10 bestie movies that give us all the heart feels

Welcome to Besties Week! We’re kicking off the release of our first HelloGiggles book, A Tale of Two Besties, with an epic celebration of friendship and stories about friendship. Read an excerpt of the book, buy a copy, catch us on our cross-country book tour, and share your photos from our events by tagging us @hellogiggles #ATaleofTwoBesties.

In the meantime, join the party right here. All week long, our contributors will be sharing stories, essays and odes to their very own partners-in-crime. Read, laugh, cry (because you’re laughing so hard) and share with your bestie!

There’s something really magical about real, true friendships. These are the relationships that make us better versions of ourselves, and leave us plenty of room to be an individual. Without romance, a peculiar kind of pressure is absent, and in it’s place, appreciation. While we love The Notebook as much as the next person, sometimes you just want to watch a movie that celebrates friends. In honor of Besties Week, we’ve gathered these friend-centric movies into one convenient list. Here’s to all the heart-feels.

1. Frances Ha

“I love you even if you love your phone that has email more than me.”

If you don’t love Frances Ha, you probably haven’t seen it yet. It’s that good. It follows the changing nature of the relationship between best friends as one of them gets married (that would be Mickey Sumner as Sophie) and the other (Frances Halladay, played by the luminous Great Gerig) feels adrift. It’s a beautiful examination of that in-your-twenties-and-unsure-where-all-this-is-heading feeling.

Obvious Child

“What is so great about you is that you’re so unapologetically yourself up on that stage.”

Obvious Child is not about friendship in a traditional way. (In fact, it was billed as a rom-com when released.) But the non-romantic relationships are the driving energy behind it. The movie is all about one young woman’s difficult choice, and the friends who support her for who she is and the decision she makes. It’s a dark comedy for sure, but I’d be willing to bet you haven’t seen characters this intriguing in a good long while.

Bridesmaids

“I’m life, Annie, and I’m going to bite you right in the ass!”

Bridesmaids was one of the first movies recently that featured an essentially all-female cast and female writers. Like Frances Ha and many other movies in the genre, it follows a friendship as one bestie (Maya Rudolph as Lillian) gets married and the other (Kristen Wiig as Annie) has to cope. In Bridesmaids, there is a whole crew of other friends who are simultaneously showcasing other female relationships. One of those comes in the form of Megan (Melissa McCarthy), the straight-talking, slightly uncouth woman who gives Annie both a shot of confidence and a dose of reality. It’s these kind of friendships, the one that show you life through fresh eyes, that are so necessary.

Tiny Furniture

“Can’t we just start again as new friends who were old friends?”

We couldn’t not include a Lena Dunham project on this list, because she has become a voice for young women and female friendships. One of her earlier projects, Tiny Furniture, is about navigating the tricky post-grad college life, letting go of old friends and making new ones. It encapsulates a lot of familiar, and some unpleasant, emotions associated with growing up. If you’re a fan of Girls, you’ll see a lot of familiar faces and themes. This movie is pure Dunham: raw, endearing, and even a little needy, but with its finger on the pulse of contemporary adulthood for a certain set.

Thelma and Louise

“You’ve always been crazy. This is just the first chance you’ve had to express yourself.”

Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) is the story of two best friends in a small town in Arkansas that get fed up with life as they know it, and decide to hit the road. They go to honky tonks, dance all night, meet new people, get in trouble and try to find their way out. It’s like the typical buddy road trip movie, but with two awesome ladies leading the way. A definite must-watch, if you haven’t seen it yet.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants

“It would be easy to say that the pants changed everything that summer. But looking back now I feel like our lives changed because they had to, and that the real magic of the pants was in bearing witness to all of this and in somehow holding us together when it felt like nothing would ever be the same again.”

Originally a novel by Ann Brashares, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants was that movie you watched at every sleepover for a while, if you’re in your early twenties. Four best friends go on separate trips for the summer, and share a pair of magical jeans that fit them all. The movie follows four parallel storylines about growing up, meeting boys, dealing with family drama, and being young women. It’s charming and fun.

Ghost World

“This is so bad it’s almost good.” “This is so bad it’s gone past good and back to bad again.”

Ghost World is an offbeat dramedy about two young women, both high school misfits, and their post-grad misadventures. Starring Thora Birch as Enid and Scarlett Johanssen as Rebecca, the movie focuses on how they have trouble relating to almost everyone but each other – and a few notable weirdos. Definitely watch if you’re into cult classics.

The Parent Trap

“So if your Mom is my Mom and my Dad is your Dad… and we’re both born on October 11th, then you and I are… like… sisters.”

Can sisters be besties? Of course! The Parent Trap is one of those iconic, magical movies that is fantastic no matter how old you are. Separated at birth and living with different parents, the identical twins meet at summer camp. There, they decide to switch places and go live with the opposite parent, in the hopes of bringing them back together. The 1998 version is a modern day classic featuring a young and adorable Lindsay Lohan.

Whip It

“Well, put some skates on. Be your own hero.”

In the Drew Barrymore-directed movie Whip It, a shy teenager named Bliss (Ellen Page) is being pushed into beauty pageants by her mother. Though struggling at home, Bliss finds hers with a group of roller derby girls who skate in nearby Austin, TX. A quirky movie, it is at its heart about friendship, acceptance, and belonging. We also get to see Kristen Wiig again!

A League of Their Own

“Okay…But can’t you do this first? Just so you can say you once did something? Something special? Huh?”

Another movie starring Geena Davis, A League of their Own also features celebrities including Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell and Tom Hanks. This is the story of two sisters (Davis and Madonna) who join the only all-female baseball league and struggle to keep playing, even as it seems on the verge of collapse. Not only is it about the complex relationship between sisters, it’s about finding new friends and pursuing your passions. Awesome.

So grab a bestie or two, flip on the old Netflix, and grab some popcorn for some great friendship movies. You’ll be glad you did.