15 Best Movies To Watch With The Girls For Galentine’s Day

15 Best Movies To Watch With The Girls For Galentine's Day

Parks and Recreation gave fans a lot of wonderful things over its seven-season run but nothing can top the moment Leslie Knope invented the best holiday for ladies to celebrate with their friends: Galentine’s Day. While the holiday may have been a silly plot point for one of the most memorable episodes, it has since become an actual holiday celebrated amongst women around the world.

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Nothing says Happy Galentine’s Day more than spending the day with friends and having a movie marathon that highlights the power of female friendship. Luckily, there are tons of movies out there about female friendship and all the various forms it takes.

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Updated on February 13th, 2020 by Danielle Bruncati: Another Galentine’s Day is upon the world which means it’s the perfect time to celebrate real and fictional female friendships. While 2021 didn’t see too many iconic female friendship types of movies, there are a plethora from other decades to choose from. From final sleepovers, before friends move away to mothers finding friendship in the midst of parenting woos, there’s never a shortage of movies to watch with girlfriends. 

Bad Moms (2016)

Available To Rent On Apple TV

For decades moms in movies shave been either picture-perfect or evil, leaving no real middle ground. That changed with the release of Bad Moms in 2019. On the verge of a breakdown, Amy decides to team up with two other stressed-out mothers to put an end to their ridiculous responsibilities. In doing so they wage a war against PTA Queen Gwendolyn.

While women of all ages can appreciate Bad Moms this one is really for moms. Since Galentine’s Day is one of the few holidays that doesn’t revolve around kids, it’s the one holiday moms should take a break and indulge in a hilarious and entertaining movie like this one.

Booksmart (2019)

Available On Hulu

Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein in Booksmart

Oliva Wilde’s directorial debut movie Booksmart might have been a low-budget independent movie but there is nothing low budget about it. The movie centers on Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein), two high school best friends who have spent four years dedicated to their education so they can head to the Ivy Leagues. As realization begins to hit that they have missed out on all the fun high school has to offer, Amy and Molly set out to cram four years of high school shenanigans into the night before graduation.

Not only does Booksmart take these two girls on a wild adventure, but it also bonds them even more than they already have. Everyone needs a ride-or-die friendship like the one these two girls have cultivated.

Bridesmaids (2011)

Available On Peacock

Cast of Bridesmaids inside the Bridal Store

Weddings can frazzle even the most mature women which is why it’s so important to be selective when choosing a bridal party. The Kristen Wiig-led Bridesmaids hones in on that statement proving it to be true.

The movie centers on Annie (Wiig) who has been tapped to be her best friend Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) maid of honor. Annie is thrilled but when her duties are slowly being stolen by Helen (Rose Byrne), a wealthy acquaintance of Lilian’s. While these two battle it out, friendships are put to the test until eventually everyone is cracking under the wedding stress.

Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1985)

Available On PlutoTV

Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, and Shannen Doherty in Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1985)

Galentine’s Day is all about having fun with the girls which is why Girls Just Want To Have Fun is the perfect movie to watch. Not only is it a fun ’80s romantic comedy that has a lot of dancing in it, but it has also become a cult classic in recent years.

The movie follows Janey (Sarah Jessica Parker), a young gymnast who begins to rebel against her strict training when her father moves her to a new town. With a little coaxing from a new friend (Helen Hunt), Janey enters a dance competition where she is paired with a cute and talented dance partner.

Girl’s Trip (2017)

Available On Hulu

Cast of Girl's Trip sitting on the plane

Nothing says Galentine’s Day like planning a girl’s trip, but since not everyone can drop everything and head for the airport, the next best thing is to watch Girl’s Trip. 

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This movie features a star-studded cast that includes Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Regina Hall who form the best friend group known as the “Flossy Posse.” After being offered a spot to be the keynote speaker at a music festival in New Orleans, the Flossy Posse decides to head out together turning this work trip into a chaotic and fun girl’s trip.

How To Be Single (2016)

Available On HBO Max

The girl of How To Be Single

How To Be Single is a must-watch for Galentine’s Day because it’s all about the power of female friendship. The movie interweaves the stories of four different women together who are all in different phases of their love lives.

Alice (Dakota Johnson) finds herself newly single after breaking up with her college boyfriend. Meanwhile, Alice’s sister Meg (Leslie Mann) is an OB/GYN who decides to use a sperm donor to have her own baby. Lucy (Alison Brie) is determined to find the one this year and then there is Robin (Rebel Wilson) who seems to be the glue holding Alice together.

Legally Blonde (2001)

Available On Hulu

Reese Witherspoon in the courtroom in Legally Blonde (2001)

Legally Blonde is hands down one of Reese’s Witherspoon’s best and most iconic roles of all time. Not only that, it’s one of the most feminist movies of all time which makes it’s a perfect girl’s night movie.

The movie follows Elle Woods (Witherspoon), a college graduate who has just been broken up by her longtime boyfriend whom she thought was going to propose to her. Determined to get him back, Elle applies and gets into Harvard Law but quickly realizes that Warner is not the man for her.

Mean Girls (2004)

Available On Paramount+

Cast of Mean Girls wearing pink at the mall

When it comes to teen comedies of the early 2000s, Mean Girls is as iconic as they come. With a cast that includes the likes of Rachel McAdams, Lindsey Lohan, and comedy geniuses Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, there is no shortage of humor.

