Great Movies About Old Ladies

Updated July 7, 2020 583 votes 170 voters 20.8k views28 items

List RulesVote up your favorite films that feature an aging lady as a main character.

Aging women are often self-confident, wise, and often overlooked by youth-obsessed society - perhaps that's what makes them great characters in film. The top movies about older women feature characters experiencing new adventures and new romances. This is a list of the greatest old lady movies including everything from Sunset Boulevard to Driving Miss Daisy to Calendar Girls.

What films will you find on this list of the best aging women movies? In The Queen, Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) struggles in the wake of Princess Diana's death. Away From Her is another good movie about an aging woman. Judi Dench searches for her long-lost son in the 2013 film Philomena. Other good pictures featured on this list include The Joy Luck Club, Iris, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Which of these aging ladies movies movies is your favorite? Vote the best films about women over 50 up to the top of this list and get in on the conversation in the comments section.

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Driving Miss Daisy
Morgan Freeman, Dan Aykroyd
Released: 1989
Directed by: Bruce Beresford
Driving Miss Daisy is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford and... more
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Calendar Girls
Helen Mirren, Jay Leno
Released: 2003
Directed by: Nigel Cole
Calendar Girls is a 2003 comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Buena Vista... more
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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Judi Dench, Maggie Smith
Released: 2011
Directed by: John Madden
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a 2012 British comedy-drama film, directed by John Madden.... more
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Arsenic And Old Lace
Cary Grant, Peter Lorre
Released: 1944
Directed by: Frank Capra
Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 American dark comedy film directed by Frank Capra, starring... more
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The Lady In The Van
Maggie Smith, Dominic Cooper
Released: 2016
Directed by: Nicholas Hytner
The Lady in the Van is a 2015 British comedy-drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner.... more
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The Queen
Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen
Released: 2006
Directed by: Stephen Frears
The Queen is a 2006 British historical drama film depicting the British Royal Family's... more
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Sunset Boulevard
William Holden, Buster Keaton
Released: 1950
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Sunset Boulevard—stylized onscreen as SUNSET BLVD.—is a 1950 American film noir directed and... more
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Harold And Maude
Ruth Gordon, Tom Skerritt
Released: 1971
Directed by: Hal Ashby
Harold and Maude is a 1971 American romantic dark comedy directed by Hal Ashby and released by... more
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What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?
Bette Davis, Joan Crawford
Released: 1962
Directed by: Robert Aldrich
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and... more
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Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd
Released: 2002
Directed by: Callie Khouri
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is a 2002 American comedy-drama film starring an... more
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Philomena
Judi Dench, Michelle Fairley
Released: 2013
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Philomena is a 2013 drama film directed by Stephen Frears, based on the book The Lost Child of... more
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Iris
Kate Winslet, Judi Dench
Released: 2001
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Iris is a 2001 biographical film that tells the story of British novelist Iris Murdoch and her... more
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Hello, My Name Is Doris
Sally Field, Max Greenfield
Released: 2016
Directed by: Michael Showalter
Hello, My Name Is Doris is a 2016 US romantic comedy-drama film directed by Michael Showalter.... more

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The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Judi Dench, Maggie Smith
Released: 2015
Directed by: John Madden
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a 2015 comedy-drama film directed by John Madden, and... more
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The Beaches Of Agnès
Agnès Varda, André Lubrano
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Otherhood
Patricia Arquette, Angela Bassett
Released: 2019
Directed by: Cindy Chupack
Otherhood is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Cindy Chupack, based on the novel... more
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Notes On A Scandal
Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench
Released: 2006
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Notes on a Scandal is a 2006 British psychological thriller-drama film, adapted from the 2003... more
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The Whales of August
Bette Davis, Vincent Price
Released: 1987
Directed by: Lindsay Anderson
The Whales of August is a 1987 film based on a play by David Berry and stars Bette Davis and... more
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Grandma
Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner
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Florence Foster Jenkins
Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant
Released: 2016
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Florence Foster Jenkins is a 2016 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears. ... more
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The Joy Luck Club
Ming-Na Wen, Andrew McCarthy
Released: 1993
Directed by: Wayne Wang
The Joy Luck Club is a 1993 American film about the relationships between Chinese-American... more
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The Over The Hill Band
François Beukelaers, Barbara Sarafian
Released: 2009
Directed by: Geoffrey Enthoven
The Over the Hill Band is a 2009 comedy drama film directed by Goeffrey Enthoven and written... more
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I'll See You in My Dreams
Blythe Danner, Martin Starr

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Grey Gardens
Edith Bouvier Beale, Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale
Released: 1975
Directed by: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer
Grey Gardens is a 1975 American documentary film by Albert and David Maysles. Ellen Hovde and... more
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Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work
Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers
Released: 2010
Directed by: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work is a 2010 documentary film about the life and career of... more

The Beaches Of Agnès

Grandma

The Over The Hill Band

I'll See You in My Dreams