Five 2000s films on female friendships to watch

By Shauna Hyland

Friendship between women in film is a largely polarised theme; women are either pitted against each other or have a perfect friendship.

This isn’t always the case though, as female friendships are complex and intricate. 

Here are five 2000s films that depicted the theme well. 

Crossroads (2002)

Lucy, Kit and Mimi were best friends growing up, but teenage years took over and they drifted apart. 

Mimi becomes pregnant, Kit wants to see her boyfriend in another state and Lucy longs to meet her birth mother. 

This leads them on a cross country road trip, and forced into close proximity like kids again, they rediscover their friendship and promise to never drift again. 

Secrets and horrible revelations emerge along the journey, bringing the girls closer together than ever before. 

John Tucker Must Die (2006)

Three girlfriends, one boyfriend, and an observer. What happens when they come together?

John Tucker is the high school’s heart-throb, known as ‘undatable’ due to focusing on sport, but it turns out that’s a lie he tells the girls so he can have multiple girlfriends. 

Kate is new to town, as Kate and her mother usually move when her mother breaks up with a man and needs to leave. 

Kate notices a pattern between John’s behaviour and her mother’s ex-boyfriends, and decides she wants to help the girls. 

Instead of the women hating each other over a man, they actually come together to devise a plan to ‘ruin’ John.

The positive is, they end up creating a friend group they never would have imagined would work.

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Bratz (2007) 

Following four girls who have been inseparable since children, what happens when high school factions and societies emerge?

The girls are forced to balance school, their new friends and each other, with some difficulty along the way. 

The film shows the girls drift apart, caught up in the idea of exciting new friendships, before remembering who their true friends are and where they came from. 

The so-called ‘Bratz’ are contrasted with Meredith and her friends, who are popular but don’t have a true friendship between them. 

Wild Child (2008)

A young American girl and a group of British teenagers living together – what could go wrong?

American teenager Poppy is sent to boarding school in England following a streak of bad behaviour. 

When she gets there, she’s met with four other girls she must live with: Kate, Jennifer (‘Drippy’), Josie and Kiki. 

Poppy wants to leave, and the girls are fed up with her getting them in trouble, so they work together to devise a plan to get Poppy kicked out and sent home. 

However, a problem arises when the girls all actually start to get along and an unlikely friendship group emerges. 

Their friendship is tested when Poppy is framed for something, and the girls must decide if they believe her or not. 

Frances Ha (2013)

What happens when a friend you’ve had for life outgrows you?

Frances and Sophie move to New York to follow their dreams, but Sophie finds a partner she wishes to spend more of her time with. 

Frances is hurt by this, not understanding why their friendship isn’t the most important thing anymore. 

The film follows Frances on a journey to understand how to be her own person outside of the friendship, showing how one can become too attached to one’s comfortable friendships.

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