Lights, Camera, Women!

Hello and welcome back!  We wanted to continue our theme of highlighting amazing women in honor of Women’s History Month.  Since it’s awards season, and the 2021 Oscar nominees were announced this week, we’re taking a look at movies!  While 21 women for 2021 was fun last week, we decided to make things a bit easier for ourselves and cut our list in half.  We will be highlighting five movies directed by women, and five movies featuring strong female leads.

Before we dive right in, we want to talk about the current awards season and how important and historic it has been for women thus far in terms of movies.  Last month, the Golden Globes made history.  For the first time ever, three female directors were nominated for the “Best Director” category.  They are, Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), and Regina King (One Night in Miami).  It is the first time more than one woman has been nominated for that category in the whole 77-year history of the Golden Globes (1944-present).  This year, Chloé Zhao won for her film Nomadland making her the second-ever woman to win “Best Director” and the first-ever woman of color.  The only other woman to win this category was Barbra Streisand for Yentl.

This week we learned the nominees for the Oscars, which also made history.  For the first time ever, two women were nominated for “Best Director”: Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell.  Not only that but before this year, only five female directors were nominated for “Best Director” in the whole 92-year history of the Academy Awards.  It should also be noted that the Oscars finally seemed to learn from #OscarsSoWhite.  Last year only one person of color, Cynthia Erivo, was nominated for acting and this year there are nine.  While steps are being taken in the right direction (finally), it shouldn’t have taken this long.  

So, without further ado, here are 10 of our favorite movies that either have a female director, a strong female lead, or both!

Movies with a Female Director:

Yentl (1983)

Yentl, starring Barbra Streisand, is about a young girl living in Poland learning Talmud from her father.  However, Talmud was not something that women could study.  Her father taught her under the cover of night, with all of the blinds closed.  When Yentl’s father dies, she still has a strong desire to study.  To fill this need, she disguises herself as a man and attends Yeshiva.  This movie is based on the play of the same name by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer, which is based on the short story Yentl the Yeshiva Boy by Singer.  Barbra Streisand directed this movie herself and won the Golden Globe for Best Director; marking the first time a woman won a Golden Globe for Best Director.  Streisand also recorded the music for this film herself.  Listen to the soundtrack here. Where to Watch: Pluto TV & available to rent on Amazon Prime Video

Wonder Woman (2017) & Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 give us the stand-alone female-driven superhero movies we have been craving since the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).  Both films were directed by Patty Jenkins and star Israeli actress Gal Gadot.  Wonder Woman follows Diana, an Amazonian princess and warrior in training as she leaves her sheltered life on Themyscira and tries to tackle the conflicts of man.  She makes it her mission to find Ares, God of war, so she can restore peace.  After saving his life, she tags along with Steve Trevor and his motley crew as they take on the dangers of World War I while also learning about her new powers and abilities.  In Wonder Woman 1984, we see Diana fully adapted to life in the 80s.  She works at the Smithsonian and sidelines as a superhero while trying to stay under the radar.  A power-hungry entrepreneur gains the power to grant wishes but causes catastrophes in the process.  Diana teams up with a ghost from her past to try and stop him. Where to Watch: HBO Max

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a teenage romantic comedy about a girl who must do everything she can to avoid major embarrassment.  When she was younger, Lara Jean had a habit of writing letters to boys she has intense feelings for and stuffing them away in a box in her closet.  One day at school she finds out that all of her letters have been sent.  This movie follows Lara Jean’s experience navigating teenage romance and drama, and is based on the book of the same name written by Jenny Han.  While we know the book is always better than the movie, Susan Johnson was able to do justice to this wonderful love story.  Just like the book series, there are two sequels – To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020) and To All The Boys: Always and Forever (2021). Where to Watch: Netflix

Clueless (1995)

