The following is a list of the movies every millennial girl should know like the back of her hand. We grew up on these. And even if we've only seen them once, they shaped our childhood. Well into our old age, we'll be quoting lines from these movies while we make our grandchildren watch them with us. So, in no particular order, here are the movies that we shall never tire of watching.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Ah, the classic of all classics. It takes place in a foreign country, it's got singing, it's got dancing, it's got drama, it's got (mild) action, it's got not only one but two Hillary Duffs, it's got horrible fake Italian accents, it's got Italians that speak to each other in English, it's got the most well-deserved public humiliation our generation has seen to date... What's not to love?
The Cheetah Girls film series
Cheetah Girls, Cheetah Girls 2, Cheetah Girls: One World. Each jam-packed with girl drama, singing, killer dance moves, flip phones, matching outfits, and cute boys that every little millennial dreamed about. You're lying if you and your friends didn't fight over who was Dorinda and who was Chanel. It's like our generation's Carrie vs Samantha. Cheetah-licious!
The Princess Diaries
Little did we know that Mia's transformation from an awkward frizzy-haired loser, to a glowing gorgeous princess would speak volumes to our transformations through our awkward phases to the people we are now. After this movie, we all wished somehow we would find out, that by some fluke, we are in fact royalty. I mean who wouldn't dream that anyway? She had some rad dance moves, a sick car, an awesome grandma, was super close with her mom, lived in an old firehouse (thus getting to ride down a fire pole every day from her dope attic room), and a cool best friend. So she really won regardless of the whole princess title.
Bring It On
The spark that started it all. This film is such a classic that it started a whole series of movies after it, even though the original is clearly superior. It's chock-full of everything a girl could ever want: petty stupid high school mean girl drama (which every girl loves regardless if they deny it or not), intense cheer routines, and of course: spirit fingers.
The Parent Trap
What's better than one Lindsay Lohan? You guessed it: two! If you're anything like me, you still have absolutely no idea how they managed to film an entire movie without a hitch, of "twins" who are in fact the same person. And, if you're even more like me, you had no idea they weren't actually twins until about the 25th time you watched it. But, besides the semantics, this film is an absolute classic that will never get old, no matter how many times you've seen it. (Even if still to this day you have to turn down the volume when one Lindsay Lohan pierces the other Lindsay Lohan's ears because her scream is too loud).
A Cinderella Story
Three words: Chad Michael Murray. Let's be real, Austin Ames set unrealistic expectations for us girls from the beginning. All we ever dreamed of was for the uber-popular captain of the football team to say "screw you" to his dad and his scholarship, just to come find us in the stands and kiss us in the rain. However, the harsh reality of how high school actually went after watching this was a swift kick in the gut. But at least we always have A Cinderella Story to dream of what could have been.
The High School Musical film series
High School Musical, High School Musical 2, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, and who else forgot about Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure? Each one just as good as the one prior. With drama, singing, dancing, and Zac Efron, who couldn't love this series? Sure we were all a little disappointed that our high schools didn't actually break out into song and spontaneous perfectly choreographed dance, sure we were confused that there was no Zac Efron at our school, sure we were annoyed by the fact that we didn't have a super cool country club we could lounge at all summer (along with a young Miley Cyrus that we voted for to see as an extra in the movie), but at least we had the glory that was High School Musical to live vicariously through all of our ridiculous musical high school fantasies.
Legally Blonde
People may say "The best revenge is a good body" but I've always liked to live by Elle Woods' revenge method of "The best revenge is to get into Harvard Law School." What like it's hard? We'll always admire her knowledge of general hair care that got her sorority sister off the chopping block for a murder trial. Not to mention, the biggest "F you" to her former boyfriend as she went on to be the class elected speaker at her Harvard Law commencement, while her ex gradated without honors, job offers, or girlfriends. A true role model for our generation.
Monsters, Inc.
I cannot tell you the amount of times I have seen this movie, but without a doubt, I tear up every single time. As the years have gone on, the tears have substantially grown, because I have realized just how special this movie really is (and because I've adopted a wicked case of uncontrollable happy tears). But, just seeing the love and unlikely friendship between a friendly monster and a little girl, is absolutely the cutest plot line anyone could have ever thought of. Disney Pixar never fails to amaze me, but growing up on one of their classics is a prize that we somehow had the luck and pleasure of winning.
Cheaper by the Dozen
This movie just proves that things get better with age, because the both Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 are classics. Never mind the fact that Charlie Baker is still the babe of all babes, and I was always envious of his girlfriends in the movies, even when I was little. Or that the sequel sparked my love for Taylor Lautner, that has since fizzled out, but will will always have a place in my heart right where the eight-year-old me is. We all still wish we were a part of the Baker family, and even though we may not want 12 kids now, there's no denying that every time we watch this movie, even to this day, we contemplate if not just for a minute, how fun having such a big family would be.
