As Friendship Day gets closer, we all need some beautiful, deep, and life-changing movies about friendship to make up for the fact that our beloved friends are still a ‘social distance’ away. While a classic rom-com is usually the first choice, there’s something special about movies that celebrate mates. Celebrating the joys and comforts of true friendship, from true-to-life coming-of-age tales to workplace dramas, these movies will remind you how important relationships in your life really are. Forming a lifelong bond with another human being, like the ones formed in these friendship movies below, are an example of how impactful the support of a friend can be. So, grab some popcorn and settle in, because we have some of the best movies on friendship giving us some of our most iconic on-screen BFFs.
Also Read: These Travel Movies Are A Must-Watch During Self Quarantine
On-Screen BFFs: The Best Films On Friendship
1. Experience The Joy Of Friendship With The ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’ (2012)
Stephen Chbosky’s ‘The Perks Of Being A Wallflower’ is an honest, affection-hooking, coming-of-age drama that focuses on a beautiful friendship between Charlie (Logan Lerman), Patrick (Ezra Miller), and Sam (Emma Watson).
2. Hakuna Matata With ‘The Lion King’ (1994)
The trio of Simba, Timon, and Pumba will remind you that everyone is different and that’s okay. We don’t need to be the same people to be friends and co-exist.
3. Visit The Fictional Town Of Stonybrook In ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ (1995)
Watch this ’90s sleepover classic directed by Melanie Mayron that’ll take you on a ride with early crushes, family struggles, and evolving friendships among an entrepreneurial group of middle-school girls.
4. Get A Taste Of A Girl’s Night Out From ‘Someone Great’ (2019)
This romantic comedy directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson explores love, loss, growth, and the everlasting bond of female friendship.
5. Can You Be A Part Of The Plastics Or Not? Try On ‘Mean Girls’ For Size (2004)
This teenage romedy navigates through the trust, camaraderie, and real communication of evolving friendships.
6. Reunite With College Friends Via ‘The First Wives Club’ (1996)
This classic will take you through a feisty and heist-y ride where three divorced women seek revenge on their husbands who left them for younger women.
6. Dance To All ABBA Songs With ‘Mamma Mia!’ (2017)
The Dynamos—Donna (Meryl Shephard), Tanya (Christine Baranski), and Rosie (Julie Waters) are at the heart of this breezy musical that lightens your heart and reminds you that time doesn’t dull the bond of friendship.
7. Learn The Royal Wave From ‘The Princess Diaries’ (2001)
The friendship between Mia and Lilly Moscovitz cannot be severed by anything, even when Mia is told that she’s heir to the throne of the country of Genovia! Watch this classic book-to-movie adaptation for their lovely friendship, as they try to navigate through the rest of their sixteenth year.
8. Learn About Life With ‘Me And Earl And The Dying Girl’ (2015)
See how high schooler Greg’s life is completely turned after he and his friend Greg befriend a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer.
9. Learn To Be Weird And Wonderful With ‘Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion’ (1997)
This American comedy has achieved cult status due to the heartwarming friendship at its core—28-year-olds Romy and Michele attend their high school reunion with fake identities and give us one of the most comical and charming examples of love between two friends.
10. Celebrate Unusual Friendships With ‘Anything’ (2017)
This 2017 American romantic drama explores an interesting dynamic between a middle-aged man and a transgender sex worker. They both bond over their shared loneliness and past traumas, sparking an unusual friendship.
11. Try Some French Comedy With ‘The Intouchables’ (2011)
Based on a true story, this film talks about friendship, trust, and human possibility. This irreverent, uplifting comedy tells a true story of friendship between a handicapped millionaire (Francois Cluzet) and his street-smart ex-con caretaker (Omar Sy).
12. Get Ready For A Cry-athon With ‘The Boy In The Striped Pajamas’ (2008)
If you are up for some blubbering, watch this friendship beyond bars between Bruno (Asa Butterfield) the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp in World War II, and Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) a Jewish boy in the camp.
13. It’s A Monochromatic Take On Female Friendship With ‘Frances Ha’ (2012)
Written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, this black-and-white comedy-drama shows us how a complicated female friendship goes through the process of sisterly support along with competitiveness, judgment, and envy, all while pursuing happiness.
14. Hang With The Hottest Young Stars Of The 1980s In ‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985)
Revisit this quintessential coming-of-age American drama that takes a warm, insightful, and very insightful look into the inner lives of teenagers.
15. Are You Ready for the Ultimate Teen Buddy Film ‘Divines’ (2016)
Also called an urban thriller because of the explosive performances by newbies, this movie is about the intense friendship between two young women who dream of better lives.
16. Plan The Biggest Adventure Of Your Life With ‘Thelma And Louise’ (1991)
Starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, the classic Thelma and Louise show the interesting, strong, flawed, and human side of female friendships.
