Historically, women supporting other women hasn’t been celebrated nearly enough. Often in Hollywood, female characters have been portrayed as catty, disloyal, fickle friends who care more about getting the guy than fostering their friendships with other women. Or at least, that’s what we’ve been led to believe. But in reality, a lot of TV shows and movies are true celebrations of female friendships and the incredible bonds that can form between women who love and back each other unconditionally.
Some of these films are knee-slapping comedies while others are tear-jerking dramas, but all of them are beautiful examples of female friendships, and have reminded us again and again how much we need other women in our lives. So instead of focusing on flicks and series that are a serious disservice to the power of the “girl friend,” we want to highlight the ones that give us all #friendgoals.
After all, women are usually the ones who provide the most intuitive and empathic kind of support and friendship, and that’s something we could all use more of. These movies and shows — whether silly and purely entertaining or deep and thought-provoking — all offer major inspo in the friendship department, and we could watch them over and over again.
'Sex and the City'
The women of Sex and the City — in both the TV series and the movies — largely stick by each other’s sides no matter what life throws at each of them. Not only that, but they are willing to do and say the hard things as needed, because sometimes as a friend you have to be brutally honest to protect your bestie’s best interest.
'Thelma & Louise'
When you’d literally kill to keep your best friend safe and you have a BFF who will go on the lam with you when you get yourself in hot water, that is real friendship. Thelma and Louise are so incredibly loyal to each other. For that fact alone, this movie always draws lots of tears out of us.
'The Baby-Sitters Club'
And yes, we mean the new one. We weren’t sure what to expect when Netflix premiered a reboot of our beloved Baby-Sitters Club, but dare we say we love it even more than the original series? The new iteration is absent of some of the cattiness and full of important life lessons about friendship.
'Workin' Moms'
It’s true that it’s impossible for someone to truly understand someone’s experience unless they’ve lived it too. The show Workin’ Moms (streaming on Netflix) demonstrates just how much we need other women in the same life stage to be a part of our lives. There’s just something about having someone around who really gets it.
'Beaches'
Beaches, starring Bette Middler and Barbara Hershey, is one of those incredible movies that stands the test of time, and will make you laugh out loud and cry into your pillow at the same time. No matter what the two friends in the story go through, they always come back to each other.
'Insecure'
Oh, how we love Issa and Molly from the HBO series Insecure. Their friendship comes off as so sincere and authentic, that sometimes we feel like we could jump right in and be besties with their characters, too. They share so much and are always supportive, even when they don’t agree with each other’s choices.
'Euphoria'
The HBO original series Euphoria, starring Zendaya, is absolutely wild. But in its seeming chaos, the power of friendship is on true display. Friendship between girls is so important, especially during the difficult adolescent years when having a trusted pal literally can make the biggest difference in how you walk through the world.
'Bridesmaids'
Sometimes being a good friend means being really uncomfortable. We don’t promote chronically sacrificing your own mental health for any friendship, but every once in a while, you just have to force yourself to be there for the girls who matter. In Bridesmaids, we see Kristen Wiig’s character do just that, and she totally makes us wish we had a friend just as committed as she is.
'Good Girls'
Ruby and Beth in the NBC series Good Girls are total friendship goals. In season four (which sadly is set to be the last), the two women prove that really, they’re more like family than friends. They are so incredibly loyal to each other and devoted to their friendship, and they make an excellent team no matter the situation. Fingers crossed that a streamer picks up the series one day!
'Dead to Me'
The best friendships are sometimes found in the unlikeliest of places. In the Netflix original series Dead to Me, starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, we see that dynamic play out in sometimes really painful ways and at other times, it’s totally hilarious. But throughout it all, it’s completely obvious that the show’s two lead characters are soul sisters.
'Romy & Michele's High School Reunion'
Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino are the perfect pair in 1997’s Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. They may be a bit ditzy, but they are good friends to each other, and we admire how well their friendship stands the test of time. Plus, they have some serious guts!
'Waiting To Exhale'
The women in Waiting To Exhale are the definition of true friends. They each go through so much in their lives, particularly their love lives, and amid the ups and downs, their bonds only grow stronger in the end. We can’t even fathom having a girl squad as strong and honest as theirs.
'A League of Their Own'
This incredible film, starring Geena Davis, Madonna, and Rosie O’Donnell, is based on a true story, so it’s safe to say that once upon a time there was a group of real-life women who stood up for each other just like the characters in the film do. As members of the first all-female baseball league in America, they go through a lot together and while it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, it’s real.
'Girls Trip'
In the words of Girls Trip star Queen Latifah herself, “This movie is all about sisterhood.” As women with jobs, families, and huge responsibilities it’s really hard to let loose sometimes, but in this film, the Flossy Posse shows us that when real friends reunite, true joy and connection are possible.
'Bad Moms'
You know what makes us love the friendships in Bad Moms even more? That it’s all so believable. We actually feel like the actors are probably just as tight in real life as they are in the film. Our girls would never get quite so crazy, but we might fantasize about it every once in a while, and we know just who we’d want along for the ride with us.
'Ghostbusters'
Some people aren’t crazy about the all-female cast of the 2016 Ghostbusters remake, but we kind of love it. Mostly because it showcases some serious girl power. Erin, Abby, Julian, and Patty would literally stop at nothing to keep each other safe. Who doesn’t want friends like that?
'Now and Then'
Just look at that adorable girl squad! This 1995 film is packed with some serious female star power, including Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Melanie Griffith, Demi Moore, and Rosie O’Donnell, and we still can’t get over the fact that each friend dropped what they were doing to be there for their girl when she was preparing to have her first baby.
'Set It Off'
Life can get crazy complicated sometimes and when it does, it’s a huge comfort to have your ride-or-die friends by your side. In Set It Off, all four of the friends — played by Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elyse, and Jada Pinkett Smith — are struggling in one way or another. When they decide to do something insane they have each other’s backs, even when it becomes dangerous.
'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'
This one is probably pretty obvious, but Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is one of the best examples of female friendship Hollywood has ever seen. It’s iconic for women of a certain age, and for many of us, it’s the benchmark for what we can expect from our friendships and shows us how to foster them.
'Steel Magnolias'
Also an absolute classic, 1989’s Steel Magnolias is a prime example of female friendships in the movies. Largely set in a small-town salon, it demonstrates not just how women become friends in the first place, but also how those friendships grow and change and deepen as life takes its toll.
'The Sweetest Thing'
First of all, Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate are pure comedy, and we absolutely love them. This movie is so much fun and shows us just what it’s like to have a friend who is down for anything, even if it means road tripping across the country to track down a stranger her girl might just be in love with.
