List Rules Movies on this list should follow the story of at least one woman main character. All films on this list should be comedies.
Remember when everyone was trying to make “fetch” happen? Or when “as if” became part of a female teenager’s everyday vernacular? We can thank female-led comedies like Mean Girls and Clueless for adding some very classic jargon to our language that is still being used today. Years back there was a debate on whether girls could be funny. Considering the massive success of comedy writers like Tina Fey and Amy Schumer, that argument seems totally silly in retrospect. Women are funny and comedies that feature females in lead roles are often hilarious. Starring some of the hottest funny women, these best female-led comedy movies might also be streaming on Netflix.
This list also contains a neat spin on the classic mismatched buddy cop movie, a fish out of water comedy, a few revenge comedies, a little competitive cheerleading, gals playing baseball during WII, a couple genre-bending romances, and an independent film about teenage pregnancy.
No matter the plotline or subgenre , one major aspect remains the same: these comedies starring women are funny. The female actresses in these movies play hilarious roles in timeless, smart scripts. Some are charismatic lead actresses, others are part of ensembles, and still others are part of female comedy duos. They'll all make you laugh out loud in these movies, though.
Be sure to upvote your favorite female-led comedy movie. If we missed one that you think should be on this list, let us know if the comments section below. Just remember one very important piece of advice: there is no crying in baseball.
Everyone knows that Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon can act. But who knew that she had such great comedy chops as well? The blonde actress gives hope and street cred for all the blondes out in the real world who have been put down because of the color of their locks. Legally Blonde was so successful that it spawned a sequel and a musical. Legally Blonde is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, based on the novel by Amanda Brown. Sorority girl Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) decides to enroll in Harvard Law School ...more
Who says that chick comedies can't be raunchy and crude? Bridesmaids, the female answer to The Hangover, is at times so disgusting and over the top that you can't believe you're laughing out loud. But you are. The box office monster grossed nearly $300 million worldwide. Bridesmaids is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Paul Feig, written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, and produced by Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, and Clayton Townsend. The plot ...more
Amy Heckerling's 1995 retelling of Jane Austen's Emma features the lives of Cher (Alicia Silverstone), a rich but sweet trendsetting teenager, and her group of Beverly Hills friends. All Cher wants to do is find love for her makeover project Tai (Brittany Murphy), but she figures out she has a lot to learn in that department herself. As if! Clueless is a 1995 American comedy film loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma. It stars Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Paul Rudd, and Brittany Murphy. The film is set in Beverly Hills ...more
Whoopi Goldberg really deserves more credit in the entertainment world as one of the greats. The EGOT winner (yeah, she has an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) hits all the right notes as a singer who enters witness protection after seeing a murder. The cops place Deloris (Goldberg) in a convent and disguise her as a nun. The fish out of water comedy was so successful that it spawned a 1993 sequel. Sister Act is a 1992 American musical comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Joseph Howard, with musical arrangements by Marc Shaiman. It stars Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer ...more
Remember when Lindsay Lohan was quickly becoming America's sweetheart? She reached her peak in the 2004 hit Mean Girls. The Tina Fey-written comedy launched a whole new venacular and new set of fashion rules that had teenage girls wearing pink on Wednedays. But please stop trying to make fetch happen, it's never gonna happen. Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy film. Mark Waters directed, and Tina Fey wrote the screenplay, which is based in part on Rosalind Wiseman's non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes, ...more
Imagine James Bond. Now imagine Melissa McCarthy as James Bond, or at least a 007 type. The comedy superstar takes on the role of an undercover CIA analyst in the 2015 comedy hit Spy with hilarious and innovative results, turning Spy is a 2015 American action comedy spy film directed by Paul Feig. A desk-bound CIA analyst (Melissa McCarthy) is assigned her mission as a field agent to foil the sale of a suitcase nuke.
You've never seen a buddy cop movie quite like 2013's box office smash The Heat. Sandra Bullock plays an unlikeable by-the-book FBI Agent in search of a promotion who must join forces with a crude stubborn Beantown cop (Melissa McCarthy) in order to catch a drug lord. The film grossed nearly $230 million worldwide.
The Heat is a 2013 American buddy cop comedy film written by Katie Dippold and directed by Paul Feig. The plot centers on Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn ...more
2010's Easy A marks the exact moment when the film world and the public at large really fell hard for Emma Stone. In this clever riff on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Olive (Stone) tells one little white lie about losing her virginity and a whole new world of attention, popularity, and drama come her way. Easy A is a 2010 film directed by Will Gluck. "After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean-cut high school girl (Emma Stone) sees her life paralleling Hester ...more
Comedy goes a cappella in 2012's ensemble movie Pitch Perfect. Don't think you'll like a female-led musical comedy about dueling college a cappella groups? Pitch Perfect managed to sing its way into the hearts of movie fans from even the most unexpected demos, winning many male fans of all ages. The film grossed over $115 million worldwide and launched a 2015 sequel. Pitch Perfect is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore. Featuring an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Ester ...more
Everyone now knows that there's no crying in baseball. A League of Their Own starring Geena Davis, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell proved that girls really could play baseball and be a popular draw amongst all kinds of movie fans. The 1992 Penny Marshall directed comedy grossed over $100 million at the box office, remaining enormously popular and quotable to this day. A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Directed by Penny Marshall, the ...more
A film can't really go wrong when it stars Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin. The 1980 comedy gave audiences a strong dose of girl power and showed us what happens when a sexist boss finally gets his comeuppance.
