The Best Female Leading Movies of 2017

Ranker Film
Updated September 15, 2023 1.7K votes 327 voters
Over 300 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Female Leading Movies of 2017

Girl power! It's time to rank the best female-led movies of 2017. (You can also rank the best new 2020 movies featuring female leads.) Featuring critically acclaimed dramas, gritty action films, and raunchy comedies, 2017 movies starring women praise women's strength and sisterhood. What is the best female lead movie of 2017?

Patty Jenkins's Wonder Woman is easily one of the best female leading movies this year as well as one of the best superhero films ever made. Charlize Theron kicked butt in Atomic Blonde, while Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird is a frontrunner for the Oscars. Other great 2017 movies with  strong casts include Ghost in the Shell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, I, Tonya, and The Beguiled.

Vote up the best 2017 movies with strong female leads and feel free to add any 2017 movies featuring female casts missing from the list.

Most divisive: The Zookeeper's Wife
Ranked by
  • Wonder Woman
    1

    Wonder Woman

    Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen
    86 votes
    • Released: 2017
    • Directed by: Patty Jenkins
    In the 2017 film Wonder Woman, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) is introduced as an Amazonian princess, living on the secluded island of Themyscira. Raised by her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), Diana's life takes a turn when American pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes on their shores. With tales of a massive war ravaging the outside world, Diana feels compelled to intervene. Leaving her home behind, she becomes Wonder Woman, fighting alongside men in a war to end all wars. The movie, an action-packed superhero adventure directed by Patty Jenkins, deftly explores themes of courage and sacrifice while offering a fresh narrative within the DC Extended Universe.

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  • Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
    2

    Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

    Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell
    44 votes
    • Released: 2017
    • Directed by: Martin McDonagh
    After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command, Officer Dixon -- an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence -- gets involved, the battle is only exacerbated.

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  • I, Tonya
    3

    I, Tonya

    Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney
    52 votes
    • Released: 2017
    • Directed by: Craig Gillespie
    In 1991, talented figure skater Tonya Harding becomes the first American woman to complete a triple axel during a competition. In 1994, her world comes crashing down when her ex-husband conspires to injure Nancy Kerrigan, a fellow Olympic hopeful, in a poorly conceived attack that forces the young woman to withdraw from the national championship. Harding's life and legacy instantly become tarnished as she's forever associated with one of the most infamous scandals in sports history.

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  • Star Wars: The Last Jedi
    4

    Star Wars: The Last Jedi

    Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver
    65 votes
    • Released: 2017
    • Directed by: Rian Johnson
    In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the epic space opera continues. Rey (Daisy Ridley), now a burgeoning Jedi under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), seeks to hone her skills while grappling with her lineage. Concurrently, General Leia Organa's (Carrie Fisher) Resistance is engaged in a relentless battle against the oppressive First Order, led by Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) and his volatile apprentice, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). As tensions escalate, alliances shift and destinies intertwine in this riveting installment. Directed by Rian Johnson, this film intricately weaves action, drama, and sci-fi elements into a compelling narrative that won the Saturn Award for Best Writing.

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  • Molly's Game
    5

    Molly's Game

    Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Michael Cera
    21 votes
    • Released: 2017
    • Directed by: Aaron Sorkin
    The true story of Molly Bloom, a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknown to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led people to believe.

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  • Lady Bird
    6

    Lady Bird

    Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Timothée Chalamet
    56 votes
    • Released: 2017
    • Directed by: Greta Gerwig
    In the indie dramedy film Lady Bird, Saoirse Ronan portrays Christine Lady Bird McPherson, a high school senior from Sacramento. She navigates her way through the trials and tribulations of adolescence, clashing with her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf), who works tirelessly to keep their family afloat after Lady Bird's father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. The movie, directed by Greta Gerwig, is punctuated by Lady Bird's interactions with her best friend Julie (Beanie Feldstein) and her romantic interests (Lucas Hedges and Timothée Chalamet). With five Academy Award nominations, it remains a compelling exploration of coming-of-age in early 2000s America.

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