Parents don't always have the answers and don't always know the right things to say. Throughout the decades, movies have given audiences organic and adapted parental characters with no two ever striking the same chord. Whether they are from literature or completely new to the screen, these characters are fictional people parenting fictional children.

RELATED: 'C'mon C'mon' and '20th Century Women': Mike Mills's Love Letters to Parents and Children

Whatever the relationship is, these characters step up to the challenge of parenting whether they asked for it or not. As either supporting characters or main characters, these parents are ranked high among the hundreds of moms and dads created for audiences. Through trials and tribulations, these parental figures supported and protected the film's protagonist, sacrificing anything and everything.

10) Isabel & Jackie - 'Stepmom'

susan sarandon jackie harrison julia roberts isabel kelly stepmom parents
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

A hit with fans, but too dull for critics, this 90s drama brings together two women attempting to navigate a new dynamic of motherhood. Jackie (Susan Sarandon) is the mom who handles raising children as a divorced single parent with ease, despite her ex-husband's new fiancée, Isabel (Julia Roberts). Jackie receives a terminal cancer diagnosis as Isabel discovers how to be a stepmom to two young adult kids.

Both women are forced to make room for each other in their lives, Isabel making room for the kids and Jackie coming to terms with her illness. These characters are representative of struggles that divorced families engage in and how to co-parent while keeping the kids' best interests at heart. Jackie and Isabel form a mutual understanding and love for the impact the other has produced in their lives.

9) Rosemary & Dill - 'Easy A'

stanley-tucci-dill-patricia-clarkson-rosemary-easy-a-parents

As if their names weren't cool enough, their parenting style is. Dill (Stanley Tucci) and Rosemary (Patricia Clarkson) are loving, accepting parents of Easy A's heroine Olive (Emma Stone). As Olive tries to navigate the waters of the lie she created, Dill and Rosemary are supportive, never judging her for her choices no matter how risqué they may appear.

Throughout the comedy, each parent shares warm moments individually with Olive, offering a sounding board with limited authority for their teenager going through a tough-teen phase of self-discovery. Witty and sarcastic, their most redeeming scene co-parenting is post-dinner after Olive explains she was sent to the principal's office for saying inappropriate language. Not wanting to repeat it in front of her younger brother, her parents challenge her to spell the British slang word in her green peas.

8) Kala — 'Tarzan'

glenn-close-kala-tarzan-movie-parents

Animal movie parents are just as crucial as any human parent. Kala (voiced by Glenn Close) in Disney's animated feature, Tarzan, is an excellent parental character. After losing her own baby to the same leopard who killed Tarzan's parents, she discovers the tiny baby and rescues him from a similar fate.

RELATED: Every 90s Disney Animated Movie Ranked, Worst to Best

Despite their interspecies differences, she loves Tarzan as her own. During his darkest moments of self-reflection as a child and his choice to leave as an adult, Kala reminds him that he will always be a part of her world. Gentle and kind, this gorilla mother ranks among the top cinematic parents.

7) Teresa & Juan — 'Moonlight'

mahershala-ali-juan-janelle-monae-teresa-moonlight-parents

While they aren't Chiron's (played by Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood) birth parents, Teresa (Janelle Monáe) and Juan (Mahershala Ali) are surrogate parents for the young boy. As Chiron navigates the waters of being a young Black boy struggling with sexuality and his broken home, Juan and Teresa step in to provide a backbone of support and love that is missing from the boy's life.

Juan is responsible for part of the familial struggle in Chiron's life as Juan is the drug dealer who sells to Chiron's real mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), his guilt and internal struggle are apparent during his brief time in the film. Even after Juan's death, Teresa remains a source of stability and comfort for Chiron as he grows up and continues to discover his identity. While they aren't perfect parents or people, Juan and Teresa deserve a spot on the list for their efforts to try and aid Chiron through the difficulties he faces.

6) Atticus Finch — 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

Gregory Peck and Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird

A classic literary parent and cinematic parent, Atticus Finch ranks among the top movie single fathers. Played by the iconic Gregory Peck, Atticus is the father of Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem Finch (Phillip Alford) in To Kill a Mockingbird. He's a widowed lawyer raising two young kids in Depression-era Alabama.

