She sacrificed her own dreams to make her daughter's dreams come true.
Barmaid Stella Claire and blueblood Stephen Dallas have very little in common -- except they've fallen in love. When their relationship fails, Stella decides to raise the child they had, Jenny, alone. But Jenny and Stella are far from the perfect mother-daughter pair.
Stella (1990) is a romance and drama film directed by John Erman, released on February 2, 1990 with a runtime of 1h 49m. It stars Bette Midler, John Goodman, Trini Alvarado and Stephen Collins. Viewers rate it 5.8 out of 10 across 38 ratings.
Bette Midler
as Stella Claire
John Goodman
as Ed Munn
Trini Alvarado
as Jenny Claire
Stephen Collins
as Stephen Dallas
Marsha Mason
as Janice Morrison
Eileen Brennan
as Mrs. Wilkerson
Linda Hart
as Debbie Whitman
Ben Stiller
as Jim Uptegrove
William McNamara
as Pat Robbins
John Bell
as Bob Morrison
Ashley Peldon
as Jenny (age 3)
Alisan Porter
as Jenny (age 8)
Directed by John Erman, written by Robert Getchell and Olive Higgins Prouty, produced by Samuel Goldwyn Jr..
Average viewer score of 5.8/10 from 38 ratings.
"Stella" sometimes resembles a television movie of the week, especially in relation to the deliberately manipulative melodrama we are subjected to and this could have been more damaging than it actually is. That is because the film manages to part ways with all things conventional and what begins to unfold is an absolutely fascinating and compelling study of the constantly evolving and shifting relationship…
Reviewed on January 2, 2026
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Stella (1990) is available to stream on Watcha. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Stella (1990) includes Bette Midler, John Goodman, Trini Alvarado, Stephen Collins and Marsha Mason. The film was directed by John Erman. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Stella was released on February 2, 1990 and runs for 1h 49m.
Stella (1990) holds an average rating of 5.8 out of 10 from 38 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy romance and drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
