In honor of the precious bonds of friendship in our lives, we’re going to the movies. Our resident film expert, Abbie Martin Greenbaum, has curated a list of top films about friendship between girls, women, sisters, mothers and daughters. Here are some of the best movies and films about female friendship for your next movie marathon.
in the mood for a movie night about female friendship?
There is no force in the world quite like female friendship. When times are hard, when we find ourselves coping with heartbreak or with disappointment, so often it is the women in our lives who come along to pick up the pieces. They are the sanctuary in the storm, the friends who show up, stay loyal, and support us no matter what.
They’re also the ones who’ll tell us hard truths about ourselves and our relationships. Who else do you trust to tell you that it’s time to leave, quit, stop smoking, move out, get real? Who else is going to tell you that those jeans just don’t work?
Whether we’re celebrating Friendsgiving, or Galentine’s Day, or just hanging with our squad, let’s take a moment to pause and reflect on the female friends in our lives who give us the space to be ourselves and to be vulnerable. And who help us live our dreams.
Join our community
For access to insider ideas and information on the world of luxury, sign up for our Dandelion Chandelier newsletter. And see luxury in a new light.
And let’s not forget that those dear female friends might be our sisters – or our mothers – or other family members who we would choose to have in our lives whether we’re related to them or not.
what are the best movies about female friendship?
Here are some amazing movies that celebrate the power of female friendship – in good times and in bad.
1. Thelma and Louise
This 1991 film is in many ways the ur-movie about female friends and the transforming impact that they can have on our lives. To this day, a powerful pair of women is frequently referred to as “Thelma and Louise.” If you haven’t seen it yet, the time is now.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Thelma and Louise.
2. Frances Ha
Sometimes movies feel so genuine and real, they almost become hard to watch. Sufferers of secondhand embarrassment, tread lightly with Frances Ha. But even for the skittish, we promise this film is absolutely be worth the trouble.
Francis (Greta Gerwig) and Sophie (Mickey Sumner) are best friends and roommates until changes in their mid-twenties cause them to separate. In the wake of losing Sophie, Francis finds herself at a loss, making questionable decision after questionable decision that pull her farther and farther away from herself.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Frances Ha.
Whereas many of these wonderful movies paint a picture of friendship at its most golden and protective, this is a portrait of how these kinds of close friendships often really do feel. As we struggle to hold onto each other when our lives pull us apart, our most intimate friendships can become more complicated.
3. Now and Then
If you grew up in the 1990’s, Now and Then may be the very first movie that comes to mind when you think of female friendship. The film opens in 1995, when former best friends Sam (Demi Moore), Roberta (Rosie O’Donnell), Chrissy (Rita Wilson) and Teeny (Melanie Griffith) are reunited for the first time since middle school.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Now and Then.
The women are inspired to reminisce about the summer of 1970, an electric time when they found love, looked for ghosts, and helped each other through the hardships of adolescence. This is the ideal sleepover movie, a mixtape of nostalgia, camp and sincerity that muses on the way our adult selves often miss the comfort and surety of the friendships we had when we were young.
4. Josie and the Pussycats
If you are looking for something even campier, Josie and the Pussycats will hit all of the right notes. Loosely based on the beloved comic, this is a story about three girls, Josie (Rachel Leigh Cook), Val (Rosario Dawson) and Melody (Tara Reid) who get their big break when their unknown band is unexpectedly signed by a major record label.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Josie and the Pussycats
The film travels to all kinds of places you will not expect – including some salient takes on technology and consumerism – but it lands with its feet on the idea that friendship will always matter above all else. Settle in, suspend your disbelief, and prepare to have the original soundtrack stuck in your head for the rest of the week.
5. Girls Trip
Easily one of the best movies about a friend group released in the past decade, Girls Trip is the story of four college friends, Ryan (Regina Hall), Sasha (Queen Latifah), Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Dina (Tiffany Haddish) who reunite on a girls’ weekend at Essence Music Festival.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Girls Trip.
