Jean have lost their pension in a family investment, Muriel needs cheap hip surgery, Madge seeks a rich husband, and Norman is chasing women. India affects each in different ways, enchanting Douglas and Evelyn while driving Jean deeper into bitterness. Their host, young Sonny, has dreams but little cash or skill; he also has a girlfriend whom his mother dismisses. Stories cross and discoveries await each one.

Plot Keywords: old man, based on novel, old age, retirement, india, hotel, mumbai india ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#9. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)

Storyline: A family in route to New Guinea is shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island. They are forced to remain on the island because of the damage to the ship and the pirates that are roaming the islands. They create a home on the island (centering around a huge tree house) and explore the island and its wildlife. Plenty of adventure ensues as the family deals with issues of survival and pirates, and the brothers must learn how to live on the island with an uncertain future.

Plot Keywords: tropical island, based on novel, marooned, ship wreck, remake, stranded on an island, survival ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#10. Sons and Lovers (1960)

Storyline: It's the early twentieth century. The Morel family lives in the coal mining community of Bestwood, England, just outside of Nottingham. There is little connection now between husband and wife, Walter and Gertrude, due to their differences, while each quietly or not so quietly is able to manipulate emotionally their now adult sons. While eldest son William has escaped the clutches of his parents by moving to London, each of the two remaining sons have ended up having a natural alliance or connection to one parent. Arthur, like brusque Walter, works in the mines, something that Walter believes is their duty and legacy. Artistically inclined Paul, who is self-taught in his art, instead has a lower paying office job, in Gertrude's mind it a longer path but to greater financial gain, Paul who is never to work in the mines. Paul, arguably, would live as a painter if he was able. Paul's relationship with two women is shown in light of the influence Gertrude has had in his life, he who has separated the concepts of love, sex and marriage in his mind. The first is childhood friend, farm girl Miriam Leivers, who Paul has also instilled a romantic notion of the arts and literature. Their relationship is also affected by Mrs. Leivers, who has taught Miriam to have an ugly view of physical sex, it purely a means to procreation. The second is work colleague Clara Dawes, an emancipated woman separated from her laborer husband, Baxter Dawes.—Huggo

Plot Keywords: london england, male objectification, bare chested male, manipulative wife, manipulative female, manipulative mother, romantic rivalry ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#11. Wife vs. Secretary (1936)

Storyline: Magazine publisher Van Stanhope is a hard-working, dynamic executive very happily married to his beautiful wife Linda. Although their relationship is is built on unconditional trust, friends caution her about the dangers of allowing Whitey, her husband's extremely sexy secretary, to continue to have access to him. Even Van's mother warns Linda that Van's father philandered during their marriage, and Van, like all men, will eventually succumb to opportunity and temptation. Although Whitey has a faithful boyfriend, she secretly harbors unrequited feelings for her boss. When they take business trip to Havana, circumstantial evidence convinces Linda that the rumors she's heard may have a basis in fact.—Gabe Taverney (duke1029@aol.com)

Plot Keywords: based on novel, unrequited love, art deco, butler, cleaning woman, fiancee, fidelity ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#13. The Ref (1994)

Storyline: Denis Leary plays an unfortunate cat burglar, who is abandonded by his partner in the middle of a heist, and is forced to take an irritating Connecticut couple (Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis) hostage. He soon finds that he took more than he bargained for when the couple's blackmailing son and despicable in-laws step into the picture. Before long they're driving him nuts with their petty bickering and family problems. The only way for him to survive is to be their referee and resolve their differences, before he can be nabbed by the police.

Plot Keywords: thief, hostage, dysfunctional family, christmas, stockholm syndrome, marital crisis, unhappy marriage ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#14. The Baroness and the Butler (1938)

Storyline: On election day, Count Albert Sandor, the Prime Minister of Hungary, is surprised to learn that his faithful servant, Johann Porok, has been elected to parliament. Despite their opposing political views, Johann and Sandor amicably agree to continue their butler and master relationship. Sandor's daughter, Baroness Katrina Marissey, however, is appalled to see the eloquent butler opposing her father in parliament.—L. Hamre

Plot Keywords: parliament, butler, prime minister, hungary, class distinction, fired from the job, false accusation ...

Movie Details Click Here!

#15. Our Dancing Daughters (1928)

Storyline: Diana is outwardly the hit of the party but inwardly virtuous and idealistic. Her friend Ann is thoroughly selfish and amoral. Both are attracted to Ben Blaine, soon-to-be millionaire. He takes Diana's flirtations with other boys as a sign of disinterest in him and marries Ann. Big mistake.—Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>

Plot Keywords: romantic rivalry, seashore, jazz age, horse riding, friendship, accidental death, courtship ...

Movie Details Click Here!