10 Woman-Led Movies Streaming on Netflix to Celebrate a Record-Breaking Year in Hollywood
According to a new study from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, 2018 featured the most women in starring roles with women as the leads or co-leads in 40 of the 100 highest-grossing films of the year. That's an impressive increase since 2017, which featured 32 female leads, and 2007, which featured just 20. On top of that, 2018 witnessed the most people of color in leading roles with 28 films. Further, 11 films featured female leads over 45 years old.
To celebrate the victory for #girlpower, grab the remote. Whether you're into lovey-dovey rom-coms or action flicks or the ultimate thrillers, here are 10 women-led movies you can stream right now.
10 strong female-lead movies to watch on Netflix
1. Dumplin
You don't have to like pageants to get all the feel-good vibes from this movie starring Jennifer Aniston and Danielle Macdonald. In fact, the body-positive message behind it shakes up the pageant world in the best way and proves star power come in all shapes and sizes.
2. Bird Box
Bird Box—the movie that inspired thousands of memes—follows Sandra Bullock as she takes on a mysterious evil force that's killing off the human population, totally blindfolded. Yeah, just slightly more intense than your childhood game of Marco Polo.
3. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
Whether you're 13 or 33, you're going to enjoy this rom-com starring America's newest sweetheart, Lana Condor. After the secret love letters she wrote her crushes get exposed, she thinks her life is over—but it quickly turns into a charming love story you won't want to end. (And it doesn't have to: a sequel is in the works.)
4. Hush
Prepare to never sleep again. In this ultra-creepy thriller starring Kate Siegel, a woman trying to beat writer's block in a beautiful secluded home in the woods winds up fighting for her life against a masked killer. The catch? She's deaf and has to rely on her other senses to make it out alive.
5. Ant-Man & The Wasp
If you think Paul Rudd is the only star in this superhero flick, you're mistaken. While he might have more screen time, Evangeline Lilly—aka the Wasp—steals the show in her quest to save her mother from the quantum realm, all while battling off a brand-new enemy who won't stop getting in the way.
6. Irreplaceable You
In a tearjerker for the ages, this movie shows selflessness on another level. When Gugu Mbatha-Raw's character Abbie is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she makes it her mission to secretly find someone new to take care fiancé (who she's been best friends with since childhood, BTW) after she's gone. But you know things aren't going to be that easy.
7. Room
Now that the movie Room is on Netflix, there's no excuse not to watch it. Especially since its leading lady, Brie Larson, won an Oscar for her role in 2016. The film follows a woman and her son who have been held captive in one tiny room for years as they go about their quest for freedom.
8. Set It Up
It's hard not to develop a serious girl crush on Zoey Deutch in this movie about two assistants that, while trying to set their overbearing bosses up in order to have a life outside the office, end up seeing something special in each other. Even better? Lucy Liu is her boss.
9. Nappily Ever After
Throughout her life, Violet's (Sanaa Lathan) identity has been linked to her hair. She's never felt perfect unless her strands are. But she's forced to rethink things after something unexpected happens in life and she decides to shave it all off on a whim. What results is truly finding herself—no hours-long salon visits required.
10. The Edge of Seventeen
There's no better way to relive the agony of your youth by watching The Edge of Seventeen, where Hailee Steinfeld's character has to somehow deal with the awkwardness of high school, all while trying to come to terms with her longtime best friend dating her popular older brother. I can feel her pain from here.
These movies and TV shows on Netflix will inspire your inner boss babe. Or, here's what to stream for peak girl power vibes.
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