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There are few things in life more fun than getting together with your best friend for a night of snacks, drinks and chick flicks. Whether they’re the movies you grew up with — the ones that imprinted on you in your formative years, the ones you can quote back to front — or something new that you haven’t seen before, a good chick flick is one of life’s greatest balms for the stresses and strains of everyday life.
From coming of age tales, to heartwarming romantic comedies, raunchy sex comedies and more, the best chick flicks are the ones that can make you laugh, cry and swoon. They’re the films with unforgettable friendships, life lessons that stay with us, and characters we want to be.
What are you waiting for? Message your bestie and join me on a journey through cinema, as I share some of my very favourite chick flicks of all time.
The Best Chick Flicks of All Time, and Where to Watch Them in Australia
10 Things I Hate About You
Directed by: Gil Junger
Written by: Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith, based on The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
Starring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Synopsis: A high-school boy, Cameron, cannot date Bianca until her anti-social older sister, Kat, has a boyfriend. So, Cameron pays a mysterious boy, Patrick, to charm Kat.
Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+
It’s a classic teen film based on a classic Shakespeare play, and it’s just so good. Our beloved Aussie fave, the late Heath Ledger, is endlessly charming as Patrick, and the onscreen chemistry he has with Julia Stiles is undeniable.
Barbie
Directed by: Greta Gerwig
Written by: Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera
Synopsis: Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.
Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video
Barbie was one of the biggest films of 2023, and for good reason. It’s a candy-coloured feminist manifesto that’s honestly just so much fun. If life is getting you down and your kenergy is low, Barbie is the film that will make you feel seen and understood, while also making you laugh. What more could you want?
Blockers
Directed by: Kay Cannon
Written by: Brian Kehoe and Jim Kehoe
Starring: Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz
Synopsis: Three parents try to stop their daughters from losing their virginity on prom night.
Where to watch: Streaming on Netflix
There are so many films in the sub-genre of “teens trying to lose their virginity on prom night”, and so many of them are about guys. Blockers focuses on the female experience (and their parents).
It offers an updated take on the trope, and adds sharp social commentary about the expectations society places on teenage girls, all while remaining laugh out loud funny throughout.
Booksmart
Directed by: Olivia Wilde
Written by: Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman
Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams
Synopsis: On the eve of their high-school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realise they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.
Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video
Before Olivia Wilde was making headlines for the 2022 saga that was Don’t Worry Darling, she made her directorial debut with Booksmart. A great film to pair with Blockers and Bottoms, Booksmart is a smart coming-of-age story that delivers emotional depth and texture along with plenty of laughs.
Bottoms
Directed by: Emma Seligman
Written by: Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott
Starring: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz
Synopsis: Two unpopular queer high-school students start a fight club to have sex before graduation.
Where to watch: Streaming on Prime Video
If I had been a teenager instead of a decrepit 37-year-old when I saw this at the cinema last year, I promise you, this film would have become my entire personality by now. It’s laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish, it has a killer soundtrack, has the coolest young actors and writers in Hollywood starring in it. It’s just a lot of FUN, and who doesn’t love that?
Bridesmaids
Directed by: Paul Feig
Written by: Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne
Synopsis: Competition between the maid of honour and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride’s best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.
Where to watch: Streaming on Prime Video
You can’t spell iconic without Bridesmaids*! It’s a banger, it’s a classic, it’s the kind of film that if you found yourself accosted by Billy on the Street shouting “for a dollar, quote a line from Bridesmaids“, your main issue would be picking just one.
*Literally do NOT fact check that. Let’s move on.
Bring It On
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Written by: Jessica Bendinger
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford
Synopsis: A champion high school cheerleading squad discovers its previous captain stole all their best routines from an inner-city school and must scramble to compete at this year’s championships.
Where to watch: Streaming on SBS on Demand
While we’re on the topic of quoteable films, let’s talk Bring It On. The opening cheer alone is burned into brains of millennial girls, gays and theys across the world, and rightly so! If you’re sexy, cute, and popular to boot, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about!
Charlie’s Angels
Directed by: McG
Written by: Ryan Rowe, Ed Solomon and John August, based on the television series by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu
Synopsis: Three women, detectives with a mysterious boss, retrieve stolen voice-ID software, using martial arts, tech skills, and sex appeal.
