26 Movies About Friendship

Based on a true story, the give and take inherent in any good friendship shines through in “Sitting in Bars with Cake.” A worldly Corrinne challenges her shy best friend Jane to put herself out there by taking her beautiful cake creations to unlikely places—namely bars. Amid fun times, Corrine is diagnosed with a fatal disease and the true test of friendship begins. A tale of friendship with depth, love, and encouragement, this film features young stars Yara Shahidi and Odessa A’zion.

In this movie about best friends, four friends decide that it’s time to take their Book Club to Italy and encounter hilarity, unexpected experiences, and newfound levels in their friendship. With an all-star cast including Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, and Alicia Silverstone, this movie is a lighthearted chick-flick featuring mature women and their friendships that have stood the test of time.

A coming-of-age comedy where the new kid in town learns the ropes on his new baseball team as the guys introduce him to the sandlot. This classic film is 90’s kids’ favorite showcasing how friendship flourishes between wild young boys who are dealing with their troubles on and off the field. The movie touches on the taboo topic of domestic violence against children and the important role of friendship in the lives of young boys. The movie stars Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Karen Allen, Denis Leary, and James Earl Jones.

Few people know that this classic coming-of-age drama is Based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella The Body. As one of the most influential movies of the 80’s, Stand By Me, is the story of four young boys who go on a hike to find the dead body of their missing friend. The movie touches on how trauma impacts kids and also the universal experience of growing up. Friendship is a central theme connecting the boys through their differences.

Jealousy, betrayal, and the true test of friendship come to life through toys in this classic movie. Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, and Buzz Light Year, voiced by Tim Allen are the central characters, and adults and kids alike learn lessons of friendship and growing up. No “movies about friendship” list would be complete without it.

An unlikely friendship between a mythical creature of the forest, a Donkey, and a magic cat forms, proving that friendship is more than skin deep. Though “Shrek” is centered on the love between Shrek and Fiona, Shrek’s friends offer unconditional love, support, and comic relief throughout. A movie that shamelessly infuses kid-friendly themes with dog-whistle humor only adults can understand, the animated movie features the voices of Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy.

With two Oscars nominations and 25 award wins, Bridesmaids centers on the crises, stress, and hilarity between friends during their best friends’ wedding. Kirsten Wig, Melissa McCarthy, and Maya Rudolph are a few of the big names that bring this comedy to life with perfectly-timed comedy, unbelievable antics, and the human experience of wanting our friends to like us.

In Barbie’s world, women of all shapes, sizes, colors, and appearances get along and encourage each other to live their very best lives every day. The breakout movie features an all-star cast of new talent Margot Robbie and long-standing stars America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Dua Lipa, Ryan Gosling, and Will Ferrell. Though a secondary storyline to the dating experience of Barbie and Ken and other high-level themes, the power of women supporting each other through thick and thin shines through.

If you are looking for a drama to pull at your heartstrings, “Wonder” is the movie for you. Auggie Pullman has a rare genetic disorder called Treacher Collins Syndrome which causes certain bones in the skull to prematurely join during development and affects the shape of the head and face. Despite his difficulties making new friends, Auggie’s positive kindness shines through and he wins friends and hearts. Viewers of all ages will learn the lesson that friendship is beyond appearances.

10. Thelma & Louise (1991)
A friendship movie with “Bonnie & Clyde” tenacity and bond, Thelma & Louise is the classic story of friends who will do anything for each other. A road trip between an emotionally abused housewife and a waitress sends the two ladies on an adventure of a lifetime which includes running from the police. Will they outrun their crimes? You’ll have to grab your best friend and watch stars Susan Sarandon as Louise and Geena Davis as Thelma along with Brad Pitt as J.D. to find out.

Friends since college, a group of four friends set out on a wild girls’ trip to New Orleans. Despite their inherent personality differences and the long distances since moving away after school, their friendship proves to be the rock in a sea of personal growth, romantic heartache, and new experiences. This fun comedy shares an all-star cast of Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and breakout star Tiffany Haddish among many more.

If you and your friends are into dark comedies, this one’s for you. When a bachelorette party results in the accidental death of their male stripper, four friends must figure out what to do next. This dark comedy features major stars Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, and Zoë Kravitz as lead characters, and Paul Downs, Ty Burrell, and Demi Moore in supporting roles.

