Mermaids (1990)

Cher's Mrs. Flax is a free spirit whose answer to every problem with a man is to pack up and move, and Winona Ryder's Charlotte responds by deciding to become a nun, despite being Jewish. It is set in 1963, and the comedy comes from a daughter trying to be the grown-up in a house where her mother refuses the job. Critics at the time were split, and Ryder's voice-over can feel heavy. It earns its place for the moment the two finally say what they resent, and for an ending that settles into affection. A young Christina Ricci, as the younger sister, steals her scenes.