Hocus Pocus is a 1993 American comedy fantasy film directed by Kenny Ortega and starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as a trio of witches, the Sanderson Sisters, who are ...more
Who knew that a teen cheerleading movie would be so popular? Bring It On spawned four direct to DVD sequels and continues to endure in pop culture. The choreographed cheers, especially the hip hop ones, are more than worth the price of admission. Now the only question is, "Are you going to bring it?" Bring It On is a 2000 American teen comedy film that was directed by Peyton Reed and written by Jessica Bendinger. It was followed by four direct-to-video sequels, none of which contain any of ...more
Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) feel the need to impress the people from high school at their ten-year reunion. So what do the slightly dimwitted best friends do? They make up an elaborate ruse of a rich and successful life all based on the lie that they invented Post-Its. Back in 1997, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion was described as "Dumb & Dumber for girls," but the years have proven it's so much more than that. Romy and Michele's High School Reunion is a 1997 comedy film starring Lisa Kudrow, Mira Sorvino, Janeane Garofalo, Camryn Manheim, and Alan Cumming directed by David Mirkin. The plot revolves ...more
Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn play ex-wives looking for revenge in the 1996 film First Wives Club. Watching the comedy veterans get even instead of staying mad makes for a delightful romp and a showcase for all three actresses. The film was a monster box office success, grossing over $180 million worldwide. The First Wives Club is a 1996 comedy film, based on the best-selling 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. Narrated by Diane Keaton, it stars Keaton, Goldie Hawn, and Bette Midler as ...more
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Ocean's 82018
Ocean's Eight is a 2018 American heist comedy film directed by Gary Ross. Danny Ocean's estranged sister Debbie (Sandra Bullock) attempts to pull off the heist of the century at New York Citys ...more
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molittrell80 added Ghostbusters2016
Ghostbusters (alternatively known as Ghostbusters: Answer the Call and marketed as such on home release) is a 2016 American supernatural action comedy horror film directed by Paul Feig. It is ...more
Heathers may be one of the darkest black comedies ever written. Stripped down, it's a high school movie about jealousy and killing off the popular kids. But we laugh while we watch the murders take place because it speaks to the social brutality of adolescence. Winona Ryder and Christian Slater shine as vengeful teenagers. Heathers is a 1988 comedy, drama film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann.
A sarcastic 16-year-old girl named Juno (Ellen Page) gets knocked up after a brief escapade with her friend Bleeker (Micheal Cera). What she does next is totally grown up and bold. Juno hits many unexpectedly sweet and funny notes thanks to Diablo Cody's screenplay, but it wouldn't work without Page as the strong, smart center. Juno is a 2007 Canadian-American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Ellen Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting an ...more
The Witches of Eastwick is a 1987 American comedy-fantasy film based on John Updike's novel of the same name. Directed by George Miller, the film stars Jack Nicholson as Daryl Van Horne, ...more
Rachel Dratch is turning 50, and her 5 best friends from her 20, including Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler, join her for a girls' weekend in Napa. Tina Fey is their landlord, and Jason Schwartzman is a chef, driver, and housekeeper available at their beck and call.
Wine Country is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Amy Poehler. Tensions from the past come to the forefront for a group of friends celebrating a 50th birthday in Napa.
A beautiful blonde bombshell (Marilyn Monroe) and a gorgeous savvy brunette (Jane Russell) are best friends in Howard Hawks's 1953 comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The script is filled with witty banter between the pals. Monroe is obviously known for a lot more than her comedy chops, but her role as a showgirl who believes that diamonds are a girl's best friend shows her expert comedic timing.
Jess (Parminder Nagra) and Jules (Keira Knightley) are best friends with dreams of playing professional soccer in England. The problem for Jess is that her strict orthodox parents have other plans. Bend It Like Beckham is simply a sweet movie about breaking the rules in order to achieve your dreams. It's also really, really funny. Bend It like Beckham is a 2002 British comedy-drama film starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis and Archie Panjabi, first released in the ...more
Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is that seemingly perfect goody-two-shoes, know-it-all in high school that is obsessed with being class president. Things get interesting when a popular jock (Chris Klein) joins the political race at the behest of a teacher (Matthew Broderick) who thinks Flick needs to be taken down a peg. Alexander Payne's hilarious black comedy was nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar in 1999. Election is a 1999 American comedy film directed and written by Alexander Payne and adapted by him and Jim Taylor from Tom Perrotta's 1998 novel of the same title. The plot revolves around a ...more
Lady Bird is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Greta Gerwig. The adventures of a young woman (Saoirse Ronan) living in Northern California for a year.
