30 Movies Practically Made for Watching With Friends
They make any girls' night instantly fun.
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Girls' night can take endless shapes. You can treat yourselves to at-home manicures, clink cocktails, or read horoscopes and see what the month has in store. But one of our favorite activities is hunkering down for a movie. Rom-coms, comedies, and horror movies are fun—but when it comes to girls' night, you naturally gravitate toward flicks about friendship.
And the possibilities are endless. Movies like Girls' Trip and 2021's Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar will have you on Expedia, booking a weekend away or a road trip to a quaint destination. Funny high school-set flicks like Booksmart might even make you nostalgic for senior year, even if it's far in the rearview window. Epic Bollywood movies are long enough for an evening's worth of entertainment. And undeniably, some of the best movies to watch with friends fall into the "so bad they're good," cringe-worthy category.
Below, find a slate of movies—streaming on Netflix, Hulu and beyond, that will make any night with friends instantly fun,
Booksmart
Directed by Olivia Wilde, Booksmart earned praise for its big-hearted and riotous depiction of high school friendship. In the movie, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) learn a lesson: It's absolutely okay to work hard and play even harder.
Queen
At 24, Rani (Kangana Ranau) thinks she has her life figured out. Then, her fiancé ends their relationship. Instead of moping, she goes on the honeymoon by herself. This 2014 feel-good movie is about a woman discovering the world, and in doing so, herself. You'll be smiling for all two hours and 26 minutes.
The Woman in the Window
Who ever said that a movie had to be critically acclaimed to be enjoyable? The Woman in the Window had a long path from thriller to Amy Adams-starring movie. The final product has an admittedly low Rotten Tomatoes score, but makes for a fun watch. Riffing off Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, the film is about a woman suffering from agoraphobia who is convinced she's seen a murder in the apartment across the street.
Secret Obsession
Secret Obsession is a movie that encourages participation. The Netflix psychological thriller often veers into absurd directions. In the movie, Brenda Song plays a woman who wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the night before. A man (Greg Vogel) arrives, claiming to be her husband. But is he?
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
Girls Trip
The "flossy posse," comprised of Ryan (Regina Hall), Sasha (Queen Latifah), Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Dina (Tiffany Haddish), reunite for a wild weekend of fun in New Orleans at the annual Essence Festival. When watching the hilarious 2017 film with your BFFs, just remember that friends don't let friends indulge in grapefruit irresponsibly.
Fried Green Tomatoes
The heartwarming bond between Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) and Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy) is proof that you can still find new friends as you get older. Stream this feel-good Southern movie, which is adapted from Fannie Flagg's novel, when you and your friends need a good laugh, cry, and boost of confidence.
Sex and the City 2
For six years, fans watched Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte (Kristen Davis), and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) on the hit HBO series, Sex and the City. But the 2010 movie spinoff sees the fashionable foursome leaving New York City for a girls getaway to Abu Dhabi.
Waiting to Exhale
Based on Terry McMillan's 1992 book of the same name, the '95 film follows the story of four Black female best friends: Gloria (Loretta Devine), Savannah (Whitney Houston), Bernadine (Angela Bassett), and Robin (Lela Rochon). Although each woman is successful in her own right, they are bonded by the struggles they face in their love lives.
Thelma & Louise
When it comes to fun buddy road trips, it doesn't get much better than this 1991 flick—or the 1966 Thunderbird convertible Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) get to ride in throughout the movie. There's adventure and trouble at every turn, but the two stick by each other's side.
Steel Magnolias
The best moments of friendship and gossiping among M'Lynn (Sally Fields), Shelby (Julia Roberts), Truvy (Dolly Parton), Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine), and Annelle (Daryl Hannah) occur in Truvy's beauty salon. Through life and death, the complicated aspects of relationships are explored in the classic 1989 movie, which is adapted from Robert Harling's eponymous play.
The First Wives Club
Because revenge is a dish best served cold and with your best friends. Playing scorned divorcées in this 1996 book-to-movie adaptation, how could your squad not be inspired when Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn sing and declare, "You don't own me."
Hustlers
Hustlers is based on the true story of former exotic dancers who decided to use their position to, well, hustle people out of money. J. Lo was definitely snubbed by the Oscars for her performance as the group's ringleader.
Set It Off
We don't advocate breaking the law like Stony (Pinkett Smith), Cleo (Latifah), Frankie (Vivica A. Fox), and Tisean (Kimberly Elise) do when robbing banks in this 1996 drama. But we do champion friends who support each other through the darkest of times. And, hey, if you're going to rake in loads of cash, you might as well fatten your bank account with the people you love the most.
13 Going on 30
You're never too old to throw an epic slumber party, as Jennifer Garner's character, Jenna Rink, does in this 2004 body-swap comedy. But iconic sleepovers and renditions of Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefied" aside, the best part of 13 Going on 30 is when Jenna realizes she's in love with her childhood best friend, Matty (Mark Ruffalo).
Clueless
As if we could ever leave these plaid-loving BFFs off the list. Cher (Alicia Silverstone), Dionne (Stacey Dash), and Tai (Brittany Murphy) are the epitome of style and friend goals in this popular '90s movie. They'll have you and your favorite gal pals singing "rolling with the homies" all night.
Beaches
This 1988 dramedy showcases the 30-year friendship between C.C. (Midler) and Hillary (Barbara Hershey), from their first encounter meeting under the boardwalk at Atlantic City to their relationship as adults. The pair couldn't be more different from each other, but the film perfectly demonstrates what it's like having a friend by your side who supports, inspires, and challenges you.
A League of Their Own
As the saying goes, there's no crying in baseball. But you and your friends will have a hard time choking back tears when watching this inspiring 1992 sports drama. Not only does the Penny Marshall-directed film deliver a master class in feminism, but there's also something particularly comforting about a group of women married to their professions. Not to mention their loyalty to each other in a male-dominated league.
Bridesmaids
Being asked to be your friend's "Maid of Honor" on her big wedding day is a huge honor—unless you're Kristen Wiig, who fails at every chance of supporting her BFF Lillian's (Maya Rudolph) journey to the altar. The 2011 ensemble movie is laugh-out-loud funny, but it's also a good case study on what not to do when your friends get married.
B.A.P.S.
For all the Black American princesses (B.A.P.S.) out there, this one's for you. B.A.P.S. has a lot of issues, including a lackluster plot and the problematic characterization of African-Americans. But what the 1997 film gets right is the infallible Black Girl Magic that exists between Nisi (Halle Berry) and Mickey (Natalie Desselle) on the road to riches.
Michelle is the Culture & News Writer for OprahMag.com, where she writes about celebrities (she considers herself an expert on Beyoncé and Reese Witherspoon), plus the latest in pop-culture news, binge-worthy TV shows, and movies. The transplanted Southerner turned ambitious New Yorker lives her best life by listening to hip-hop and Pod Save America, watching The Office on repeat, quoting Oprah-isms, eating dessert before dinner, and avoiding avocado. Seriously, she doesn’t get the hype.
It should say, “Michelle is the former Culture & News Writer for Oprahmag.com...”
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