Where to watch: Streaming on Prime Video
The outfits alone are reason enough to rewatch Charlie’s Angels, but this is just a great time (even if it is absolutely jam-packed with gratuitously male gaze shots), and that fight scene set to The Prodigy’s “Breathe”?! To me that’s cinema.
Clueless
Directed by: Amy Heckerling
Written by: Amy Heckerling
Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Stacy Dash, Brittany Murphy
Synopsis: Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school’s pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.
Where to watch: Streaming on Prime Video
This film invented fashion, and one of technology’s biggest failures to date is the fact that we still don’t have Cher Horowitz’s outfit selector app available to us. A perfect film, what else is there to say other than RIP Brittany Murphy, gone far too soon.
Crossroads
Directed by: Tamra Davis
Written by: Shonda Rhimes
Starring: Britney Spears, Anson Mount, Zoë Saldaña
Synopsis: Three childhood friends embark on a cross-country adventure to pursue dreams they once put aside, taking risks that are sure to change their lives forever.
Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV
One thing about me is that I used to think I had the answers to everything. But now I know, life doesn’t always go… my… way. Britney was so real for that! Did you know THEE Shonda Rhimes of Grey’s Anatomy, Bridgerton and several other incredibly successful shows wrote Crossroads? Shonda Rhimes and Britney Spears… if that’s not two queens maximising their joint slay together, I don’t know what is.
The Devil Wears Prada
Directed by: David Frankel
Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna, based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Adrian Grenier
Synopsis: A smart but sensible new graduate lands a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly, the demanding editor-in-chief of a high fashion magazine.
Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+
Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly changed lives with her cerulean blue monologue. That’s history!
Dick
Directed by: Andrew Fleming
Written by: Andrew Fleming and Sheryl Longin
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, Dan Hedaya
Synopsis: After wandering off during a White House tour, two high school girls inadvertently become Richard Nixon’s top secret advisers at the height of the Watergate scandal.
Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video
This movie was everything to me and my high school bestie when we were growing up. To this day, she’s in my phone as Arlene Lorenzo, and I’m in hers as Betsy Jobs. I’ve never seen another film encapsulate the innocent, oblivious bubble that teenage best friends live in like Dick does so perfectly.
The First Wives Club
Directed by: Hugh Wilson
Written by: Robert Harling, based on the novel by Olivia Goldsmith
Starring: Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Diane Keaton
Synopsis: Reunited by the death of a college friend, three divorced women seek revenge on the husbands who left them for younger women.
Where to watch: Streaming on Prime Video
A-List actresses? Check. Iconic one-liners? Check. Sisters doing it for themselves? Check. The First Wives Club checks all the boxes, end of story!
Girls Trip
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
Written by: Screenplay by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, with story by Erica Rivinoja, Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver
Starring: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith
Synopsis: When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.
Where to watch: Streaming on Prime Video
Girls Trip is a raunchy, laugh out loud comedy for adults with an all-star cast who are firing on all cylinders from start to finish. Regina Hall Oscar nomination when?!
The Heat
Directed by: Paul Feig
Written by: Katie Dippold
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Michael McDonald
Synopsis: An uptight FBI Special Agent is paired with a foul-mouthed Boston cop to take down a ruthless drug lord.
Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+
Honestly, every Melissa McCarthy movie could go on this list, but this one also has Sandra Bullock, and that’s honestly just an unbeatable duo.
Hustlers
Directed by: Lorene Scafaria
Written by: Lorene Scafaria, based on the article by Jessica Pressler
Starring: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles
Synopsis: Inspired by the viral New York Magazine article, Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.
Where to watch: Streaming on Prime Video
Jennifer Lopez should have called the cops on the morning the 2020 Oscar nominations were announced, because she was robbed!!!
Josie and the Pussycats
Directed by: Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan
Written by: Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, based on characters created by Richard Goldwater, Dan DeCarlo and John L. Goldwater
Starring: Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson
Synopsis: A girl group find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy to deliver subliminal messages through popular music.
Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV
I can vividly recall leaving the cinema, heading down the escalators at Adelaide’s Marion Megaplex, and walking directly into Sanity Music to purchase the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack after seeing this.
