Movies To Watch Post-Breakup To Help You Get Over Your Ex
Getting your feelings stepped on by the ending of a relationship sucks. Period. There are only so many times that you can listen to "Truth Hurts" by Lizzo before finding a new way to cathartically cleanse your soul in the wake of heartbreak.
Here are the best films that will have you thinking "why are men great until they have to be great?"
John Tucker Must Die (2006)
John Tucker is a scumbag cheater who simultaneously dates three girls from different cliques in his school (I mean, who has the audacity to cheat on Ashanti?). When the girls find out, they join forces with new girl Kate to exact sweet, sweet revenge on the no-good hottie. It's a perfect movie to watch when you're mad at men.
Legally Blonde (2001)
Elle Woods starts the movie by being dumped by her boyfriend because he thinks she's stupid. After getting a near-perfect score on the LSAT and going to Harvard, she realizes that she's infinitely better than that idiot, shows up her predatory professor, wins a trial, and proceeds to graduate top of her class. Get it, girl!
Gone Girl (2014)
When Amy Elliott Dunne goes missing on the date of her fifth anniversary to husband Nick, the question everyone is trying to answer is: who took Amy? After Nick's affair is revealed and things start to look bad for him, we learn that Amy faked her own murder and framed her husband because of his infidelity. Her "Cool Girl" monologue is one of the best things I've ever heard.
Girls' Trip (2017)
This feel-good comedy focuses on four women who take a girls' trip to New Orleans. Haven grown apart over the past few years, they reunite to make some crazy choices, party hard, see some hot guys, and also talk each other through the hard stuff that's going on in their personal lives. It's the kind of movie that makes you want to hug your friends really tight.
The Other Woman (2014)
It's John Tucker Must Die, but with adults. When Carly, Kate, and Amber find out that the guy they've been seeing has been cheating on all of them, they team up to take revenge on him. A laugh-packed story that reminds us that the women men cheat on us with are not our enemies, and that hell hath no fury like three women scorned.
Celeste & Jesse Forever (2012)
This rom-com strikes an excellent balance of hilarity and heartbreak. Celeste and Jesse are best friends and hang out every day, but have been separated from each other and on the brink of divorce. When Jesse starts dating someone else, Celeste is forced to confront the reality of their breakup. It will have you laughing and crying, and then laughing again.
Think Like A Man (2012)
Inspired by Steve Harvey's book Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man, this rom-com follows four women who are sick of their man-child boyfriends and being ghosted by the players they date. The men are forced to step their game up in response in this battle-of-the-sexes. Full of laughs, this movie will remind you to always demand what you deserve from a man!
How To Be Single (2016)
Having dated her boyfriend throughout all of college, Alice temporarily breaks up with him when she moves to New York. She soon finds out that being single is not as easy as it looks, as she meets a series of disappointing men. Alone in the city, she's forced to figure herself out with the help of her sister and wild best friend.
Someone Great (2019)
After Jenny and her long-term boyfriend break up because of her new job across the country, her best friends join her for a wild day. The film perfectly mixes its melancholic reflections on relationships with fun, witty scenes that remind the audience that sometimes the best relationships in our lives are with ourselves (and also our best gal pals).
Magic Mike XXL (2015)
I could tell you about the plot (which is slightly better than the first film), but we all know that the plot isn't the reason why you'd watch this movie. Heartbreak hurts, and sometimes the only way to get over a breakup is to watch Channing Tatum and his crew of hot guys take off their shirts and dance.
Bridget Jones' Diary (2001)
Bridget Jones is an absolute classic. Bridget finds herself in a love triangle with her boss and a guy from her hometown who could not seem more wrong for her. Watch as the heroine navigates all of her romantic mishaps and embarrassing moments in this brazen film about what it's like to be an unmarried woman.
(500) Days Of Summer (2009)
This movie always hit me hard, because I've been the Tom of a relationship and i've also been the Summer. Tom meets Summer when she starts to work in his office, and he becomes infatuated with her. She doesn't really believe that love is real. This film captures the hard parts about relationships when you don't both feel the same way.
Table 19 (2017)
Eloise shows up at the wedding reception of her childhood best friend, but she's relegated to the back table--table 19--after having been recently dumped by the friend's older brother. Alongside the other wedding attendees at the table, she thinks about the end of her relationship and remembers that it's okay to be vulnerable when you feel hurt.
He's Just Not That Into You (2009)
The multiple overlapping storylines in this movie create a vivid picture of modern relationships. Some of the characters end up in a happy place, while other characters get screwed over by Bradley Cooper's jerk character. Luckily, there are so many types of relationship dysfunction on screen that you'll find at least one that resonates with you!
The Break-Up (2006)
Breaking up is hard enough, but it's even harder when you live together. Gary and Brooke break up after two years together, but neither of them is willing to move out so they compromise as roommates. Pranks ensue, feelings are felt, and the characters dig into the gritty, hard parts about breaking up.
Frozen (2013)
Frozen starts out with Anna meeting the dreamy Hans at her sister's coronation and instantly getting engaged to him before her sister's ice powers create an eternal winter in the kingdom. Hans later leaves Anna to die because he was only marrying her so he could steal the crown. Moral of the story: don't trust men with beautiful eyes because they are LIARS!
The Incredible Jessica James
Jessica starts the film dating, but she's just broken up with her ex and is having trouble moving on. She's the kind of unapologetic, fierce, feminist, independent character we love to see in a rom-com, but the film also digs into the sadness that follows a breakup (alongside all the times she social media stalks her ex).
Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
Based on a true story, this film follows Liz as she leaves her life behind for a year following a string of failed relationships and goes to travel the world and reconnect with her inner self. Maybe you don't have the money to drop everything and fall in love with pizza, but at least you can watch Julia Roberts do it!
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
This entire movie is about what it means to move on from one's past relationship. Pat is released from a psychiatric hospital and is forced to face the loss of his job and the dissolution of his marriage. This entire film is about pushing through the tough parts of loss, and how one can find the good in the bad that happens: a silver lining.
Casablanca (1942)
I could not leave this absolute classic off the list. Rick and Isla are the perfect couple who will not work. The love triangle between Rick, Isla, and her husband Laszlo will forever be one of the most iconic in film history. I'll never be emotionally okay while watching Isla board the plane, but at least "we'll always have Paris".
