Unmarried Women
The Women's Movement hasn't been portrayed particularly well or sympathetically in film. Nor has the complicated depth and power of relationships between women, whether romantic or platonic, for that matter.
But in the few cases it has, complex characters as well as new social relations have emerged – mostly for the better. Here is a list of films that capture the long historical haul for equal rights for women or those that capture "women space" in the most powerful ways...
But in the few cases it has, complex characters as well as new social relations have emerged – mostly for the better. Here is a list of films that capture the long historical haul for equal rights for women or those that capture "women space" in the most powerful ways...
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- DirectorPaul MazurskyStarsJill ClayburghAlan BatesMichael MurphyA wealthy woman from Manhattan's Upper East Side struggles to deal with her new identity and her sexuality after her husband of 16 years leaves her for a younger woman.
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsDiane KeatonRichard GereTuesday WeldA dedicated schoolteacher spends her nights cruising bars, looking for abusive men with whom she can engage in progressively extreme sexual encounters.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSusan SarandonGeena DavisHarvey KeitelTwo best friends set out on an adventure, but it soon turns around to a terrifying escape from being hunted by the police, as these two women escape for the crimes they committed.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsJane FondaVanessa RedgraveJason RobardsAt the behest of an old and dear friend, playwright Lillian Hellman undertakes a dangerous mission to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany.
- StarsJennifer SaundersJoanna LumleyJulia SawalhaThe wild misadventures of Edina "Eddy" Monsoon and her best friend Patsy Stone, who live in a nearly constant haze of drugged, drunken selfishness.
- DirectorDiane KurysStarsMiou-MiouIsabelle HuppertGuy MarchandA Jewish refugee marries a soldier to escape deportation to Germany. Meanwhile a wealthy art student loses her first husband to a stray Resistance bullet; at the Liberation she meets an actor, gets pregnant, and marries him.This French classic by Diane Kurys has been mostly lost to time. Terrific performances by the two leads, and the men are portrayed mostly sympathetically...
- DirectorPaul FeigStarsKristen WiigMaya RudolphRose ByrneCompetition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.
- DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsSteve BuscemiThora BirchScarlett JohanssonTwo eccentric best friends graduate high school and respond to a man's romance-seeking newspaper ad as a gag, only to find their lives becoming increasingly complicated.
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsBette MidlerBarbara HersheyJohn HeardA privileged rich debutante and a cynical struggling entertainer share a turbulent, but strong childhood friendship over the years.I am including this under protest... but I guess it does fit the theme and I like both of the leads here.
- DirectorDavid MirkinStarsMira SorvinoLisa KudrowJaneane GarofaloTwo dim-witted, inseparable friends hit the road for their ten-year high school reunion and concoct an elaborate lie about their lives in order to impress their classmates.
- DirectorAndrew FlemingStarsKirsten DunstMichelle WilliamsDan HedayaAfter wandering off during a White House tour, two high school girls inadvertently become Richard Nixon's top secret advisers at the height of the Watergate scandal.This is an underrated classic with great goofy-girl leads and top-notch supporting cast (incl. early Will Ferrell) that takes just a few liberties with some recent American historical events for pleasing results...
- DirectorPeyton ReedStarsKirsten DunstEliza DushkuJesse BradfordA champion high school cheerleading squad discovers its previous captain stole all their best routines from an inner-city school and must scramble to compete at this year's championships.Another guilty pleasure starring Kirsten Dunst. Extra bonus points for featuring female bonding across social AND racial divides...
- DirectorNicole HolofcenerStarsCatherine KeenerAnne HecheAmy BravermanJust as Amelia thinks she's over her anxiety and insecurity, her best friend announces her engagement, bringing her anxiety and insecurity right back.This will have to stand in for *most* of Nicole Holofcener's work. She has slowly been building quite the "resume" (up to and including the present) of women-centered dramedy, mostly good, some stumbles, but never dull...
- DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsNicole KidmanJennifer Jason LeighFlora CrossMargot and her son Claude decide to visit her sister Pauline after she announces that she is marrying less-than-impressive Malcolm.Have to admit that I found Margot much more underrated compared to Frances Ha. Not sure if it is because Baumbach cast older actresses Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh or what, but I thought it was more compelling in showing New England "losers" versus the hipster scene in Manhattan (which I think is why it got more critical traction)...
- DirectorLisa CholodenkoStarsRadha MitchellAlly SheedyPatricia ClarksonA young female intern at a small magazine company and a drug-addicted lesbian photographer slowly fall in love while exploiting each other to advance their respective careers.I think this is the slightly edgier work by Lisa Cholodenko compared with "The Kids Are Alright" and "Laurel Canyon." Ally Sheedy never looked more interesting (sorry to all the John Hughes fans out there). Special bonus points for Patricia Clarkson's portrayal of Sheedy's fading love interest. Her career really took off after her channeling of Marlene Dietrich as a lesbian heroin-addict...
- DirectorMarleen GorrisStarsWilleke van AmmelrooyJan DecleirVeerle van OverloopA Dutch matron establishes and, for several generations, oversees a close-knit, matriarchal community where feminism and liberalism thrive.I forgot about how good this film was...
- DirectorPercy AdlonStarsMarianne SägebrechtCCH PounderJack PalanceA lonely German woman ends up in the most desolate motel on Earth and decides to make it brighter.Uh oh. My significant other would have *really* had my hide if I had forgotten to include this late '80's indie-classic...
- DirectorJon AvnetStarsKathy BatesJessica TandyMary Stuart MastersonEvelyn, an ordinary housewife, visits a nursing home and befriends the old lady Ninny. Together, they bond over stories from the past about two intrepid women of Whistle Stop Cafe.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsMelanie LynskeyKate WinsletSarah PeirseTwo teenage girls share a unique bond; their parents, concerned that the friendship is too intense, separate them, and the girls take revenge.Powerful New Zealand film by some guy named Peter Jackson that really put him on the map. Ever hear of him? Also known as the film that launched Kate Winslet's career...
- DirectorP.J. HoganStarsToni ColletteRachel GriffithsBill HunterA young social outcast in Australia steals money from her parents to finance a vacation where she hopes to find happiness, and perhaps love.
- DirectorDrew BarrymoreStarsElliot PageDrew BarrymoreKristen WiigIn Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock-loving misfit finds a way of dealing with small-town misery after discovering a roller-derby league in nearby Austin.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsDaryl HannahMaggie GyllenhaalMary SteenburgenA brief look into South American family life while showing the hardships surrounding adoption in South America as six woman are forced to stay in the country while awaiting approval of adopting a baby.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsMary McDonnellAlfre WoodardAngela BassettAfter an accident leaves her a paraplegic, a former soap opera star struggles to recover both emotionally and mentally, until she meets her newest nurse, who has struggles of her own.
- CreatorJames L. BrooksAllan BurnsStarsMary Tyler MooreEdward AsnerGavin MacLeodThe lives and trials of a young single woman and her friends, both at work and at home.
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsTom HanksGeena DavisLori PettyTwo sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.