Cady Heron (Lohan) has just moved to the suburbs after being homeschool in Africa and is determined to fit in at her new high school. She quickly gets recruited by the outcasts in an attempt to take down the “Plastics” who have also shown an interest in her. While Mean Girls might show the more negative sides of female friendship, it’s still a must-watch.

Mixtape (2021)

Available On Netflix

Olga Petsa, Gemma Brooke Allen, and Audrey Hsieh in Mixtape

Mixtape was released quietly on Netflix in December 2021 but now is the perfect time for the movie to get the attention it deserved. Set in 1999, the movie follows Beverly, a 12-year-old girl who discovers a broken mixtape her late parents left behind. Hopeful that the mixtape is a message to her, she sets out to track down the songs in the hopes of feeling more connected to her parents. Along the way on her music journey, Beverly comes out of her shell and bonds with two other outsiders at her school.

This movie perfectly encapsulates the power of female friendship during adolescence. It’s also a great movie for fans of the 1990s because the details are impeccable. It’s the perfect movie to watch with those friends one has had since childhood.

Pitch Perfect (2012)

Available On HBO Max

The cast of Pitch Perfect performing at the championships

What’s better than a movie that includes singing? A movie about a kickass group of college women singing. Released in 2012, Pitch Perfect became a huge “sleeper hit” and even spawned two sequels while introducing the world to the competition world of a capella.

Related: 5 Things Glee Does Better Than Pitch Perfect (& Vice Versa)

The movie centers on Becca (Anna Kendrick) a college freshman who doesn’t want anything to do with the college scene. In order to appease her dad, she joins an all-female a cappella group that is determined to win the collegiate championships after an incident the prior year.

Sleepvoer (2004)

Available On Philio

Sleepover is one of the most underrated teen movies of the 2000s and a teen rom com younger teens could enjoy on Valentine’s Day but this time it’s being promoted for the girls. The movie centers on Julie and her best friend Hannah who is set to move away over the summer. In an attempt to have one last hurrah before Hannah moves and they start high school, the girls end up on a wild scavenger hunt against former friend Staci and her clique of popular girls.

This movie puts female friendship at the forefront. Hannah is an incredible friend to Julie and constantly encourages her to step outside her comfort zone.

Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants (2005)

Available To Rent On Amazon Prime Video

Cast of Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants (2005) walking on the streets

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants seemed always seems to be underrated when talking about movies that have been adapted from young adult novels. This movie is truly the embodiment of female friendship and should be celebrated every day, especially on Galentine’s Day.

The movie follows four best friends who are all spending their summer apart. Carmen (America Ferrera) is going to visit her father, Lena (Alexis Bledel) is going to Greece to spend time with her grandparents, Bridget (Blake Lively) is off to an esteemed soccer camp, and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) is holding the fort back at home. While these four friends might be separated in the physical sense, they are being held together by a mysterious pair of jeans that fits all four of them.

Someone Great (2019)

Available On Netflix

Cast o Someone Great sitting outside on the sidewalk

Someone Great explores different types of platonic relationships as the lines bleed in this Jennifer Kaytin Robinson written and directed film.

The story centers on Jenny Young (Gina Rodriguez) who has recently been dumped by her longtime boyfriend whom she thought was the one. Ready for a fresh start, Jenny takes a job that requires her to move across the country. Not ready to say goodbye just yet, Jenny’s two best friends Blair (Brittany Snow) and Erin (DeWanda Wise) arrange one last adventure for Jenny that also serves as a therapy session for her heartbreak.

Steel Magnolias (1989)

Available On Hulu

Steel Magnolias was adapted from the 1987 play of the same name but truly shined on the big screen. The movie centers on a group of women who bond while getting their hair done and end up being lifelong friends with each other who help each other the grief of death.

While Steel Magnolias is a bit more dramatic and a definite tear-jerker, it’s still an amazing movie to watch with friends on Galentine’s Day. Plus, it stars a truly incredible cast that includes several Academy Award-nominated and winning actresses like Julia Roberts and Sally Field.

The Other Woman (2014)

Available On Hulu

Kate, Carly, and Amber sitting at a table looking annoyed in The Other Woman

Adapted from the 1996 comedy The First Wives Club, The Other Woman centers on three strangers who all bond when they discover that they’ve been romantically involved with the same man. When Kate discovers that her husband is cheating on her with Carly, the two decide to team up to get even with him. On their road to revenge, they also discover he’s been dating another woman as well who joins in on the revenge plan.

The Other Woman is a great Galentine’s Day movie because it taps into that inner rage that most women have when they think about cheating men. It’s a cathartic movie that’s full of laughs and ends up being about female friendship in the end.

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About The Author

Danielle Bruncati
(277 Articles Published)

Danielle Bruncati was born and raised in Southern California and has been a story-teller for as long as she can remember. She is currently a freelance writer for ScreenRant and is also pursuing a Master’s Degree in Television Writing and Producing from a top 10 film school. When she’s not writing, Danielle can be found binging the latest sitcom or teen tv series with her dog by her side or walking around Disneyland with a Mickey-shaped snack in hand.

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