17. You Can Have Fun With A Mixed Bunch So Says ‘My Afternoons With Margueritte’ (2010)
Another French drama movie is based on a book by Marie-Sabine Roger. Beautifully sentimental, the movie tells a tale of a 45-year-old illiterate handyman Germain (Gérard Depardieu) who befriends a much older and well-read woman Marguerite (Gisèle Casadesus), and forms the deepest friendship with her.
18. You Can be Friends With Anyone, Even An Alien, ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial’ (1982)
Spielberg’s classic is a sci-fi adventure that highlights loyalty, trust, friendship, and love through a remarkable portrait of childhood. The movie centres around a young boy, Elliot (Henry Thomas), and his new friend, an extraterrestrial, named E.T., who is stranded on Earth.
19. Brace Yourself For A Comedy Riot With ‘Bridesmaids’ (2011)
Written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, this movie will tickle you all the way without losing its core essence—friendship. Humour is brilliantly used by the writers, making the movie an endearing classic.
20. Pair Up And Pass The Ball To ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ (2002)
Written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, this is one of the first films that explored British Asian cultures from the point of view of teenagers in the 90s and noughties. It also explores the teamwork and friendship between Jess and Julie as female soccer players.
21. Bond Over Your Favourite Pair Of Jeans In ‘The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants’ (2005)
This comedy-drama is based on the 2001 novel by Ann Brashares. As four best friends start their lives in different directions, they make a pact to stay connected by sharing a pair of jeans. The mysterious pair of jeans strengthen their bond of friendship and love for each other.
22. Have A Good Cry With ‘Miss You Already’ (2015)
‘Miss You Already’ tells an honest and powerful tale of two childhood best friends Milly (Toni Collete) and Jess (Drew Barrymore) as they navigate life’s highs and lows. The tenderness and intimacy between the two characters will surely make you fumble for tissue.
23. Troubled Young Women Also Make Great Friends Says ‘Girl, Interrupted’ (1999)
Brilliantly cast, this movie takes us to the spring of 1967 in America when an 18-year-old Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder) is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, and sent to a renowned New England psychiatric hospital. It is here that she spends the next two years in a ward for teenage girls and forms a deep bond with them.
24. Get A Taste Of Lipstick Feminism With ‘Clueless’ (1995)
Tough to leave this one out. This famous romantic comedy that later occupied an equally prominent space in the spin-off television series, and is based on Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’, centres around the almost everlasting friendship between Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and Dionne (Stacey Dash). As high schoolers, they navigate politics and feminism with unparalleled style.
25. Up For A Quirky Take On Friendship? Try ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ (2004)
This offbeat American comedy is set in the small of Preston in Idaho. It’s the story of an odd friendship between Seth (Jon Heder) a listless and alienated teenager and the ‘exchange student’ Pedro who is shy and quiet.
26. Swim Around The World With ‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)
This stunning animated movie is breathtakingly memorable. Take an underwater ride and bond with a fish with short-term memory loss.
27. Go A Little Dark With ‘Now and Then’ (1995)
Discover what it was to be a 12-year-old American girl in 1970 while exploring the fundamentals of late girlhood, including body image, emerging sexuality, and friendship.
28. Belt The Soundtrack Together With ‘Pitch Perfect’ (2012)
Laugh, dance and sing along with this cute little romantic comedy that revolves around female friendship and empowerment.
29. The Quintessential Coming Of Age Story Is ‘Stand by Me’ (1986)
This drama based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella ‘The Body’, combines youth, nostalgia and corpses, demonstrating how trauma affects the process of coming of age.
30. Get Ready For Some Tenderhearted Melodrama With ‘Beaches’ (1988)
This comedy-drama tells the story of a long and checkered friendship between two women, that takes place in the 1980s. Try not to shed a tear at this yin-yang relationship as they keep their friendship alive through writing letters.
31. Make A New Friend With ‘Toy Story’ (1995)
Bring your tissues along for this animated feature that tells you an epic story of friendship, especially the one between Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
32. Deal With Some Complex Friendships In ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ (1991)
An adaptation of Fannie Flagg’s novel ‘Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café’, this movie revolves around women and the complex relationships that form between them.
33. How to Navigate A Four-Way Friendship—’Waiting to Exhale’ (1995) Has Pointers
Four accomplished women navigate romance, careers and each other as they grow into themselves. It’s also got an epic soundtrack.
34. Another Coming Of Age Drama ‘Booksmart’ (2019)
This teen film comedy directed by Olivia Wilde gives us a glimpse into a genuine, unapologetic friendship between the characters—Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) that focuses on real human connectivity and empathy.
Plan A Night Stay With The Best Movies About Friendship
These movies about friendship are just a few from the vast repository that celebrates the deep bond of friendship. There are several more. If we haven’t covered your favourite movies about friendship, let us know in the comments below!
