Bring It On
I'm only going to list the first one, but honestly, the entire franchise is always a great idea. Even if you were never a cheerleader, there's something about watching the drama-filled events leading up to huge cheer competitions. Torrance is selected to become the new captain of her cheerleading squad, and it isn't exactly what she expected. Being in charge is a lot of work and she soon finds out that their "original routines" are actually stolen from a squad in Los Angeles. In an attempt to switch things up and be fairer, she hires a choreographer. This backfires as he also choreographed the same dance for several other squads. Because they are former champions, they get a bid to Nationals anyways and have to come up with their own creative routine.
She's the Man
Loosely based on Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Amanda Bynes stars as a teenage girl named Viola who takes her brother's place at a boarding school. She does this to play on the boys' soccer team since the girl's team at her school got cut. Viola as Sebastian has to hide her secret and work extra hard to get a place on the first string, all while not showing the feelings she develops for her teammate and roommate Duke. With slapstick humor and Channing Tatum as the leading man, this movie can never go wrong.
Mamma Mia!
The movie is based on the musical by the same name filled with ABBA songs. Mamma Mia! is definitely one of those movies to watch on a girls night if you're looking for a sing-along. My roommates and I have watched this many times when we can't decide on anything else to watch. Starring Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, and countless others, this movie follows young Sophie on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. At the age of 20, she discovers that she has three possible fathers from her mother's past and decides to invite them all to her wedding. Thinking she'll know which man is her father the instant they meet, her plan soon goes awry when she makes a connection with all three.
Mean Girls
Starring Lindsey Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, and many other notable actors, Tina Fey took a high school self-help book and created a classic. Cady Heron has been homeschooled up until her junior year when she is enrolled at North Shore High School. Being a "regulation hottie," her newfound friend Janis suggests Cady spy on the popular girls and then they can laugh about all the dumb stuff they talked about. Things escalate and they attempt to ruin Regina's life and steal her boyfriend. Not only is it relatable, but it is also highly quotable. Some of my favorite lines include the following.
"You can go shave your back now. Bye, Jason."
"That's why her hair is so big, it's full of secrets!"
and "Nice wig Janis, what's it made of?" "Your mom's chest hair!"
13 Going on 30
Thirteen-year-old Jenna Rink wishes she was "thirty, flirty, and thriving," until a magic dollhouse granted her that very request. Waking up as a nearly thirty-year-old in a world that she doesn't recognize, she must figure out where it all went wrong and change her life before she's actually lived it. This was one of my favorite movies growing up, I honestly couldn't tell you how many times I've seen it.
Easy A
After a rumor spreads, it's hard to get everyone to know the truth. As Olive Pendergast, Emma Stone makes things a whole lot worse for herself before she lives happily ever after. From one little white lie comes more and more until things get so messy she had to come clean to everyone about everything.
A Cinderella Story
Another modern take on a classic story, in A Cinderella Story, the rags to riches princess comes to life as a high school girl working in her step-mother's diner. Hilary Duff plays Sam Montgomery who just wants to graduate so she can get away from her wicked family and go to her dream school, Princeton. As the story goes, she meets a boy, she runs before the clock strikes midnight, and he does everything in his power to find out who she was. Need I say more?
The House Bunny
Anna Faris plays the Bunny living at the Playboy Mansion until she receives a letter supposedly from Hugh Hefner dismissing her from the house. Not knowing where to go or what to do, she finds herself on a college campus and stumbles upon the opportunity to become the house mother of a socially-awkward sorority. As she tries to give the girls more confidence, she discovers life outside the Mansion and helps the sorority girls find themselves.
John Tucker Must Die
After discovering that their boyfriend has been secretly dating all of them at once, three girls in various cliques at their high school enlist the help of the new girl to break his heart. Attracting John Tucker to the newly made-over Kate (Brittany Snow), the girls try different ways of bringing him down. This includes claims of STDs, having him wear a thong, and even giving him estrogen to make him more "feminine." Of course, John makes all of these work to his advantage, until they ultimately get him to fall for Kate. But what happens when the player gets played?
Legally Blonde
Elle Woods is not having it when her beloved boyfriend breaks up with her because she's not wife material. To initially win back her man–and then to prove a point–she applies and gets into Harvard Law School. While she doesn't exactly fit in, she adapts to the serious lifestyle pretty well and ends up doing a great job in her classes.
Stick It
A former gymnast turned delinquent has two options: gymnastics or jail. Haley had previously left during the World Championships, making much of the world of gymnastics despise her. Because of her rebellious attitude, she resisted being serious about getting back into the gym at first but eventually fell back in love with the sport. Making it to the National Championships, a teammate is harshly docked points because of wardrobe malfunction, and Haley leads the crusade in intentionally scratching to make a point to the judges that they don't make the rules.
