I Remember Mama (1948)

This film tells a story of a different time, told through the eyes of the eldest daughter, Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes) and tells a variety of little vignettes of her immigrant family.
Irene Dunne shines as the title Mama, Martha Hanson, making sacrifices for her family. She acts a cleaning lady so she can sneak in to see her youngest, animal-loving Dagmar (June Hedin) after having surgery and when Katrin wants a dresser set, Mama sells her family heirloom, her mother's brooch, just so Katrin can get what she wants.
There are also some crazy parts, such as the scenes with Mama's extended family, including her boisterous Uncle Chris (Oscar Homolka) and her crazy aunts (it is not truly specified if they are her sisters or aunts), including a stand-out performance from the youngest, Aunt Trina (Ellen Corby), who somehow falls in love with the funeral director.
At its heart, its just a simple story about a family with daily triumphs and struggles, such as being jilted by their beloved border, Mr. Hyde (Cedric Hardwicke), who would read classic novels to them and inspired Katrin to become a writer. They scrim and save so the oldest, Nels (Steve Brown) can go on to high school.
Despite Irene Dunne being a huge star, she makes the role of Mama so utterly believable. Bel Geddes makes everyone that she was young teenager, not someone in her twenties, already married. And though the film is packed with characters, each, especially the children, have their own personalities, which is so lovely to see. While the plot is non-traditional, the film is truly great nevertheless. I also really liked it as it showed the working man compared to many Hollywood films of the day and demonstrates a great example of co-parenting. Philip Dorn deserves more credit for his understated performance as Lars, the Papa of the family. This film is not to be missed. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Uncle Chris secretly married his housekeeper, Jessie (Barbara O'Neil) and doesn't tell anyone mostly to piss them all off.
-Though he acts like a bully and curmudgeon, Uncle Chris truly had a large heart, donating money for the operations of young children.
-I couldn't believe the hospital policy of not allowing the parents to visit the child directly after surgery, its just barbaric.