Warning: The following may contain spoilers of some incredible movies.
Heartbroken? These movies just get it. We’ve sourced the best movies for the girls who are going through it. And after you watch them, being single won’t feel that bad.
La La Land (2016)
La La Land is a whimsical movie musical that follows Mia Dolan (Emma Stone) and Sebastian Wilder (Ryan Gosling), ‘starving artists’ living in Los Angeles. Mia is a barista who dreams of pursuing an acting career, while Sebastian is a freelance pianist with dreams of opening a jazz club. Although their first impressions are unfavourable and their relationship starts out rocky, they are repeatedly drawn back to each other. The movie follows the pair falling in love while supporting each other to make their dreams a reality. Mia and Sebastian struggle both personally and in their relationship to stay true to their craft. However, it proves difficult for them when they reach higher levels of success.
The movie combines old and new Hollywood cinema elements, magical realism, and romantic comedy. The choreography, music, soundtrack, costuming, and writing are *chef’s kiss*. We love a good movie musical, and this one is excellent. How could you go wrong with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone?!?! La La Land sees joy, love, and humour pushed forward by music and dance. This movie deserved all its Oscars.
Mia and Sebastian encourage each other to follow their dreams and support their passions despite not fully understanding their end goal. They deal with resentment, misplaced anger, and facing the challenges of reality. This movie shares messages about believing in yourself and surrounding yourself with supportive people. Despite their seemingly perfect relationship, they part ways to focus on their careers. Still, fate keeps bringing them back to one another.
Someone Great (2019)
Someone Great is a heart-wrenching young adult coming of age movie with important messaging on independence, heartbreak, and friendship. Our problematic queen, Gina Rodriguez, plays Jenny Young, a young, passionate music journalist in New York. After receiving her dream job opportunity across the country, she has to deal with her relationship. Jenny and her long-term boyfriend split up before her move, and she spends the time she has left in New York both grieving and celebrating with her best friends.
I really wanted to not like this movie. Of course, it’s a Netflix movie, so at first glance, there was a greater possibility that the acting would be poor, the plot would be cringe, and they’d use tropes we’ve all seen before. And from what I saw, it wasn’t advertised much. So, when I watched this movie and bawled my eyes out, it was a complete surprise.
Everything about it is so special with the iconic scenes, music, and writing. The portrayal of young love with real and relatable obstacles, representation of a young, ambitious Latina woman, interracial relationships, and queer women of colour in relationships is heartwarming and necessary.
Additionally, the message for young adults, specifically young women in relationships, is valuable. Relationships evolve over time, and the person you start your relationship with changes, especially in young relationships. Jenny and Nate’s relationship shows that time spent together does not determine a relationship’s success. The difficulty of letting go but recognizing when the time comes highlights the importance of self-preservation.
Someone Great embodies the power of friendship, showing that you can overcome the most challenging times with the right people around you. It was genuinely refreshing to see how this movie came together, and Jenny’s monologue will have anyone in tears.
Dream Girls (2006)
For the purpose of this article, we will be referring to the 2006 movie adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical Dream Girls. This movie is one of the most expensive movies to feature a predominantly Black cast and features big-name celebrities like Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé.
Dream Girls is a movie musical that follows a girl group, The Dreamettes, trying to make a name for themselves in the music industry. The music trio made up of Effie White (Jennifer Hudson), Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles), and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) is presented with greater opportunities when approached by a new manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx). Eventually, greed and envy from management cause conflict within the group, despite The Dreamettes reaching an incredible level of success. Set in the 1960s, the movie is culturally relevant to the treatment of African American artists during that time.
The quality of music that came with this movie was unbelievable, and Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” can bring anyone to tears. They also added a ballad for Beyoncé called “Listen” for the movie adaptation. She describes coming into her own after being held back by someone in her life. This song will also bring you to tears.
Although this movie isn’t explicitly a break-up movie, there are strong messages about forms of abuse. In addition, it highlights the power of sisterhood and female friendships, specifically amongst the Black women in this movie.
In all these movies, the female leads don’t end up with their “prince charming.” But in a refreshing twist in the narrative, they create a better life for themselves—they’re successful, independent, happy, and following their dreams. The movies make you laugh, cry, and feel what the characters do. These movies are truly The Holy Trinity of Young Adult Break Up Movies.