So fed up with watching films with no decent female roles - please give me your recommendations

[whatsinanumber]

Watched yet another 'classic' film tonight in which the occasional (beautiful) woman flitted on screen either grieving for a man or being seduced by one, the rest was just a bunch of guys shooting at each other. I don't know what the actual percentage of the films I've watched in my life that have been like that but, thinking about it tonight, it feels absurdly high. I know this is much discussed but watching films with teenage DDs I'm just reminded how few films there seem to be with fully-formed girls and women in them who aren't just there to look hot. I started googling 'female empowering films' and got stuff like Superwoman and, while I don't have a problem with Superwoman, that's not really what I'm after - I don't especially need to be showing my daughters films in which the women kick ass and beat all the men in fights, or being heroes in some other capacity. They don't need to be all about women, I just want there to be nuanced girls and women on screen being part of what's going on, having conversations etc.

I'm sure they are out there, I'm just all out of ideas and would love to have a list on hand for when we are choosing films as a family. So if you have any favourite films with great female characters please share!

Going to bed shortly but pick this up again in the morning. Thanks in advance

Cant really remember Educating Rita in detail, but I remember being quite touched by it.

The Woman and the Sea.

Steel Magnolias
The first wives club
Adrift
Made in Dagenham

This film isn't fun but a true story but not a happy ending.

The Whistleblower.

Again not sure age of DDs.

Another vote for "Wild" with Reese Witherspoon. Great film and love Cheryl Strayed.

Twenty first century films that I have really enjoyed for their female characters are

Arrival
Doubt
The Hours
Volver
Persepolis
The Others
Sophie Scholl
Lore
An Education
Their Finest
Hanna
Brooklyn
Lady Bird
Atonement (Saorise Ronan seems to crop up a lot)
The Dressmaker
Gravity
Everything Everywhere All At Once

A couple of quirky ones not focussed on romance:

Princess Karaboo
Widows' Peak

And a rather unusual Jane Austen:
Love and Friendship

The Help
The Devil Wears Prada

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. A love story to female friendship.

I watched Madam CJ Walker a few months ago on Netflix and loved it!

So underrated! Another film that's great on female friendship is 1953’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe.

Muriel's Wedding.

Someone got there before me with Lee, but I'll add that it's good not only for Lee Miller herself, but also her editor.

Pretty much anything with Katherine Hepburn.

Gravity doesn't have women having conversations, but it's largely a one-woman performance. Men are decidedly peripheral.

Oh, and alongside Private Benjamin and the First Wives Club, I'd add Working Girl and 9 to 5. A bit dated, but good fun.

Slightly more recent - Tea With Mussolini.

Some of these are definitely not suitable for younger teens but some will be fine
TV
Unorthodox
Stranger things
Fleabag
Queens gambit
Wednesday
Killing eve

Films
Beaches
Hanna
Shirley valentine
The other women (fluffy but fun)
Erin Brockovich
Kill Bill
Legally Blonde

Big little lies (not a film but only two short seasons) is one of my all time favourite series. All about a group of women navigating various issues in wealthy Monterey, CA. Has incredible performances from Nicole Kidman and in season 2 meryl Streep. It's based on a book written by a woman, Reese Witherspoon loved the book so much she bought the rights to it and co-created it . She also stars in it

For more lighthearted try Oceans Twelve think that’s it - the one with Sandra Bullock with the all female team of thieves

The all female Ghostbusters film is fun too

Oh yes we watched Big Little Lies with our late teen girls we all loved it. There is a violent sex scene which we fast forwarded.

Also Little Fires Everywhere box set was great too

Also Sharp Objects mini series wow v good though dark. Amy Adam’s goes back to her creepy gothic southern home town to investigate a murder

Ghost World (2001) with Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson

Contact with Jodie Foster
Molly's Game with Jessica Chastain
The Colour Purple
Any Austen or Brontë
There was a great biopic of the Brontës, filmed on location in Haworth called 'To Walk Invisible" that I'd recommend, too.

Whatever happened to baby Jane, was a film I saw accidentally when I was about 12/13?
It haunted me for many many years, and I've never watched it as an adult.
I've watched "strong" films since, so I'm not afraid of hard hitting drama
I guess that film at the level of maturity I was at the time saw it, didn't match up.
Shudder 😱

Legally blonde was a film I idly watched on a day when I wasn't well enough to be busy doing something more useful.
I had very low expectations of the film, expecting it to be ridiculously "fluffy".
My other half was sat with me, but was mostly looking at some research he was involved in.
At the end of the film, we both turned to each other and said how much we enjoyed it.
Sure, there were some fluffy bits to it, but that kinda emphasised how clever, witty and empathetic the character could be.

Sleeping with the enemy
Julia Roberts.

Beaten down woman shows strength in the face of adversity.

It's good to show that it's possible to make bad choices when it comes to "romance".
Also good to show, that you don't have to endure bad treatment.