The buddy comedy genre has often catered to male audiences, but that has started to change in recent years. Hulu's Plan B is certainly helping diversify the genre, not only by centering on women, but by making both leads women of color.
Plan B centers on two best friends, Sunny and Lupe, who go on a road trip to track down a Plan B pill after their local pharmacist refuses to sell the girls one. Along the way, these two best friends encounter shady strangers and their crushes, while also experiencing the highs and lows of friendship.
Booksmart (2019) - Available On Hulu
Released in 2019, Booksmart is one of the best buddy comedies/coming-of-age movies released in recent years. The movie follows two best friends, Amy and Molly, who, on the eve of graduation, realize they've wasted their entire high school careers studying instead of having fun and making memories. The girls then set out to have their first and last high school adventure.
Like Plan B, Booksmart offers a heartfelt story of teenage female friendship, while also exploring the not so PG-13 adventures teenagers experience.
Unpregnant (2020) - Available On HBO Max
Released on HBO Max in 2020, Unpregnant is based on a novel of the same. After Veronica discovers she's pregnant and can’t get an abortion in the conservative state she lives in, she enlists the help of her former friend Bailey to help her road trip to New Mexico so she can get one.
Like Plan B, Unpregnant centers its story around a similar conflict, but neither comes off as preachy. Another similarity is the friendship dynamics and the tensions that arise on their respective adventures.
Blockers (2018) - Available On Apple TV
In terms of sex comedy movies, Blockers is one of the most memorable of the 2010s. What makes Blockers so fun is the fact that the movie centers on both the teenagers and their respective parents, who will stop at nothing after learning that their daughters plan to lose their virginity on prom night.
Like Plan B, Blockers revolves around friendship and a wild night of adventures. The humor is also very similar in the two movies, oftentimes leaning on raunchy jokes to get laughs.
Grandma (2015) - Available On Amazon Prime Video
Lily Tomlin has had an amazing career that continues to thrive today. One of her most recent projects, Grandma, is highly underrated when looking at Tomlin's overall filmography. The movie centers on Elle Reid, a grandmother who agrees to help her granddaughter get an abortion when she can't ask her mom for help.
Grandma and Plan B are vastly different in tone, but are both hilarious and explore similar themes. Like Sunny, Sage feels lost and unsure of what to do after becoming pregnant, and they both have to go on a wild goose to get the help they're looking for.
The To Do List (2013) - Available On Hulu
While filming the hit workplace sitcom Parks and Recreation, Aubrey Plaza acted in other projects, including the 2013 romantic-sex-comedy film The To Do List. Plaza plays Brandy Klark, a socially awkward teenager in the '90s who decides to make a list of things she's missed out on in high school and achieve them over the summer before starting college.
While The To Do List doesn't involve an unwanted pregnancy or a literal road trip, the protagonists are very similar in that they are both a bit unsure of themselves and their inexperience in the real world. Both movies also have a similar comedic tone.
Sleepover (2004) - Available On Amazon Prime Video
When it comes to teen movies, Sleepover is one of the most underrated teen movies of all time. Released in 2004, it follows Julie and her best friends as they embark on an all-night scavenger hunt competing against the popular girls, where the winner gets to sit at the prized lunch spot the following school year.
While completely different in tone than Plan B, Sleepover does have some overlap, as it explores female friendship in its various forms.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) - Available On Amazon Prime Video
An underrated independent movie, Never Rarely Sometimes Always centers on 17-year-old Autumn, who has just discovered that she is pregnant. Not wanting to keep the baby, Autumn and her cousin embark on an emotional journey across state lines to obtain an abortion.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a lot more serious than Plan B, but once again, there are a lot of similarities between the movies and the characters. Like Sunny, after considering her options, Autumn goes with a friend on a road trip to get the assistance she needs and there is conflict with her friend along the way.
Superbad (2007) - Available On Netflix
Superbad is arguably one of the most iconic coming-of-age comedy movies of the 2000s. Produced by Judd Apatow, the movie centers on two best friends who decide to make the most of their dwindling high school career by throwing an epic house party and trying to lose their virginity.
Superbad is the perfect complement for Plan B when it comes to those looking for a laugh because the raunchy humor of both movies is similar. Plus, Seth and Evan's relationship is a lot like Sunny and Lupe's.
Lady Bird (2017) - Available On Netflix
Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird is well on its way to being a modern-day teen classic as it continues to age. Saoirse Ronan plays Christine McPherson, a senior with a difficult relationship with her mother who gives herself the nickname "Lady Bird." The movie centers on Lady Bird as she embarks on her senior year of high school in her small town.
While tonally and thematically different than Plan B, Lady Bird does explore the everyday growing pains of being a teenage girl. The movie also features a strong friendship between Lady Bird and her best friend, Julie.
Sisters (2015) - Available On Apple TV
SNL alumni Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are comedy geniuses in their own right, so when they get together, it's always a good, hilarious time. Sisters sees Fey and Poehler playing polar opposite sisters who decide to throw one last rager at their childhood home after learning their parents are selling it.
Despite being several years older than the characters in Plan B, their dynamic and personalities are extremely similar. Even the tone of comedy in the movies is similar, making it the perfect comp.