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Sure, a lot of movies focus on male camaraderie, but female friendship is where the real action is at. Because one woman kicking booty and taking names is impressive. Two doing it – and supporting each other along the way? Now, that is some real movie magic.
Heck, research has even found that women have a “tend or befriend” reaction during times of stress, live longer with a BFF by their side and feel happier (thank you progesterone) when they feel emotionally close to other women.
READ MORE: The Health Benefits of Women Supporting Women
Are you ready to get enjoy all the feels – and health benefits – of women supporting women? Then call up your best friends and set up a movie night (or three) to watch some classic films about the unbelievable power of female friendship.
When all of the men were shipped off to fight during WWII, the American Baseball League gathered together the best female ball players in the country to take over the sport. Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and her kid sister Kit are asked to join. What they never expected was to form friendships with the women who are also vying for a spot on the team.
READ MORE: 5 Benefits of Having Global Friendships
Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) were outcasts at their high school, but, after graduation, they move to Los Angeles and become the cool ones. When their high school’s ten-year reunion comes up, the girls vow to return to Tucson and show all of their haters how great they really are. With their style, wit and friendship, Romy and Michele are ready for anything their high school reunion throws at them.
Housewife Thelma (Geena Davis) joins her best friend Louise (Susan Sarandon) on a road trip to get away from her husband. However, what was supposed to be a quiet fishing trip turns into a run for their lives – or, more specifically, a run to escape to Mexico. When the girls are cornered at the Grand Canyon, there’s only one decision for them to make.
READ MORE: Why Every Woman Should Rock a Cross Country Road Trip
Jane (Whoopi Goldberg) is a sultry lounge singer in search of something new after she recently broke up with her girlfriend. Holly (Drew Barrymore) is pregnant and looking to escape her abusive boyfriend. Robin (Mary-Louise Parker) is a real-estate agent harboring the biggest secret of all: she has HIV. When Robin puts an ad in the paper for a traveling partner, Jane steps forward to accompany her. And when the duo stops by Pittsburg and sees Holly in the middle of a fight with her boyfriend, they invite her along for the ride. Driving across the country has never been (and will never be) more entertaining or heartfelt.
Kat (Annabeth Gish), Daisy (Julia Roberts) and Jojo (Lili Taylor) are best friends working in their local pizza shop, trying to get their lives together as they struggle with boy problems and growing up. Kat and Daisy are sisters and rivals; Kat is everything Daisy is not, and her mother resents Daisy for it. Although the trio certainly experience plenty of ups and downs, they never fail to show how powerful friendship can be.
Ex-wives Annie MacDuggan (Diane Keaton), Brenda Morelli Cushman (Bette Midler) and Elise Elliot Atchison (Goldie Hawn) are all dissatisfied with the way their marriages ended up – namely, that their husbands hit it big and then left them for much younger women. The women join to create the First Wives Club, agreeing to help each other get revenge on their ex-husbands. They just didn’t expect to also land the ultimate revenge: showing the world that they’ve moved onto bigger and better things.
Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) and Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) are American showgirls and best friends. Lorelei loves diamonds and believes that attracting a rich husband is a woman’s only road to financial success. Meanwhile, Dorothy is more concerned about true love than purse strings. Combine these characters with a trip to Paris, a private detective and one of the best musical songs ever – “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” – and this movie has all the makings of a girl’s night classic.
READ MORE: You’ll Be Shocked at Marilyn Monroe’s Secret Talent
Demi Moore and Gaby Hoffman, Rosie O’Donnell and Christina Ricci, Rita Wilson and Ashleigh Aston Moore, and Melanie Griffith and Thora Birch are all found in Now and Then, via Instagram
Four childhood friends – Samantha (Demi Moore and Gaby Hoffman), Roberta (Rosie O’Donnell and Christina Ricci), Chrissy (Rita Wilson and Ashleigh Aston Moore) and Teeny (Melanie Griffith and Thora Birch) – reunite after many years and relive the best summer of their childhood. The girls navigate growing older, family problems and the constantly annoying Wormer boys.