Love, Rosie
Starring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin, Alex and Rosie are two friends who always have the worst timing when it comes to love. When Rosie wants Alex, he is taken and when Alex wants Rosie, she is taken. This movie follows them as they go from high schoolers to young adults to parents and so on. No matter the distance, their connection remains.
27 Dresses
The saying "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" takes literal form in Jane (Katherine Heigl) in 27 Dresses. Falling in love with weddings at a young age, she was always the one people chose to be their number one. This never really bothered Jane until the one getting married was her sister, and the groom was her boss–not to mention the man she was in love with!
Sweet Home Alabama
If it has Reese Witherspoon as the main character, you can bet I'm there for it. Sweet Home Alabama was easily my favorite movie throughout my childhood. Melanie is a successful fashion designer whose boyfriend just proposed. While she now leads a lavish life with Andrew, she has a history back home in Alabama, including her southern roots and an estranged husband. She goes home to see her family and get Jake to sign the divorce papers, though it's not as easy as she thought it would be to confront her past. Also starring a young Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey as Jake and Andrew, respectively.
Sydney White
A modern spin on the classic Snow White, Amanda Bynes plays Sydney, a freshman in college who attempts to join her late mother's sorority. After being dismissed by the cruel president of Kappa, she finds herself with nowhere to go but the Vortex, a run-down house filled with seven male outcasts. Sara Paxton stars as Rachel Witchburn, the president of Kappa, who tries to destroy the Vortex and take over the student government, but not if Sydney and her seven guys have anything to say about it. Because it is based on a fairytale, of course, the good guys live "dorkily every after."
Me Before You
Based on a book by the same name, Me Before You tells the story of Louisa Clark, a young woman trying to help her family make ends meet. After being let go from her job at the cafe, she stumbles upon the chance to work for a wealthy family as a companion to their son who is paralyzed. At first, Will Traynor makes the job quite difficult, as he is unhappy with his life. Soon Louisa changes his perspective for the better, spending days helping him to enjoy life again.
The Fault In Our Stars
Based on the incredible novel by John Green, this movie follows the life of one Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley), a teenage girl with terminal cancer who meets a boy in her support group. Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort) and Hazel Grace become quite close, though Hazel keeps her distance as she knows she is soon going to die. After bonding over one of her favorite books, Gus uses his "cancer wish" to take them to Amsterdam to meet the author. Of course in a love story about two teenagers with cancer, you never expect to end well. That being said, they make the most of their time together.
The Princess Diaries
Both the first and second included. Starring Anne Hathaway as an awkward teen who just found out that she is actually a princess and second in line for the throne to the fictional country of Genovia. Not only must she navigate being in high school and personal relationships, but she must juggle learning to become a proper princess at the same time. Supposedly there is a third film in the works, so keep your eyes peeled for that in the coming years!
Safe Haven
One of Nicholas Sparks' many love stories that became a film, Safe Haven stars Julianne Hough as a young woman who is trying to escape her old life and finds herself in a small town where she decides to settle down. She meets a man named Alex (Josh Duhamel) and they become friends as she tries to start a new life for herself amidst a false claim that she is wanted for murder. If I'm being honest, the first time I watched this movie I was so confused until the very end because not until then did all of the little details add up.
How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days
Andie (Kate Hudson) is a writer who specializes in "How to...," and when her best friend is yet again dumped, she comes up with an idea for a new article called "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". So, she decides to enter a relationship only to ultimately drive him away by using common mistakes many women make with significant others. Ben (Matthew McConaughey) works in advertising and makes a bet with his boss. If he can make a woman fall in love with him in ten days, he will get to be in charge of the campaign for a diamond company. After the two meet and begin their tasks with one another, they soon begin to care for one another and don't want to follow through with their individual plans. After angry co-workers divulge their secrets, they break up for real and go their separate ways. But did they accomplish their goals?
Hannah Montana: The Movie
A movie based on a tv show we all grew up with is perfect for a chill night with your friends. Miley/Hannah messes up in a big way because she let being a pop star go to her head. She gets into a shoe fight with Tyra Banks, misses saying goodbye to her brother, and upstages her best friend at her sweet sixteen parties. As a sort of punishment, her father tricks her into going to her hometown of Crowley Corner for her Grandma's birthday party. Being in her rural, childhood home, she gradually gets back to her roots and gains a new perspective. In order to save Crowley Corner from being developed into a city, she invites her "friend" Hannah Montana to the town for a benefit concert. All the while, a UK gossip journalist is trying to get information and secrets on the singer.
