Adventures of Babysitting
Main character, Chris, plans for a normal night in babysitting, but after going to the city to rescue her friends, she and the kids encounter car thieves, blues musicians, and much more.
Reasons to watch:
Classic 80s adventure of a babysitting gig spiraling into a hijinx-filled night in New York City. It’s funny and actually high-stakes
Don’t watch if you hate:
Children in dangerous situations, some innuendo
Bring It On: In it to Win it
Two head cheerleaders are in a fierce competition at a national cheerleading championship, only for the rivalry to turn into teamwork.
Reasons to watch:
Believable romance, funny side characters, and cheerleading superstition. Fun, playful summer setting.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Stereotypes, black best friend/gay best friend trope, cheesiness
Bend it Like Beckham
A young British-Indian woman torn between her traditional family’s expectations and her passion for soccer. She meets another girl who encourages her to break the rules.
Reasons to watch:
A good representation of strict immigrant parents and of how it feels to not meet your culture’s expectations. Also, really funny and shows great friendship.
Don’t watch if you hate: Annoying parents, mentions of homophobia, love triangles
A Cinderella Story
A retelling of the Cinderella story with Jennifer Coolidge as the stepmother and Hilary Duff as Cinderella.
Reasons to watch:
The cast is great, there’s a beautiful mascarade costume party, and it’s all so quintessential early 2000s.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Supportive sassy black friend trope, cringy lines
Clueless
Based on Jane Austen’s novel Emma, this movie is about how one rich and oblivious high school girl’s meddling in others’ affairs can get messy.
Reasons to watch:
The clothing and set is so full and vibrant, and all the characters are so funny. The main character especially, really draws you in with fourth-wall breaks.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Romance between ex-step siblings, attempted sexual assault, a mugging, reckless driving, flawed protagonist, character says r-word
Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella
It’s a musical of Cinderella featuring Whitney Houston and Brandy!
Reasons to watch:
It was a race-blind casting, which means they hired the best actors and actresses without worrying if they looked like the cartoon. It is also one of the few movies where a black girl and an Asian boy are the main romance.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Musicals, when a movie feels like a set
Charlie Bartlett
Charlie is a wealthy but lonely teenager who has been expelled and must join a new school. He starts dispensing advice and medication from his family’s psychiatrist to fit in.
Reasons to watch:
Watch if you liked the show Sex Education, because the show is based off this movie. Its witty, dry, and exciting.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Inappropriate humor, emotionally detached parents, pills
Drop Dead Gorgeous
This film is a mockumentary of a small-town Minnesota beauty pageant. After one mysterious death, things start to escalate.
Reasons to watch:
It sounds dark, but the movie is played as really dry and for laughs. It’s still a dark comedy, so it makes fun of how creepy pageants are.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Jokes about creepy men
Easy A
After a misunderstanding, a rumor spreads about the main character that she lost her virginity. She realizes that there are benefits to playing up the lie.
Reasons to watch:
Emma Stone plays a funny, likable lead, and the main romantic leading man is cute, kind, and patient. Her family is supportive and funny too.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Language around slut-shaming, sexual harassment, off screen teen and teacher relationship
Ella Enchanted
Another kind of Cinderella, highly stylized in a magic medieval-ish time. Ella is cursed with obedience, which means she does everything she’s told without a choice.
Reasons to watch:
Both romantic leads are beautiful and charming, the world is colorful and a great blend of medieval and early 2000s clothes. Amazing cast
Don’t watch if you hate:
Fairytale logic
Down with Love
1960s feminist writer is seduced by a playboy journalist so he can prove her misandry as fraud. They both play deceitful games of cat and mouse.
Reasons to watch:
It’s a light and peppy movie paying homage to the 60s style of movies.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Nonsensical plots, deceit-to-love trope, stylistic editing
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
He only has one more sick day to live up, but his principal’s onto him. While pretending to be sick, he enlists his best friend and girlfriend have the most fun as possible.
Reasons to watch:
This is the ultimate feel-good and will leave you cheesing, feeling like the whole world loves you. Its really witty.
Don’t watch if you hate:
A character is depressed over his strict father, stressful time limits
Legally Blonde
To get back with her boyfriend, Elle Woods decides to follow him to law school to show him she’s smart.