RELATED: Order in the Court: 11 Best Courtroom Dramas

While his children do not call him anything other than his first name, Atticus treats them with respect and dignity, knowing the times they are growing up in. He tries to protect them from his controversial world as he defends a Black man accused of raping a white woman, but the children are still involved in the case and its consequences. As a single father, Atticus does the best with what he knows, perhaps allowing his kids to grow up too early, but remains a protective and loving figure.

5) Emily and Jack — 'Love, Simon'

jennifer-garner-emily-josh-duhamel-jack-love-simon-parents

In the 2018 teen dramedy, the titular character Simon (Nick Robinson) struggles with coming out as gay to both his friends and family. Early on, his father, Jack (Josh Duhamel), makes the situation more uncomfortable with off-hand comments. Simon knows his mother Emily (Jennifer Garner) will be accepting but is still reluctant to tell her.

When Simon does come out, his parents are both accepting. They feel a shade of guilt, Jack in particular, for their son not being able to be his true self for years. As supportive parents should, they love their son regardless of his sexuality and want him to be happy. During a tender scene with his mother, Emily tells Simon it's time to exhale and be himself truly, an emotional moment for the film's characters and audiences.

4) Bryan Mills — 'Taken'

liam-neeson-bryan-mills-maggie-grace-kim-taken-parents

A film that raised the bar for lengths a parent will go, Taken provided moviegoers with some of the most iconic movie lines, still quoted today, by father Bryan Mills. The only man for the role, Liam Neeson plays retired CIA agent Bryan Mills who is forced to tap back into his particular set of skills to find and rescue his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) after she's kidnaped abroad.

RELATED: Liam Neeson's 'Taken'-Inspired Action Thrillers Ranked Worst to Best

Before her disappearance, Bryan does everything he can to be a loving and present father, making up for the lost time. With his ex-wife's forced distance, Bryan still tries to be a part of Kim's life in any capacity. He's protective from the start, weary of the European trip. His dedication to getting Kim back is strong as he breaks all the rules to save her before it's too late.

3) Sharon and Joseph Rivers — 'If Beale Street Could Talk'

regina king-sharon-rivers-colman-domingo-joseph-rivers-if-beale-street-could-talk-parents

Another set of literary characters, Sharon and Joseph Rivers are unbeatable parents that accept their child's circumstances and roll with the complications. Played by Regina King and Colman Domingo, Sharon and Joseph are parents to If Beale Street Could Talk's heroine, Tish (KiKi Layne). King would win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role.

After Tish becomes pregnant, her fiancé Fonny (Stephan James) is arrested for a crime he didn't commit. Sharon and Joseph do everything in their power to help the couple by working odd jobs to pay for the legal fees of Fonny's lawyer. At one point, Sharon flies to Puerto Rico to confront the woman who wrongly accused Fonny, attempting to convince her to reverse her accusation. Through it all, they come together as a family to support Tish and Fonny through thick and thin, something Fonny's own parents struggle with.

2) David Kim — 'Searching'

John Cho in Searching
Image via Screen Gems

A found-footage/digital-storytelling film Searching follows the dramatic search of a father for his missing daughter. When his daughter Margot (Michelle La) disappears after school, David Kim (John Cho) scourers the internet and his daughter's web accounts to try and track her whereabouts.

RELATED: Most Powerful Movie Characters Of The Last 10 Years

A grieving widower, Kim pursues all avenues using his tech-savvy mind to discover what happened to Margot and bring her home. Kim's perseverance when all odds are against him, including police Detective Vick (Debra Messing), demonstrates the love of a parent when their child is their whole world.

1) Molly & Arthur Weasley — 'Harry Potter' Franchise

julie-waters-molly-weasley-mark-williams-arthur-weasley-harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-pt-2-parents

Perhaps the best fictional character movie parents, the Weasleys are a force to be reckoned with when their loved ones are threatened. For seven Harry Potter films, Molly (Julie Waters) and Arthur Weasley (Mark Williams) establish themselves as gentle, kind spirits who will step up to the plate when called upon.

They take Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) under their wings and protect him as if he is their own, doing the same with Harry's allies and Ron's friends. Even after the loss of a son in the final film, they carry no resentment toward Harry. Despite the danger associating with Harry brings, they love and support him anyway because it's the right thing to do.

KEEP READING: 10 Movies You Really Don't Want To Watch With Your Parents