There’s nothing like a movie night with your besties. If you want to amp up the feeling of camaraderie, why not ditch the rom-coms or crime thrillers and watch some movies that feature life-changing friendships like the ones you share?
These five movies range from sweet to raunchy, but they all have a strong emotional core that emphasizes the importance of being there for your friends.
We can’t guarantee you won’t all end up crying and hugging, but isn’t that kind of the point? Check out Watch With Us‘ recommendations for movies to watch with your best friends.
‘Someone Great’ (2019)
A real friend is someone who will walk into the apartment, see you dancing around in your underwear and join in — no questions asked. This is one of the very apt points asserted by the Netflix comedy Someone Great, which stars Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) as Jenny, a journalist whose long-term boyfriend breaks up with her when she has to move for a job. Jenny and her best friends (DeWanda Wise and Brittany Snow) have one last epic night out in NYC, so she can both mend her broken heart and bid farewell to the city.
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Throughout one wild night, the three friends lift each other up, each helping the others to overcome insecurities and stop getting in their own way. It’s equal parts inspirational, romantic and hilarious.
Watch Someone Great on Netflix.
‘Booksmart’ (2019)
Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut instantly cemented itself as one of the greatest “best friend” comedies of all time. Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) have had each other’s backs all through high school — but they’ve also spent all of high school doing nothing but studying to get into great colleges. When they realize that their hard-partying classmates also got into great schools, they become determined to make up for lost time and pack four years of partying into the night before graduation.
Though their friendship is tested, every minute of this adventure is a testament to Molly and Amy’s eternal bond. It’s one of those hysterical movies that pays tribute to the most relatable love story of all — the one you have with your best friends. You’ll see yourself in someone in Booksmart, no matter what kind of high schooler you were.
Rent Booksmart on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime Video.
‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2002)
The recent live-action remake of this Disney classic has received mixed reviews, but one thing is indisputable — the original Lilo & Stitch is one of the best friendship stories ever told. Lilo (Daveigh Chase), a quirky Hawaiian girl mourning the recent loss of her parents, adopts a “dog” who is secretly an alien experiment in disguise.
Though Stitch (voiced by director Chris Sanders) is instinctively mischievous and destructive, the bond that forms between him and Lilo changes both of them for the better. It’s a story of found family and friendships that can change everything.
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Watch Lilo & Stitch on Disney+.
‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985)
In high school, making friends outside your clique is unlikely — even discouraged. In this 1980s classic from John Hughes, “a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal” learn to transcend their labels and find true connection with one another. Andrew (Emilio Estevez), Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), Bender (Judd Nelson), Allison (Ally Sheedy) and Claire (Molly Ringwald) are assigned an essay — “Who do you think you are?” — in Saturday morning detention by their tyrannical principal (Paul Gleason).
Although they spend more time on teenage shenanigans than on essay writing, the assignment kind of pays off when they leave detention with a greater understanding of themselves — and one another. The Breakfast Club is an iconic movie that changed the high school genre for the better.
Watch The Breakfast Club on Netflix.
‘I Love You, Man’ (2009)
Paul Rudd’s newest movie, Friendship, feels sort of like a dark, off-the-wall sequel to this 2009 comedy about a guy with no male friends. Peter Klaven (Rudd) is thrilled to be engaged to his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones), but he has no idea who he should ask to be his best man. When Peter forms a close friendship with Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), he thinks he’s found the solution to his best man problem. But Sydney’s erratic behavior starts to drive a wedge between Peter and Zooey, putting the upcoming wedding at stake. Can Peter and Sydney find balance in their bromance?
I Love You, Man comes from Meet the Parents and Zoolander writer John Hamburg, and it definitely lives up to its comedy bona fides. But at its heart, it really is a movie about the vulnerability and the joy of having a best friend, and it captures that unique experience.
Watch I Love You, Man on Paramount+.