During their weekend together, they are all forced to confront difficult truths about their lives, while still having a memorable (and hilarious) time. The movie is the perfect mix of drama and comedy, showcasing the way our female friends are there for us in both the best moments and the worst. And how sometimes they are the voice of truth we need – even when it is truth we do not want to hear.
6. Hustlers
Based on a true story, Hustlers was released this fall to rave reviews. Destiny (Constance Wu) is struggling to make a living in her job at a nightclub, until she meets Ramona (Jennifer Lopez): a woman whose powerful, larger-than-life presence will change Destiny’s life forever.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Hustlers.
What starts out as an attempt to make some money gradually becomes a path of crime, and progresses until the girls are in way over their heads. But at the center of this complex, vibrant thrill-ride of a movie is the friendship between Destiny and Ramona, which is twisted and full of love and a beautiful example of how our female friendships can alter the course of our lives.
7. Pitch Perfect
The 2012 Pitch Perfect is the best of what went on to become a multi-installment franchise property. In it, Anna Kendrick stars as Beca, a freshman at Barden University. She’s an independent, aspiring DJ with no interest in the traditions of college life.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: the Pitch Perfect franchise.
But she is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school’s all-girls singing group. She forms friendships with other Bellas, including Rebel Wilson as “Fat Amy” and Brittany Snow as Chloe. After injecting some much-needed energy into their repertoire of songs, and some style into their wardrobes, she leads The Bellas as they take on their male rivals in a campus-wide competition. While nothing about this plot will surprise you, the wit and warmth – and the cool musical performances – make this a feel-good Friday favorite of ours.
8. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Based on the beloved book series, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a story about four friends who are bolstered by one miraculous pair of jeans during the most transformative summer of their lives.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
The movie is tender and full of life lessons, including the evergreen truth that even when our friends are not with us, they are still influencing everything that we do. Carmen (America Ferrera), Tibby (Amber Tamblyn), Lena (Alexis Bledel) and Bridget (Blake Lively) will make you wish you had a magical pair of jeans of your own.
9. First Wives Club
This classic film is always worth another viewing. In First Wives Club, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler star as Annie, Elise and Brenda, three old friends who are reunited after a tragic incident.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: First Wives Club.
The women, all recently left by their husbands, band together to form the ‘first wives club,’ a group that is set on getting revenge, and getting the best of their exes. The movie is silly and sweet and full of laugh-out-loud slapstick, and by the end you will find yourself feeling ten times better than you did when you started watching.
10. Working Girl
A list of films about female friendship wouldn’t be complete without at least one involving frenemies. Especially frenemies at work. Working Girl is many things; among them is a story about old female friendships and new “girl crushes” that can ultimately break our hearts.
Melanie Griffith is Tess, the working girl of the title. She’s an executive assistant, as is her best friend from growing up on Staten Island. When she has the chance to work for a new female boss, played by Sigourney Weaver, she seizes the chance. And then ends up stealing her identity.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Working Girl.
Loyalty to old best friends, dreams of moving up in the world, which women you can trust and which you cannot, and what gets lost along the way to the top are all explored here with surprising depth for what appears to be just another rom-com. We highly recommend it for anyone who is striving for more and wondering whether it’s worth the fight.
11. Clueless
By now, you’ve almost surely seen Clueless, Amy Heckerling’s classic update of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. But why not watch it again? What makes it different than the other films on this list is that it is almost entirely angst-free.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Clueless
While many films about female friendship are about the ways in which the women in our lives can help us get back up when we fall, Clueless is simply about three women at the top of their game, enjoying their lives and each other. But still standing by their values and remaining kind. Cher (Alicia Silverstone), Dionne (Stacey Dash) and Tai (Brittany Murphy) make high school almost seem like a good time. And their fun, sweet, carefree friendship will give you a much-needed break from everything else going on in your life.
12. Support the Girls
Lauded as one of the best films from the past decade, Support the Girls is a unique comedy about a different kind of female friendship. Regina Hall stars as Lisa, the general manager at “Double Whammies,” a sports bar that specializes in hiring attractive young women for their wait staff.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Support the Girls.