Reasons to watch:
Funny classic with real insight into how everyone feeds into the idea that femininity equals stupidity. It’s goofy but grounded enough for you to care. Good romance
Don’t watch if you hate:
Scene of workplace sexual harrasment
Legally Blonde 2
While planning her wedding, Elle Woods discovered that her chiwawa’s mother was being held in an animal testing site. She gets fired from her job and goes to Congress to petition her bill.
Reasons to watch:
While it definitely follows a pattern from the first movie, this one still has the same charms and the same lovable friends. It also shows genuine insight into how politics become corrupted.
Don’t watch if you hate: So much cheesiness
The Parent Trap
After meeting each other at summer camp, two long-lost twins hatch a plan to switch places and bring their parents back together.
Reasons to watch:
This movie is bright, pretty and lively. There’s an evil stepmother, a makeover scene, and lots of hyjinx.
Don’t watch if you hate: Divorce
Polite Society
Aspiring stunt double teen feels she must save her sister from her wedding after she gives up her art career to be with a rich man.
Reasons to watch:
Very relatable movie for brown girls that feel like they’re disappointing their parents and their culture’s standards.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Overzealous and sometimes inconsiderate protagonists, unrealistic plot developments, action scenes
The Princess Bride
Told as a story to a sick child in the modern day, the Princess Bride is about true love. The leading lady thinks her love is dead after he disappears at sea, so she accepts being forced to marry the wicked king. Little does she know her love is coming back for her!
Reasons to watch:
Watch if you love Ella Enchanted or When Harry Met Sally. This classic movie is filled with sincerity and lots of laughs.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Giant rats, scene of (non-gory) torture
Ratatouille
Linguini is a terrible cook trying to survive in a competitive French restaurant, and Remy is a rat who loves fine food but has no opportunities to eat it. They both have what each other needs.
Reasons to watch:
With a delightful soundtrack, Ratatouille is playful and inspiring. There’s romance too, and so many interesting characters.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Tons of rats, rats being around food
Saved!
Saved is a story of a super Christian high school. The main character never questions a thing, until she becomes pregnant after sleeping with her boyfriend to fulfill Jesus’ messages of “curing” his homosexuality.
Reasons to watch:
Saved deals with topics that are heavy, but are treated with nuance and humor. It also has good representation of a teen in a wheelchair too.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Mentions of sexuality conversion, homophobia, and any infidelity
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar
Three drag queens go on a road trip to LA to go to a national competition, but get stuck in a small rural town.
Reasons to watch:
These famous macho stars earnestly play these drag queens with complete authenticity. The story is about the art of drag culture and about bridging the gap between predujices. Its hilarious and camp.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Homophobic antagonists, domestic violence, over-the-top acting, lack of realism
Troop Beverly Hills
With her marriage breaking up, Beverly Hills housewife tries to prove herself by leading a local troop. The troop is filled with funny girls, all Beverly Hills stereotypes in their own interesting ways.
Reasons to watch:
This hilarious movie is light and captivating and also shows a diverse cast of smart witty young girls. Watch if you like
Watching the Detectives
Lucy Lu plays a modern-day femme-fatal who is obsessed with never being bored. Video store owner Neil, starts dating her, but finds that he’s in over his head.
Reasons to watch:
This untypical romcom is witty and continues to shock you. It also breaks down the ‘manic pixie dream’ trope.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Lying or mean pranks
Wild Child
After acting out too much, spoiled American teen Poppy gets sent to a British boarding school. With the help of her dormmates, Poppy tries everything to get expelled.
Reasons to watch:
Its super cheesy, super fun. You don’t expect to come to like the main character, but the movie’s sincerity gets to you.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Corniness, second-hand embarrassment
Bridget Jones’s Diary
A year in the life of the lovable and self-deprecating Bridget as she navigates her struggles with love and self-improvement.
Reasons to watch:
Watch if you like Pride and Prejudice. Also, Bridget Jones is the most relatable rom-com character and isn’t perfect like the rest of the leading ladies. Great film that says you don’t have to change to be loved.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Second-hand embarrassment, love triangles
