Excuse us if we sound a bit cheesy for a second, but is there anything in the world that’s better than friendship? We don’t think so, which is exactly why we’ve found five rad movies that focus on the power of friendship through a specific female lens. Peep our list of recommendations below, and we suggest watching these with your very best buds.

BOOKSMART Directed by Olivia Wilde, this coming-of-age high school comedy stars Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as Molly and Amy (respectively), two besties on the verge of graduation who lament over the fact they spent their entire high school years studying – instead of partying and cooking up mischief like their peers. What ensues is a wild romp adventure involving the two jumping from party to party, hallucinating about becoming plastic dolls and other hijinks that we won’t spoil for you, so we suggest getting started on this fab film for yourselves (it’ll remind you to not take everything so seriously).

HUSTLERS With a star-studded cast including Constance Wu, Cardi B, Keke Palmer, Julia Stiles and freaking JLO in all of her glory (in a career-defining role, might we add), it’s pretty much a given that this raunchy crime comedy-drama will become a crowd favourite come your next movie night. The film follows Dorothy (Constance) working as a stripper to make ends meet before establishing a tight-knit friendship with fellow and much more successful dancer Ramona (JLO), leading them down an illustrious crime spree that involves drugging and robbing their Wall Street clients with other stripper recruits. It’s exciting, emotional, incredibly bonkers and actually based on a real story, giving us a glimpse into the workplace politics and comradery found in real-life strip clubs.

BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR If you’re someone who has a soft spot for bizarre and campy buddy comedies, this wacky flick featuring Annie Mumolo and Kirsten Wiig was made for you. The comedy duo star as the titular Barb and Star, who are two life-long BFFs living in a suburban American town who then take a vacation to Vista Del Mar, Florida, where they partake in some incredibly kooky antics that we’re just going to leave up to surprise – country star Reba McEntire stars as the magical spirit of the ocean, and that’s not even the weirdest part. It’s bright, fun and unapologetically silly, proving that good movies don’t always have to be gritty to be good.

THELMA AND LOUISE But while we’re on the topic of gritty movies, we would be fools if we didn’t talk about arguably the most iconic besties in the history of cinema, Thelma and Louise. Starring two cinema legends – Geena Davis and Sarah Sarandon – this 1991 road crime drama has since become a landmark feminist flick, with a powerful ending that still gives us goosebumps and that everyone and their mum has been talking about for yonks (but we still recommend watching it even if you know how it ends because it’s just that good). Shot alongside striking views of the American desert and featuring ripper performances from both actresses, Thelma and Louise is still a fantastic film with plenty of humour, leaving us with the question that still keeps us wondering: how far would you go for freedom?

GIRLS TRIP You’ll probably want to plan a rowdy friends’ trip to New Orleans after watching this flick, we reckon. Starring Queen Latifah, Jade Pinkett-Smith, Regina Hall and Tiffany Haddish, Girls Trip follows a group of friends in their 40s travelling to a music festival to reconnect, before partaking in some truly raucous activities and exploring the importance of black sisterhood. It’s funny, fresh and absolutely hilarious, we’re only a bit miffed that there aren’t more bawdy and female-fronted comedies like this (dear Hollywood: please make more comedies like this and ditch all the reboots!).