But as the film rolls on, it becomes clear that Lisa is far more than an employer to these women, as she puts out fires, rescues people from air vents, and tries desperately to do right by all the people who depend on her. Somehow both self-aware of the oppressive structures it is examining, and also laugh-out-loud funny, the film feels first and foremost like a thank you note to female friendship. Even when everything goes wrong, the women in the film stand together, helping each other through to the end of the day.
13. Booksmart
In Booksmart, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are best friends, and have spent most of their high school careers studying and trying to fly under the radar. But the night before graduation, they make a last ditch attempt to join their peers at an end-of-school party and rebrand themselves.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Booksmart. Photo Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures.
Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is extremely entertaining and full of whimsical friendship shenanigans, and also highlights the ways in which, sometimes, a very close friendship can hold us back from exploring beyond our comfort zones.
14. The Group
If you loved Mad Men, you definitely need to watch The Group. In this classic 1966 film, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Candice Bergen, eight young women from the Vassar College class of 1933 – all close friends during college – head out into the world after graduation.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: The Group.
But they discover that nothing is quite as they dreamed. Rather than blazing trails in art, science and literature, the friends are each variously burdened with disappointing relationships, children and the shadow of war. The film ends as World War II is beginning in Europe.
15. Steel Magnolias
The roster of strong women in Steel Magnolias is reason enough to see it (or to re-watch it). Sally Field is M’Lynn, mother of bride-to-be Shelby Eatenton (Julia Roberts). Her friend Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton) is a local hairdresser, and Darryl Hannah plays aspiring beautician Annelle.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Steel Magnolias.
The film traces their lives after the opening wedding, as they face joy and sadness, and come to rely on each other. There are funny moments, but it’s a drama – interestingly, when it first premiered, people complained that “there’s not even one strong man in it.” Julia Roberts earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal, and Sally Fields’ performance is a classic. Just keep a box of tissues close-by.
16. Waiting to Exhale
Based on Terry McMillan’s novel of the same name, Waiting to Exhale (1995) follows four very different African-American women and their relationships with each other and with their romantic partners. All of them are “holding their breath” until the day they can feel comfortable in a committed relationship with a man. Female friendship becomes the strongest bond in their lives as men, careers, and families bring heartache and disappointments.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Waiting to Exhale.
Despite the serious elements, the tone is actually pretty lighthearted. And the cast list reads like a “Who’s-Who” of African-American acting legends: Angela Bassett, Whitney Houston, Loretta Devine, Dennis Haysbert, Mykelti Williamson, Wendell Pierce and more. Forest Whitaker directs. And the scene where Angela Bassett sets fire to her cheating husband’s car is priceless.
17. Sex and the City
It seems fitting to end this list with one of the first entertainment franchises that comes to most people’s minds when the topic of female friendship in the movies comes up. While of course it started as as an HBO show, the four friends from Sex and the City also turned up in several movies.
The best movies about female friendship – between women, girls, sisters, mothers and daughters: Sex and the City
Of those, we can only recommend the first, released in 2008. Carrie is planning her wedding to Mr. Big, and Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha are having their own adventures in committed relationships. Come for the fashion and the great views of New York. Stay for the sweetness of the bond between the four women that sustains them in the midst of the storm.
the best movies about female friendship
Those are our picks for some of the best movies about friendship between girls, women, sisters, mothers and daughters. What’s your favorite?
join our community
For access to insider ideas and information on the world of luxury, sign up for our Dandelion Chandelier newsletter here. And see luxury in a new light.
Abbie Martin Greenbaum grew up in New York City and currently lives in Brooklyn, where she drinks a lot of coffee and matches roommates together for a living. At Oberlin College, she studied English and Cinema, which are still two of her favorite things, along with dessert and musical theater. She believes in magic.
Join our community
For access to insider ideas and information on the world of luxury, sign up for our Dandelion Chandelier newsletter. And see luxury in a new light.