Cadet Kelly
Cadet Kelly has a special place in my heart. Mostly since it first came out, it was my favorite movie (we're talking so far back that I couldn't pronounce it correctly so I always referred to it as "Canet Kelly"). I personally have never been to military school, but this just seemed like the most fabulous military school out there. Even though in real life, I couldn't handle five seconds in an actual military school without breaking out in sweat and tears, this movie always made it seem like military school was the hot spot to be. Hillary Duff never failed to put out the best movies a little Disney Channel obsessed girl could have asked for. Still to this day, all I want back are the nightly eight o'clock Disney Channel original movies, even if this particular one were to be on just once a week. Is that too much to ask for?
The Sandlot
Honestly, although it is a classic, we probably would not have paid much much attention if it weren't for every girl's first heartthrob: Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez. Sure, it's a lighthearted coming of age film about baseball and friendship, I still tear up at the end, and still love watching it now, because it's just plain creepy to think of a (then) 14 year old kid the way that I used to. But let's be real, when we saw this while we were younger, Benny really was just the icing on the cake, and it's always fun to watch, even if just to relive our love for our first pseudo-celebrity crush.
Mary-Kate and Ashley movies
Before there were DVDs, before there was Blu-ray, before there was Netflix, there were VCRs. And in those VCRs, were inevitably Mary-Kate and Ashley movies. Billboard Dad, Switching Goals, Passport to Paris, Winning London, Holliday in the Sun, When in Rome, The Challenge, New York Minute, the list goes on and on. Each one better than the last, and each one making you want a twin (and one of their dreamy boyfriends) substantially more every time you watched them.
Titanic
A time honored classic for any age. But for us, it's a glimpse back to the time when recorded television was nonexistent, so you were stuck watching whatever was on the TV at that very moment, or whatever movie that was within reach. Titanic was usually the answer to both of those scenarios. Personally, I was always stuck watching the TV version, that censored the more risqué moments of the film that my five year old eyes couldn't handle. But now, it's a movie we can always rely on when we need a good cry, or when we want to get really pissed at Kate Winslet for not just moving over on her floating door to save a dying Leonardo DiCaprio.
.....Speaking of Leo, the beauty of the Titanic could easily be accredited to he himself. Then and now, we have gotten to appreciate the gorgeous creature that is young Leo DiCaprio, and that's reason alone to admire this film so much.
I mean look at him.
Unreal.
The Lion King
No matter who you are, no matter where you're from, odds are, you have seen The Lion King. It doesn't even matter if you haven't seen it all the way through, it's talked about enough, even to this day, that you know the general premise and at least three of the main characters' names. It still stings when Mufasa dies, but like it stings when Bambi's mom gets shot, but this one always will hit too close to home because we grew up on this movie. If nothing else, this was a teaching movie about the circle of life (pun intended) that our parents could plop us in front of, with it being guaranteed that we would zone out in no time.
What a Girl Wants
The anthem of our generation: Christina Aguilera's song, "What A Girl Wants" that gets stuck in our head every single time we even just think of this movie. The drama, the quirky Amanda Bynes, the cute British boy, the cool house, the rad dad, the happy tear-jerking ending. I don't know about you, but I love it more than a million red M&Ms and a million Swedish fish, combined.
Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century
Don't you just hate it when you're parents punish you by kicking you off your space station and force you to live on earth with your aunt? Let's be real, we all wanted Zenon's life. Never mind the sick fluorescent space suits, and the fact that her best friend went on to be Raven Baxter of That's So Raven, but because of Zenon, all we ever dreamed of was to fast forward to the year 2049, just to live on a space station and have a hunky earth boyfriend. Oh, and not to mention, get sung to while you're front row at your favorite singer's concert. Who am I kidding, I still want to be Zenon.
Clueless
We all wanted Cher's closet, just as much as we wanted to be taken under her wing and be recreated in her perfect Cher image. We all took notes on her way with guys and all adopted her phrase at one point or another from watching it too much. But as if we would ever actually admit to it. Let's be real, we just wanted to be Cher. As the years went on, this movie got more and more understandable, which makes watching it now that much more fun.
She's the Man
What we all would give to bring back the old Amanda Bynes. If anything else, She's the Man just shows what an fun actress she once was. But alas, we'll just have to move on, and watch this movie on a loop because it's undoubtably funny, and truly doesn't ever get old. If nothing else, this is yet another incredible "screw you" to an ex, kicked up to the fullest of notches. The highest notch, of course, being the upgrade to dating Channing Tatum from dating a misogynistic wimp. I always choose to overlook the glitches of this movie, mostly the fact that Viola looks absolutely nothing like her brother, so I get how she could pass as him if no one has met them both, but the fact Olivia A) passes up a shirtless Channing Tatum, and, B) kisses the real Sebastian instead of the Amanda Bynes Sebastian will always irk confuse me. Anyways, it's a classic nonetheless, and will always be the perfect go-to girls night rom com.
Mean Girls
If ever there is an opportunity for a Mean Girls quote, you take it. That may just be a law. Almost as serious of a law as wearing pink on Wednesdays, the law that you can't go to Taco Bell if you're on an all-carb diet, and the law that fetch is never going to happen. Growing up on Mean Girls was the greatest gift any millennial could have asked for, almost as good as a gift as the four candy grams Glen Coco got. It's biologically impossible for Mean Girls to ever get old, even if you watch it day in and day out. It's just that grool.
