Female comedy is one of the most slept-on subgenres of cinema because, surprise, men rarely take interest in stories that center on experiences outside of their own. Unless that experience is, like, making a ton of money off of shady stocks and then snorting coke off of a stripper’s navel — something they’ll never achieve as a mid-level manager in a tertiary city, but delusionally believe to be within reach.
The larger-than-life characters in the following “girl movies” are flawed yet aspirational; even when they hit rock bottom, they find a way to 127 Hours themselves back onto dry land. No matter what nasty situation life has thrown your way — getting dumped via Venmo or being “praised” for your “great modification” at Solidcore — there’s a film to emotionally coach you through it.
For When You’re Considering Paying For Hinge: Bottoms
Credit: MGM
Why sacrifice $29.99 a month (roses not included) for the privilege of chatting up product managers who “really want to travel more” when you could create an elaborate rouse designed to facilitate physical and emotional intimacy with hotties IRL?
In Bottoms, a suburban high school’s resident “ugly, untalented gays” — portrayed by the ridiculously attractive and wickedly smart Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edibiri — start a female fight club to woo their cheerleader crushes. Now, shooting your shot with a smokeshow at the bar isn’t starting to sound so bad. . .
For When You Hate Your Job More Than Taylor’s Mom Hates Kim: One Of Them Days
Credit: Anne Marie Fox / Sony Pictures
We’ve all been stuck in jobs that force us to consider sticking our hand in a meat grinder for the paid leave. Keke Palmer and SZA’s riotous two-hander One Of Them Days is an all-gas-no-breaks portrait of the many mousetraps life sets for you when you try to better your station — and the catharsis of outsmarting them. The film spans blood drives gone wrong, a brush with a murderous drug lord, and the all-too-real embarrassment of having a credit score lower than Scott Disick’s SATs.
For When You’re Fighting With Your Best Friend: Booksmart
Credit: Annapurna Pictures
Sometimes the friendships in which we feel the most comfortable — re: inseparable childhood besties — are actually the ones that are most vulnerable to toxicity. Especially when one of you makes going to Yale her entire personality. Lauded as the female Superbad, Booksmart is a high school one-crazy-night movie bolstered by reimagined coming-of-age tropes. It holds up a mirror to those who stubbornly resist seeing themselves through others’ eyes, reminding us that likability and humility can be learned even by the world’s most insufferable tryhards.
For When You Desperately Need a Glowup: Easy A
Credit: Screen Gems
Okay, Emma Stone would still look insanely beautiful even after three weeks grinding in a coal mine, but that doesn’t make her makeover montage in Easy A, from “dorky” introvert to (un)certified sexpot, any less delightful. While doling out fake BJs for Applebee’s gift cards maybe isn’t the best course of action, the film’s “fake-it-till-you-make-it” motto certainly has its time and place — just look at the dingbats running corporate America!
For When You’re In Bridezilla Mode: Bridesmaids
Credit: Universal Pictures
We can’t make a list of female comedies without honoring the Apatowian GOAT, Bridesmaids. Whether you yourself have recently screeched, “I’m getting MARRIED!!!” to an endless stream of girlfriends over FaceTime, or simply have the privilege of serving as a bridesmaid for the 14th time this summer, this blockbuster is sure to cover at least one of your complicated emotions about wedding season. From the delicate nuances of female friendship, to the awkwardness of social class dynamics, and the insidious implications of decorative cookies that have no business being the size of Liechtenstein, Bridesmaids packs a surprising amount of depth into a film best known for its, uhm, unfortunate IBS issues.