READ MORE: How Friendships Change When You Go to College
In 19th century China, two girls, Snow Flower (Gianna Jun) and Lily (Li Bing Bing), are bonded as forever sisters, or laotong, by the matchmaker who is arranging their marriages. Isolated by their families, the only way they can communicate is in a secret language concealed on a fan of Snow Flowers. Meanwhile, in present day Shanghai, their descendants struggle with their own intense relationships. If you’re craving a trip in time or to another country, this movie is the ticket you’ve been looking for.
Jesminder (Parminder Nagra) has always loved to play soccer, but when she meets Jules (Keira Knightley), she agrees to play without telling her parents. Together, the two girls break into the new world of professional female football players, all the while dealing with racism and boy troubles. When Jess’s parents learn that she has been playing soccer all along, she’ll have to decide if she can stay away from the game…and whether she even should.
Set in rural Georgia, the film follows the story of Celie Harris (Whoopi Goldberg) as she tries to navigate living in a racist society. She endures rape, incest and the loss of her child at birth, as well as domestic violence at the hands of her dictatorial husband. The only comfort she has in life is that of her sister (Akosua Busia) and her best friend (Margaret Avery). Their friendship shows women of color’s struggle for equality and the bonds these women form as a result.
Based on the life of Susanna Kaysen’s (Winona Ryder) time in a mental institution, this movie follows Susanna’s life as she adjusts to the hospital and begins to make friends with another patient (Angelina Jolie). Her newfound friendships with those in the ward are both sweet and confrontational, showing the spectrum of human emotions. Through the ups and downs of their recovery, all of girls’ friendships will be tested.
READ MORE: No, Angelina Jolie Doesn’t Want to Talk About Her Divorce From Brad Pitt
Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu, Ming-Na Wen, Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom, Rosalind Chao and more appear in The Joy Luck Club, via Instagram
This movie follows the stories of four Chinese immigrants and their daughters, who try to distance themselves from their mothers. It shows the lasting friendships that the women developed over the years and their rivalries (especially in terms of their daughters’ lives and accomplishments). Friendships are complicated, as are mother-daughter relationships. Yet, this film shows the positives of each.
Sarah Bailey (Robin Tunney) has just moved to Los Angeles, where she meets Bonnie (Neve Campbell), Nancy (Fairuza Balk) and Rochelle (Rachel True), all rumored to be witches. The girls believe that Sarah is a natural witch and will complete their coven, so they take her under their wing. However, when they vie for too much power, their spells begin to backfire on them. Will the girls survive when they begin to turn on one another?
Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) and Sole (Lola Duenas) are two sisters living in Madrid. When their aunt dies, Sole returns to their home in La Mancha to attend the funeral…only to discover that the ghost of her deceased mother has appeared. Meanwhile, Raimunda is dealing with her own problems with her daughter, Paula. This movie shows the true meaning of “family problems” – but it also reveals the bonds that hold women, and family members, together.
READ MORE: Why Ghostbusters Is So Important For Women
America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn and Blake Lively in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, via Instagram
Carmen (America Ferrera), Lena (Alexis Bledel), Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) and Bee (Blake Lively) have been best friends since before they were born. But when they turn sixteen, they are all anxiously embarking on their first summer apart. When the group finds a pair of pants that magically fits each of them, they vow to send the pants to each other during the summer and recount the tales of their trip. While they can’t be there for each other in person, the pants serve as a fashionable messenger with a little touch of magic.
Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine are some of the stars in Waiting to Exhale, via Instagram
Savannah (Whitney Houston), Bernie (Angela Bassett), Robin (Lela Rochon) and Glo (Loretta Devine) are four best friends trying to work through their love and life problems. Throughout the decline in their relationships, the women are there to support each other no matter what. While the relationships with the men in their lives are constantly changing, the women’s bonds stay constant.
READ MORE: Younger Friends, Older Friends? Absolutely Yes! Here’s Why….
Throughout our lives, we form many friendships and lose some along the way. However, female BFFS are a necessity to survive life’s up and downs – and these movies show exactly how awesome girl power can really be. The next time you need inspiration on how women can support other women, just turn on one of these movies…preferably, with a group of friends sitting right beside you!
