Here are some of our favorite divorced parents on film-the people who handle their single parenting duties with dedication, resilience and humor and go to great lengths to set good examples for their kids they love unconditionally. Sure, these inspirational movies are fictional but who says they can’t be used as role models.

Hope Floats

The high school Homecoming Queen gets thrown over by the Quarterback years into their marriage and she is left to return to the small town she grew up in with their daughter to begin again.  She manages to start her life all over again successfully. The soundtrack is fantastic. The message is quite clear; even if your marriage ends unexpectedly, it doesn't mean that you can’t rise again and have a happy ending. 

The Pursuit of Happyness

It is one of the best movies on parenting. The movie was a blockbuster smash. It is based on the touching true story of hard-working Chris Gardener played by Will Smith. After another failed business venture, Gardener wife walks out on him leaving him to struggle with his son. Gardener strives to raise his son and earn enough money to put food in his tummy. However Chris never lets his son know how bad the going is. He always shields him from the realities of life. The pair goes through many trials. They successfully overcome them leaving the duo with a unique, unbreakable bond.

Erin Brockovich

Julia Roberts plays a struggling single mom for which she won an Oscar. The movie is based on a true story in which the single mother has to pull herself by bootstraps to change the entire course of her family’s life.

Definitely, Maybe

Will Hayes played by Ryan Renolds is going through a bitter divorce. His 10-year-old daughter is devastated when the couple breaks the news to her. But the child soon gets over it and queries her dad about the identities of women he had dated before he had married her mom. While Hayes indulges her, a unique bond develops between them.

Krammer v Krammer

For the first time, the popular assumption that a child is best raised by his mother is questioned in this movie. Ted Krammer who is a workaholic dad is forced to take the reins of his family when his wife suddenly leaves him. His transition from a man seen as an incompetent father who lacks confidence to a capable devout father is truly remarkable.