Maybe it’s the nostalgia from all the Sex and City anniversary coverage or just those memories of long summer days spent with friends growing up, but I am feeling super nostalgic about my female friendships lately. I know I’m not the only one feeling majorly sappy vibes for my girlfriends and have found the best books and movies about female friends that will give you all the feels. Sure, these can be enjoyed solo, but they’re terrific options for your next book club or movie night with your friends!
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Watch The Movie
The Heat
At first glance, this looks like your average comedy, but alongside being laugh out loud funny (seriously, I saw it in theaters and my seat mates were crying it was so funny), it also has some major friendship goals. Not to mention you’ll also get some plenty of “girls can do anything boys can do better” vibes.
Life Partners
This film is an adaptation of the play Life Partners, written by real life friends Joni Lefkowitz and Susanna Fogel based on their friendship. At age 29, best friends Sasha and Paige have yet to have any long-term, serious romantic relationships. Their friendship is somewhat co-dependent and had been used as an excuse to not pursue finding romantic partners. But when one of the girls finds a serious relationship, their friendship goes through some major changes. As could be expected, the single friend feels left behind. How they navigate these changes will feel relatable on so many levels.
Thelma & Louise
You can’t forget this classic road trip turned crime spree film starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. While this movie may have a bit of a sad ending, you can’t deny Thelma and Louise were the original ride or die besties. The lengths they go to to protect each other are inspiring and heartwarming.
Steel Magnolias
Get the tissues ready! You’ve been warned, don’t watch this movie unless you’re ready to shed some major tears. This film about the bond a group of women share in a small Southern community, and how they cope with the death of one of their own, will make you stop and appreciate all of the close friends in your life.
Pitch Perfect
Are you ready for not one, not two, but three hilarious movies about the bonds of female friendships? It’s time to plan a movie marathon, because once you start watching these films with an amazing female cast about a college acapella singing group, you won’t want to stop. Rebel Wilson plus Anna Kendrick plus Anna Camp equals the best friend group you could ever ask for. Wait, it gets better — all three movies were written by a woman.
Read The Book
The protagonist in this gripping tale returns to her hometown for her father’s funeral and is forced to reflect on the memories of her youth in Brooklyn spent with her three best friends. In 1970s New York, the girls created a world of their own, and this book pays tribute to memories shared with childhood friends. This book is just the beginning in a seriously addictive four-part novel series. It follows the lives of two girls from childhood to the end of their lives as they strive to create better lives for themselves, despite growing up in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Italy. A coming-of-age-story meets a love story about friendship? Sold. Looking for another series you won’t be able to put down? This novel (the first of three in the series) centers on Miriam and Laila, two Afghani women brought together by terrible circumstances. Even though they are a generation apart in age, they form a friendship that is only strengthened by the trials they face. It’s natural for friendships to change as we grow older, and most adults have experienced the juggling act of trying to balance their friendships with other important aspects in their life, like developing careers and raising a family. This book centers on four women who have been friends all their lives and experience the struggles we all face. The friends reunite to support one of the women as she prepares to enter hospice, and the reader will find that each woman is battling their own complicated issues. This book highlights how important it is to have strong friendships, especially later in life. This one actually isn’t a novel, but an examination of the language of female friendship. Deborah Tannen, a professor of linguistics, examines the way female friends communicate in this fascinating book. The tools provided in this book can alert you of the language choices that build up your relationships, as well as those that break it down. If you want to understand and strengthen your friendships, this book is for you.
Read The Book, Then Watch The Movie
Reading or watching the classic tale of the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is a must for every woman. Rebecca Wells tells the story of a group of friends uniting to help mend the broken relationship between a daughter and mother before time runs out to repair the damage that has been done. This story serves as a reminder that sometimes our friends know us better than we know ourselves. Anyone who has ever had a lifelong friend knows that even the strongest relationships can have their ups and downs. Beaches follows two friends from childhood through early adulthood as they strive to reach their dreams, support each other, drift apart, and come together again over the many years of their friendship. This story, in both book and film form, provides a raw look at the winding course a friendship can take. Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club was first released as a novel in 1989, but its message resonates as much today as it did then. The story, which was later brought to the big screen, focuses on four Chinese-American immigrant families in San Francisco in 1949 who start a club known as The Joy Luck Club. Not only do you witness the beautiful friendships between these women, but the story examines the turbulent relationships between the immigrant mothers and their first-generation Chinese-American daughters.