Friends with Benefits
Who wouldn't love a movie with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis playing the main characters? Jamie is a recruiter and gets Dylan to move to New York to work for GQ, soon becoming his first real friend in the city. After getting to know one another, they get on the topic of relationships and sex and how there shouldn't be so many obligations. They decide to be friends with benefits, no strings attached. Of course, they eventually fall for one another, ruining their plan. They end things and grow distant, but somehow find their ways back to one another.
The Proposal
What would you do if your boss was about to be deported back to Canada and she was absolutely terrifying? Agree to marry her? In this movie, that is Ryan Reynolds' character's "solution" when his boss Margaret, played by Sandra Bullock, persuades him to do so. They travel to Andrew's hometown in Alaska to meet the family, where things change. There, Margaret grows close to Andrew and his family and changes her mind about forcing Andrew to marry her.
17 Again
Zac Efron plays a young Mike O'Donnell who gives up his future of playing college basketball to be with his pregnant girlfriend. Nearly 20 years later, Mike (Matthew Perry) and Scarlett (Leslie Mann) are separated and getting a divorce. To add on to that, Mike barely has a relationship with either of his two children. After attempting to save a man who appeared to be jumping off a bridge in a storm, he is magically returned to his seventeen-year-old/Zac Efron self. Unsure of what happened and why he figures he's supposed to go back to high school to do his life over. While there, he sees what his kid's lives are truly like, as well as sees all of the ways he could have been a better husband to his beloved wife.
Bridesmaids
Annie (Kristen Wiig) is in her thirties, with a failed bakery, a crappy job as a jewelry saleswoman, and two English roommates. The supposed only good thing left in her life is her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) who just got engaged. Annie is chosen as maid of honor over Helen, the wife of the groom's boss, and the two instantly dislike one another. Helen tries to sabotage Annie's role in the wedding, leading to her eventually pissing Lillian off to the point where she is disinvited. When things go wrong with Lillian before the wedding, Annie is the only one who can help make things better, and most everything is resolved. Other comedians including Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, and Wendi McLendon-Covey play the other bridesmaids.
Another Cinderella Story
Adding to the modern spins on fairy tales, Another Cinderella Story follows Selena Gomez as Mary, a girl who is essentially a live-in maid for her celebrity guardian played by Jane Lynch, as well as a dancer. When a local pop star comes back to her high school to finish his senior year as a normal kid, she gets thrown into the mix at the Black and White ball. There, she meets Joey Parker (Drew Seely) and they share a dance in the middle of every one before it is time to return home. She leaves her Zune (MP3 player) behind, leaving Joey to find his "Cinderella."
The Parent Trap
A well-known classic, the remake of the Parent Trap that stars little Lindsay Lohan is always a fun throwback. Following the separate lives of Annie and Hallie, identical twin sisters who are separated at birth by their parents, the girls finally meet one summer at camp. Although they have the same face, the girls instantly don't like one another and end up being put in an isolation cabin after causing trouble with fighting and pranks. After finally realizing that they are twins, they decide to switch places so they can each get to know the parent they grew up without. After a "chance run in" with one another and facing a horrid future stepmother, the girls decide to try to get their parents back together.
The Vow
A touching novel-turned-movie based on real-life events that gets to me every time. A small car accident leads to Paige (Rachel McAdams) losing all of her memory of the last five or so years, including any knowledge of her current husband Leo (Channing Tatum). She awakes thinking she is still engaged to her former fiancé and on good terms with her parents and is thrown into a world she doesn't remember. Trying to save his marriage and rekindle the love he still has but she has forgotten, he works to earn her love back rather than just reminding her of what they had.
Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging
This was just recently added back to Netflix, but don't let the title alarm you. The movie focuses on fourteen-year-old Georgia Nicholson who is boy-obsessed and looking forward to her upcoming 15th birthday party. A set of twins have just moved to town and Georgia has set her sights on Robbie, and she'll do just about anything to get him to fall for her. She pretends to lose her cat, takes "snogging lessons" from a kid at school, and even uses one of Robbie's friends to make him jealous. Amidst fighting with her best friend, her father moving to New Zealand for work, dealing with her younger sister, not to mention being an awkward teenager, she finally makes it to her fifteenth birthday.
Bride Wars
This movie stars Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson as best friends who have always been obsessed with weddings. They both want their weddings to be at the same location and to be each other's maid of honor, but on different days of June. As it happens, a clerical error causes their big days to be scheduled on the same day. Because neither wants to change their plans, they get into a huge fight which leads to them trying to ruin the other's wedding. The sabotage includes spray tans, hair dye, candy, and much more.
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