Female-led comedy movies are having a resurgence in 2022, with Rebel Wilson's Senior Year recently debuting on Netflix and Zoey Deutch's Not Okay set to debut on Hulu at the end of the month. It can be hard to come by a critically acclaimed comedy film that is led by women instead of men, with many male comedians dominating the field.
However, there are a number of female-led comedy films that aren't just as good, but actually better than a lot of the typical movies defined as comedic. Ranker's list of the greatest comedy movies with female leads includes the likes of Reese Witherspoon's Legally Blonde, the ensemble chick-flick Bridesmaids, and the '80s cult classic, Heathers.
Note: Ranker lists are fan-voted, live, and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.
Heathers (1989)
Not only did Heathers become a cult classic years after the fact, but there was even an off-Broadway musical adapted from it. The 1989 comedy-horror film had a female ensemble that led the film, with Winona Ryder being the movie's standout star.
Heathers took a typical high school premise and made it dark. When Veronica (Ryder) is desperate to fit in with the cool girls, made up of three ladies named Heather, she finds herself in the company of JD, a man who is dead-set on getting revenge on high school's most popular. The consequences of JD's plans are bleak and result in Veronica figuring out where her priorities in life lie.
Tangled (2010)
The 2010 adaptation of Rapunzel's story, Tangled, revamped the whole fairytale. Instead of the tale being about a princess getting rescued by a potential suitor, Tangled highlighted the strength in Rapunzel's personality that made her strong, resilient, and able to fight for freedom on her own accord.
Mandy Moore provided the voice of Rapunzel in this version and perfectly encapsulated her excitement and fears to explore an unknown world. The film provided strong female messaging, lots of laughs, and songs that would never tire to sing along to.
The Princess Diaries (2001)
The Princess Diaries was an early oughts staple coming-of-age film. It followed a young girl, Mia (played by Anne Hathaway) as she learned that she was a princess.
The film was led by a young Hathaway and The Sound Of Music's Julie Andrews and portrayed the struggles of growing up as a teenager and not quite fitting in. Even though Mia is a princess, the newfound information actually makes her high school reputation harder to combat instead of easier. The film provided lessons on female friendship, the importance of females, and how to adapt to news that changes life as once known.
Mean Girls (2004)
Mean Girls is easily one of the most quoted movies of all time, and that is, in part, thanks to the female ensemble cast that provided such great humor to the film.
Mean Girls starred Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams as two rivaling teenagers, with McAdams' Regina George leading her own posse (nicknamed "The Plastics"). The film served to teach young women to be careful of the way they treated one another, but also to poke fun at ruthless mean girls on a quest to take over high school.
Sister Act (1992)
1992's Sister Act had an all-star cast of hilarious women at the forefront. The film followed Whoopi Goldberg's character, Deloris, as she joined a sister's convent as a choir leader hoping to uncover more information about her boyfriend's murder.
Whoopi Goldberg is well-known for her comedic timing and critically acclaimed roles, but the film also starred Wendy Makkena, Kathy Najimy, and even Dame Maggie Smith as fellow convent sisters. The movie was so successful that it was even granted a sequel just a year later, with many of the same cast members reprising their roles.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Not only is 10 Things I Hate About You arguably one of the best rom-com love stories of all time, but it also told a great tale of two sisters.
Moody, introverted older sister Kat (Julia Stiles) and her young, much more bubbly sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) have a complicated relationship that is explored throughout the film. While initially bitter over her sister's behavior, Bianca eventually comes to an understanding as to why Kat is the way she is, and the two team up to make amends and help each other find true love.
Clueless (1995)
Clueless starred Alicia Silverstone as the fashionable Cher Horowitz, a girl who struggled to find romance and pass her driver's test.
In addition to Silverstone's Cher, other main characters included her friends Dionne (Stacey Dash) and Tai (played by the late Brittany Murphy). The female-led cast portrayed how different young women's personalities could be, and how it wasn't easy to shed the preconceived notions and stereotypes played one them.
Bridesmaids (2011)
One of the funniest movies of the past 15 years, Bridesmaids had a predominantly female cast as it told the story of friendship, jealousy, and moving on to the next stages of life.
Kristen Wiig led the ensemble as Annie, a woman struggling to find her footing in the workplace and romantic world while also unexpectedly battling Helen (Rose Byrne) in a race to be the best bridesmaid/friend. The film is equal parts hilarious, heartwarming, and romantic - plus it includes household names like Maya Rudolph, Jon Hamm, and a beautiful rendition of "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips.
Legally Blonde (2001)
One of Reese Witherspoon's best roles was as Elle Woods in the 2001 film, Legally Blonde. Witherspoon starred as a heartbroken Elle, who was dumped after being told she wasn't smart enough and too blonde. On a quest for revenge, Elle studied to get herself into Harvard Law School, where she competed for a coveted internship against her ex-boyfriend and his new beau.
Legally Blonde discarded stereotypes by making Elle a strong, independent woman who thrives on her own and without the help of any man. Selma Blair and Jennifer Coolidge also lead the film, showing that female characters aren't one-dimensional comic relief or villains, but complex humans.
Miss Congeniality (2000)
Sandra Bullock led many romcoms throughout her career, and Miss Congeniality was one of the most beloved (by fans, not necessarily by critics).
Miss Congeniality followed Gracie (Bullock) as an FBI agent who is forced to go undercover as a pageant contestant in order to dismantle threats of a terrorist attack. Chaos ensued as Gracie was far from a trained pageant queen. The film highlighted the fact that many types of women exist in the world, and gave women a chance to be front and center in a marketed comedy.