Everyone needs a friend; it’s a universal trait that all (or at least most) human beings share. As a result, plenty of movies like to explore friendship in all its different configurations. It can transcend every form of identity and sprout from a variety of circumstances—the workplace, school, mutual friends, family, etc.—and watching people developing (or dealing with) friendships on the screen makes them more relatable to the audience. Friendship is not an outright genre itself but a theme that can fit into any existing genre. Mostly comedies and dramas, though.
Some friendships are healthier than others. A toxic one can be very debilitating, while a great one can completely change someone for the better. They can last a lifetime, a short while, or anywhere in between. Some are exclusively between two people, while others take the form of groups. There is such a vast array of friendships that great films show particular nuance in their characters’ relationships. Although some movies use friendship as their central conflict, ones in which people grow closer together (or farther apart) without being the main conceit of the plot can be just as insightful on the subject. Whether they show a relationship’s decline or improvement, the best movies about friendship dig deepest into how profoundly one person can affect your life.
10 ‘Fourteen’ (2019)
Directed by Dan Sallitt
One of the best movies with just a number for a title, Fourteen is a rather depressing look at how a friendship can slowly decline over the years. Mara (Tallie Medel) is a teacher’s aide, and her friend Jo (Norma Kuhling) is too much for her to handle. Written and directed by Dan Sallitt, this indie does an impressive job of showing the audience how two people can grow apart as the complexities of adulthood factor into their lives.
Sometimes both friends are equally responsible for their drift, but not in this case. Jo’s crises are just too draining (and confusing), and her psychological health gradually crumbles. It’s tragic, especially when the viewer learns how this friendship began. Some people’s problems become too mysterious and varied to keep up with, and this movie is an empathetic look at how two friends can grow apart without one meaning any harm to the other.
Watch on Amazon Prime
9 ‘Bridesmaids’ (2011)
Directed by Paul Feig
One of the best comedies with great acting, Bridesmaids is about a friend who’s getting married (Maya Rudolph) and another friend who isn’t (Kristen Wiig). The former is Lillian, and the latter is Annie. Annie just does not have her life together, stuck in a friends-with-benefits thing that isn’t going anywhere and seemingly unable to pursue her aspiration of becoming a baker. Now with her best friend getting married, she can’t help but feel abandoned and jealous.
One of the best scenes is when they all get food poisoning while trying out dresses, but plenty of other things go wrong, too. This story is hilarious, it’s raunchy, and it emphasizes the importance of having someone there for you when you need them. With an Academy Award-winning supporting performance from Melissa McCarthy, this movie shows the importance of both major and minor friends.
8 ‘Superbad’ (2007)
Directed by Greg Mottola
One of the funniest high school comedies ever made, Superbad is also a product of its time. But viewers who are willing to watch it with the understanding that it came out in the mid-2000s can find plenty of times to laugh at the three idiotic high school seniors at its center. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera play Seth and Evan, two best friends who are going to different colleges next school year. Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays Fogell, otherwise known as McLovin.
How he acquires that obviously fake name amounts to one of many side-splitting parts of a comedy that took the world by storm and thankfully didn’t make any cash-grab sequels (unlike The Hangover). These three friends have been given the responsibility of bringing the booze to a big party, but the heart of the narrative lies in how Seth and Evan’s friendship is tested and eventually strengthened by their profane and ridiculous evening odyssey.
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7 ‘Stand By Me’ (1986)
Directed by Rob Reiner
One of the most rewatchable Stephen King adaptations, Stand By Me is about four friends who venture into the Oregon woods to look at a body (the original novella’s title is The Body). Narratively speaking, however, this is more or less just an excuse for them to gain some perspective on each of their problems back home. Will Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell each put in memorable performances that help the viewer believe their traumas and hardships.
This coming-of-age tale shows the beauty of the Oregon wilderness while keeping the mood light enough to address topics including an older sibling’s death, parental abuse, mental health, and more without being very difficult to watch. Although these friends wind up growing apart later in life, this pivotal adventure is something they would always share in memory.
6 ‘Mean Girls’ (2004)
Directed by Mark Waters
One of the best millennial movies to define its generation, Mean Girls is about an exchange student named Cady (Lindsay Lohan). She befriends two fellow students who encourage her to spy on the most popular girls in school, The Plastics. However, in pretending to be someone she’s not, she gradually becomes just as self-absorbed as them. Naturally, this causes friction with her real, more down-to-earth friends. It also results in low grades on math exams, even though she knows the answers to all the questions.