Cult classic Clueless follows spoiled Beverly Hills rich girl Cher and her friends.  Cher thinks of herself as an “it girl” and has her life revolve around more superficial things.  One day she decides to play matchmaker with her friend Dionne for two teachers.  After that success, Cher turns her eyes to the new girl Tai.  She gives Tai a makeover and attempts to find a boyfriend for her.  However, Cher starts to become jealous as she watches Tai’s popularity rise.  Cher begins to learn about the important things in life.  Directed by Amy Heckerling, Clueless is just one of those movies people still quote and whose fashion is still influential today. Where to Watch: Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu & Apple TV+

A League of Their Own (1922)

Remember last week’s post?  We wrote about Thelma “Tibby” Eisen who actually helped inspire A League of Their Own.  Directed by Penny Marshall, this movie is a fictionalized retelling of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL).  It focuses on the Rockford Peaches and tells both professional and personal stories about the players.  Big names like Geena Davis, Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna, and Tom Hanks help to bring this piece of history to the big screen.  Not only was this film directed by a woman, but it also tells the story of several strong women who were significant in American history.  In 2012, this movie was considered to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” and was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Where to Watch: Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video & Apple TV+

Movies with a Strong Female Lead:

Hidden Figures (2016)

Hidden Figures is a biographical drama based on the book written by Margo Lee Shetterly of the same name.  It tells the story of the African American women who worked as mathematicians for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race.  The film depicts the experiences of three women who helped to ensure the safety of any astronauts flying into space.  The star-studded cast includes Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan, and Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson. Where to Watch: Disney+ & available to rent on Amazon Prime Video

Legally Blonde (2001)

Legally Blonde features bubbly sorority girl Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon.  After being dumped by her boyfriend for “not being serious” enough to be a politician’s wife, she is determined to win him back by attending Harvard Law School.  With her Southern California Girl personality, she is judged quickly by her counterparts for being stupid and incapable.  Audiences follow Elle as she proves to onlookers, and to herself, that she is intelligent, capable, and deserving of someone who doesn’t judge her for who she is.  Fun fact: this movie also inspired a stage musical, Legally Blonde: The Musical which premiered in 2007.  Listen to the Original Broadway Cast Recording here. Where to Watch: Showtime or Hulu & Amazon Prime Video with Showtime Add-on and you can watch the full musical (legally) on YouTube

Captain Marvel (2019)

Captain Marvel is the MCU’s first stand-alone female-driven movie.  Vers is a member of the elite Kree Starforce military with special abilities and no memory of her past.  While on a mission, she gets captured by the shape-shifting Skrulls and escapes to Earth.  She teams up with S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury to find her way back home and stop the Skrulls.  Along the way, she uncovers the secrets of her past.  Where to Watch: Disney+

Falling Inn Love (2019)

Gabriela Diaz’s life gets turned upside-down after the design firm she works at goes under the same week she ends her long-term relationship.  After a long night of wallowing, she enters a “Win and Inn” contest and is surprised to learn that she won.  She takes a chance and leaves her home in San Francisco to travel to a small New Zealand town to see her new inn.  The inn is in worse shape than she thought, but Gabriela is no quitter.  She decides to renovate the inn and turn it into the eco-friendly home of her dreams. Where to Watch: Netflix

Step Sisters (2018)

Jamilah has her heart set on Harvard Law School and is working hard to achieve this goal.  She is heavily involved in the school’s extracurricular activities: she’s the president of her black sorority, captain of their champion step dance crew, and is student liaison to the college dean.  When the school’s reputation gets tarnished by the “hard-partying white girls from Sigma Beta Beta”, Jamilah is tasked with whipping them into shape.  To get the dean to put in a good word for her at Harvard, she must turn the girls of Sigma Beta Beta into a step team and help them win Steptacular, one of the biggest step competitions.  In addition to being a fun dance movie, this film also explores both culture clashes and race relations. Where to Watch: Netflix

While we know there are so many amazing movies starring strong women, about strong women, and/or written/produced/directed by strong women, we featured these movies because these are ones we’ve seen and enjoyed.  Have a recommendation?  Let us know!  We’d love to add it to our movie night watchlist.

Until next time, stay safe, wear a mask and wash your hands carefully!

Love, 

Amanda & Marissa