Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson are enjoying their best (single) life, in your Sunday night movie this weekend, How to be Single. In honour of all the single ladies (and gentlemen), we’ve compiled a list of the best movies about being single.
- The Break-Up
Starring Hollywood hotshots Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, along with regular co-stars Jon Favreau and Jason Bateman, this rom-com goes against the grain. Not only does it focus on the break-up and create singles out of its romantic leads, but it leaves the audience with an ending quite unconventional for the genre.
- Clueless
Alicia Silverstone delightfully embodies the ditzy charm of Jane Austen’s updated Emma, as the perennially single Cher. She’s saving herself for Luke Perry, after all. And since “searching for a boy in high school is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie”, Cher instead devotes her time to helping others hook up.
- Elizabeth
From her first cry to her last groan, Lizzie was all about the single life. Reigning supreme for almost half a century, Queen Elizabeth I never got married. That didn’t stop her from having a fling or two – as portrayed by Cate Blanchett in her Oscar-nominated turn as the royal lass, in sumptuous historical drama Elizabeth.
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
What often leads to the single life? The break-up, of course. But Joel Barish does more than just break up with Clementine Kruczynski: he tries to erase the very memory of her. With a script from the enchantingly quirky Charlie Kaufman, the film is simultaneously grounded and uplifted by its leads, Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. In a masterful twist, the leads are cast against type: with Carrey as the subdued and contemplative character, and Winslet the energetic, carefree one.
- High Fidelity
After breaking up with longtime girlfriend Laura, Rob Gordon is so fed up with the dating life, he compiles a list of his top five most memorable break ups. John Cusack is perfectly cast in the lead, breaking the fourth wall to spew vitriol against his exes. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, its top five best features include the soundtrack, featuring Jack Black’s soulful cover of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On.
- Legally Blonde
Reese Witherspoon had solid films like Pleasantville and Election to her name when she made Legally Blonde; but it was the latter that really sent her star rising. As the glamorous Elle Woods she initially applies to Harvard Law in an attempt to win back her boyfriend, but the scoffing scorn of those who refuse to take her seriously soon puts her on a mission to prove that she can be cute, stylish, and smart.
- Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
After spouting a ridiculous lie – replete with flashy cars and flashier suits – in order to live up to others’ expectations about their lives after high school, Romy and Michele learn to embrace the fun and frivolity of their carefree (and single) lifestyles. Lisa Kudrow, making the movie in the midst of her Friends’ heyday, gives us an even more delightfully ditzy version of Phoebe, with Mira Sorvino perfectly cast as her BF4L.
- Swingers
Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn have made countless movies together, and one of their best is this swing-infused ‘90s classic. Moving from New York City to Los Angeles, Favreau’s Mike is thrust into the whirling nightlife by his impetuous, fun-loving friend Trent, played by Vaughn. Together the two navigate the highs and lows of single life in LA (and “Vegas, baby!”) all set to an appropriately swinging soundtrack.
- The First Wives’ Club
The Hollywood triumvirate of Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton star as the witty wives of the title. Reuniting after the passing of their fellow college friend, they form the First Wives’ Club in order to plot revenge against the witless men in their lives, ending the film in a rousing rendition of Lesley Gore’s You Don’t Own Me.
- Waiting to Exhale
Memorable for Whitney Houston’s song Exhale (Shoop Shoop), the film centres on four friends who come together over the ups and downs of their turbulent relationships. The stellar cast includes Whitney Houston and Loretta Devine, as well as Angela Bassett, whose vengeful scene in which she sets her husband’s car alight is a definite highlight.
Not loving the single life? Just make sure you’re not dating these guys and gals.
Loving the single life? Party it up with Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson in How to be Single, your Sunday night movie on 28 May at 20:05 on M-Net.
Want to inject a little bit of music into your rom-com? Tune into Sing Street, your other Sunday night movie selection, at 20:30 on M-Net Movies Premiere.
Not feeling the rom or the com? Check out your third Sunday night movie selection with third instalment of the Danish Department Q series, A Conspiracy of Faith, at 22:45 on M-Net.