A critical and commercial flop when it was released, Josie and the Pussycats was just a bit too ahead of its time, to be honest. With its commentary on capitalism and teenage consumerism, there’s more to this film than meets the eye, and in 2023, Rolling Stone declared “Three Small Words” to be the fourth-best song by a fake band of all time.
Legally Blonde
Directed by: Robert Luketic
Written by: Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith, based on the novel by Amanda Brown
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair
Synopsis: Elle Woods, a fashionable sorority queen, is dumped by her boyfriend. She decides to follow him to law school. While she is there, she figures out that there is more to her than just looks.
Where to watch: Streaming on Prime Video
What, like it’s hard?! Elle Woods invented slaying when she applied to Harvard Law. While the fate of Legally Blonde 3 — a film that was originally supposed to hit cinemas in 2023 —is seemingly still up in the air, we’ll always have the original film, and that’s worth a bend and snap or two, right?
Like a Boss
Directed by: Miguel Arteta
Written by: Screenplay by Sam Pitman and Adam Cole-Kelly, with story by Sam Pitman, Adam Cole-Kelly and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel
Starring: Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne, Salma Hayek
Synopsis: Two friends with very different ideals start a beauty company together. One is more practical while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle.
Where to watch: Streaming on Prime Video
Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne are both so good at what they do, and they deliver exactly what you want from them in Like a Boss.
Mean Girls
Directed by: Mark Waters
Written by: Tina Fey, based on the book by Rosalind Wiseman
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett, Rachel McAdams
Synopsis: Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.
Where to watch: Streaming on Paramount+
There’s a reason Mean Girls continues to resonate with new audiences every year — it’s just that good. Maybe the new musical isn’t for everyone, but I think we can all agree that the 2004 film is still incredibly fetch.
Now and Then
Directed by: Lesli Linka Glatter
Written by: I. Marlene King
Starring: Christina Ricci, Demi Moore, Rosie O’Donnell
Synopsis: Four 12-year-old girls grow up together during an eventful small-town summer in 1970.
Where to watch: Streaming on BINGE
All for one, and one for all! Now and Then is one of the most definitive films about tween-age friendship. It’s a sweet coming of age movie that’s all about finding and embracing identity, even if it means breaking away from the pack.
Pitch Perfect
Directed by: Jason Moore
Written by: Kay Cannon and Mickey Rapkin
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson
Synopsis: Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school’s all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition.
Where to watch: Streaming on Stan
For all intents and purposes, Pitch Perfect is very much Bring It On (A Capella Version), but it’s so good in its own right that it really doesn’t matter. The music is great, the jokes land, and the performances are indeed… pitch perfect.
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
Directed by: David Mirkin
Written by: Robin Schiff
Starring: Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow, Janeane Garofalo
Synopsis: Two inseparable friends hit the road for their 10-year high school reunion and concoct an elaborate lie about their lives in order to impress their classmates.
Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+
With the long-awaited sequel officially in the works, there’s no better time to revisit the original Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. It’s bestie cinema at its best.
Strike! (AKA The Hairy Bird, AKA All I Wanna Do)
Directed by: Sarah Kernochan
Written by: Sarah Kernochan
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Lynn Redgrave, Gaby Hoffmann
Synopsis: In the 1960s, a group of friends at an all girls school learn that their school is going to be combined with a nearby all boys school. They concoct a plan to save their school while dealing with everyday problems along the way.
Where to watch: Streaming on SBS on Demand
Despite the fact that it was released in three different countries with three different names, The Hairy Bird (as it was originally released in Australia) is a girl power classic with an all-star cast. Grab your canned ravioli and hit play today!
Superstar
Directed by: Bruce McCulloch
Written by: Steve Koren, based on characters created by Molly Shannon
Starring: Molly Shannon, Will Ferrell, Elaine Hendrix
Synopsis: A nerdy Catholic schoolgirl, Mary Katherine Gallagher, dreams of superstardom.
Where to watch: Rent on on Prime Video
This is possibly one of those “you really had to be there” films, but if you’re a millennial of a certain age, you probably watched this at a high school house party and spent months quoting it. It’s the kind of film that hit the video store and became a word-of-mouth cult classic, and for good reason. It’s silly, it’s absurd, and it’s so much fun.
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