This comedy does a great job of showing that pretending to be someone you’re not can damage your life in more ways than one. Great moments include a talent show performance that suddenly has to go a cappella and a prank that leads to a new fashion craze that sweeps the school. As difficult as it might be to fit in, the resounding message of this hilarious comedy is to be yourself. And as fun as it might seem to write a burn book, the film’s bigger point is easier to do: be nice.
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5 ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ (1988)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, My Neighbor Totoro is among the most flawless animated films ever made. This classic is about Mei (Chika Sakamoto) and Satsuki (Noriko Hidaka), two sisters who have moved to a new neighborhood with their father. With their mother in the hospital and a new environment to navigate, these two girls struggle with loneliness.
With the help of some magical creatures, including and especially the giant Totoro, they can still maintain a sense of wonder for the world and experience the joys of childhood. Humankind’s entrancing connection with the natural world is never better evoked in such a playful and moving fashion. While some other Studio Ghibli films have such a convoluted plot that it can sometimes distract from the animation, My Neighbor Totoro is a perfectly simple story about friendship, family, and nature that lets the audience completely absorb its setting.
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Aliens are usually evil in movies and television shows, but they can be nice too! One of Steven Spielberg‘s greatest achievements, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is about Elliott (Henry Thomas), Gertie (Drew Barrymore), Michael (Robert MacNaughton), and E.T.—the harmless alien they hide away from their mother. E.T. was left behind by his ship, hence the famous line “E.T. phone home.” Everyone who meets him is afraid at first, but he’s the kind of creature who is easy to warm up to.
Raised by a single mother (Dee Wallace), the kids find a needed friend in this friendly extra-terrestrial. They also have to hide him from the government while helping him get back to his ship safe and sound. Even though it’s a children’s movie, its heart can move viewers of all ages. As much about family as it is about friendship, E.T. will always be a fan-favorite of the science fiction genre.
3 ‘Frances Ha’ (2012)
Directed by Noah Baumbach
Frances Ha (starring Greta Gerwig) feels like a constant montage. Frances’s best friend and roommate (Mickey Sumner) decides to move in with her boyfriend, leading her to bounce around from apartment to apartment (Adam Driver has a small yet compelling role as one of Frances’s roommates) feeling lonely and somewhat betrayed. One particular scene does a great job of summing up our protagonist’s awkward journey of self-discovery: her card is denied at a restaurant (much to her embarrassment), so she runs out to find an ATM and has some trouble locating one.
Directed by Noah Baumbach, this 2012 movie is boldly in black and white. How lonely Frances looks when she says she should leave at the end of a party that she just claimed was the best night she’s had since her friend Sophie moved out. She has a difficult time processing that her friend is in love (which leaves significantly less time for Frances), and it shows. Watching their relationship get tested as Frances goes from one living situation to the next feels like a very realistic ode to New York City, youth, and friendship.
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2 ‘Thelma & Louise’ (1991)
Directed by Ridley Scott
One of the best desert movies, Thelma & Louise is about a woman stuck in a loveless marriage and a single waitress who is much less naive. They’re best friends, and they’re about to become much closer than most two friends could ever be. After a night out goes terribly wrong, Thelma and Louise wind up becoming wanted women, anticipating that there’s no way the court of law would see their side of the story.
Though it can get very serious at times (for good reason), this essentially amounts to a road movie in which two women find themselves liberated from their old lives. They help each other grow: Thelma starts off as a naive screw-up who’s married to a guy who suppresses her desire to have fun and turns into a reliable and clever accomplice. In the meantime, Louise is able to come to terms with her past and say goodbye to her supportive boyfriend. Together, they make one of cinema’s most dynamic duos.
1 ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ (1994)
Directed by Frank Darabont
The Shawshank Redemption is remarkably quotable as it traces the heartwarming bond between Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Ellis Boyd Redding (Morgan Freeman) over the course of nearly twenty years in prison. While Andy claims to be innocent of the crime he was sentenced for, Red is quick to admit that he’s the “only guilty man in Shawshank.” It’s a relationship that starts off with Andy asking Red for a rock hammer, later developing into Andy getting Red (and a few other pals) some cold beer while working on a roof.
As Andy and Red slowly get to know each other better over time, the movie shows how this friendship only grows stronger. Even after arguments and disagreements, they prove more and more important to each other. No film better evokes the importance of a friendship that gradually deepens over so much time. Moreover, the extremely satisfying and well-earned ending makes this the ultimate friendship movie.