One pair of jeans represents the bond between friends as they fit each of their differently shaped bodies perfectly. This coming-of-age story is about young girls growing up during adolescence and keeping their dearest near despite long distances. Though the girls move to different places around the world, they share a special bond with a friend that never goes away and is as loved as an old pair of jeans.

This sci-fi movie about friendship is regarded as “one of the greatest films of all time.” E.T. won the hearts of millions when a young boy named Elliot formed an unlikely bond with an extraterrestrial who couldn’t find his way home. The Steven Spielberg film stars Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton, and Drew Barrymore and surpassed Star Wars in becoming the “highest-grossing film of all time.”

The transition from 20s to the rest of adulthood can be quite shocking. After a shattering breakup, Jenny spends one final night with her best friends in NYC before moving across the country. While mending a broken heart, the girls have an unforgettable adventure that proves the healing power of female friendship.

In this movie about friendship, the innocence of childhood friendship in the darkest of circumstances cuts through a dividing fence between an eight-year-old son of a German SS Commander and a Jewish boy who sits on the other side. This historical drama is a beautiful tale that received critical acclaim though scholars have argued it misrepresents parts of the Holocaust.

You can’t go wrong in a movie about friendship when comedy is involved and with a comedy great like Bette Midler along with stars Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton, “The First Wives Club” is a winner. The story follows three best friends who decide to seek revenge on their husbands who left them for younger women. The movie won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Goldie Hawn’s performance and Midler and Keaton raked in Satellite Award nominations for their performances.

As a testament to our desire to see friendships we can relate to on screen, “Beaches” received terrible reviews from critics but the audience spoke louder making this film a $59 million commercial success. In this movie, a childhood penal friendship turns into a lifelong bond for women who, despite hurt, jealousy, and circumstances that seem to end their friendship, the two women prove that true friendship can hold up against the seemingly unforgivable.

This action comedy introduces a group of friends who get together for murder mystery game night where the line between game and reality gets blurred. A dark and comedic take on friendship that leaves you asking “Who is a true friend?” Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, and Jesse Plemons make this film fun to watch.

A misfit’s delight, The Breakfast Club is an archetypal tale of improbable friendship forming between teens from different walks of life being forced to spend time together in detention. As they discover that they have more in common than each originally perceived, they come to grips with a universality that connects us all.

There is nothing like shared experiences and adventures that strengthen the bond of friendship. The 1985 classic “The Goonies” is about a group of misfit boys who have the adventure of a lifetime trying to save their homes from foreclosure. They discover a map that leads to treasure and band together to find it. The cult classic grossed $125 million worldwide on a budget of $19 million.

Friendship is so important to humans that some of us are willing to join a gang just to have a connection. The Outsiders is about two rival gangs that go at it when a member is accidentally killed. The coming-of-age film is based on a novel of the same name and earned a cult following.

Friendship can cut across age and form when we admire a person and share a love for the same things. In “Cinema Paradiso” a filmmaker shares the story of his deep connection with his local movie theater’s projectionist as he worked in his favorite place to be, the movies. The unlikely friendship between a young boy and the older projectionist is a sweet tale of bonds that form from shared interests.

High school is a tough time for girls in their friendships as they navigate puberty, identity, and what kind of person they want to be. An early 2000 classic, “Mean Girls” follows Cadey, newly arrived in America and unfamiliar with the passive-aggressive antics of the popular girls. On her quest to be accepted, she finds herself having to choose between true friendships or “plastic” ones instead. To name a few stars in the movie, Lindsey Lohan, Tina Fey, Amanda Seyfried, and Lacey Chabert bring this classic to life.

Before Mean Girls, the Clueless trio showed what it would be like if the popular girls were nice to the new girl, like actually nice. Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, and the late Brittany Murphy helped the film receive cult following status with hilarious performances that played on stereotypes of the wealthy California Valley girl. It remains a fun movie to gather your friends around for a snack and good laughs.

The sign of a good friend is someone you can laugh and cry with. Sister Act is a comedy that successfully weaves tearjerker moments with comedic relief that begins with the premise. The tight-knit friendship that forms between a secular lounge singer and her new nun friends after she witnesses the death of her chauffeur speaks to the love that makes up female friendships. Their antics and care for their new friend prevail in helping her through this tough time. With stars Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Wendy Makkena, and Jenifer Lewis, this movie has stood the test of time and grossed $231 million worldwide on a $31 million budget.