42 Movies Gays Love - that have Strong Female Tendencies In Them
by HoldenSpark | created - 15 Aug 2016 | updated - 03 Jul 2017 | PublicHistorically gays as a group, (and generally speaking just to double down on that), often enjoy movies with strong female tendencies about them. . That doesn't mean all gay people like these sorts of movies, but looking back its clear that a lot of gay people do like these kinds of movies. . With that in mind here is a list of 42 movies (selected from my main list "Gay Movies - Gay History") called "42 Movies Gays Love - that have Strong Female Tendencies In Them". . I've included in the comments/notes area for each of these movies the person and/or character and/or reason why that movie is on the list. Some notes/reasons may be slightly obscure. Or not. You decide. . The list is presented in chronological order by year released.
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1. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Passed | 238 min | Drama, Romance, War
A sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood | Stars: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil
Votes: 334,344 | Gross: $198.68M
Scarlett. Melanie. Scarlett.. Mamie. Aunt Pittypat. Scarlett. --------------------------------------------------------
2. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.
Directors: Victor Fleming, King Vidor | Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr
Votes: 428,729 | Gross: $2.08M
Judy. Dorothy. Glenda. Miss Gulch. The Lollypop Guild. --------------------------------------------------------
3. The Women (1939)
Not Rated | 133 min | Comedy, Drama
A study of the lives and romantic entanglements of various interconnected women.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland
Votes: 14,906 | Gross: $2.27M
The Countess DeLave proclaiming "l'amour, l'amour..." --------------------------------------------------------
4. Mildred Pierce (1945)
Approved | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden
Votes: 28,669
Joan Crawford. Veda. Eve Arden. --------------------------------------------------------
5. All About Eve (1950)
Passed | 138 min | Drama
A seemingly timid but secretly ruthless ingénue insinuates herself into the lives of an aging Broadway star and her circle of theater friends.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm
Votes: 138,783 | Gross: $0.01M
Bette Davis --------------------------------------------------------
6. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Passed | 110 min | Drama, Film-Noir
A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson
Votes: 236,494
Norma Desmond --------------------------------------------------------
7. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
PG | 122 min | Drama
Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden
Votes: 114,368 | Gross: $8.00M
Blanche --------------------------------------------------------
8. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Approved | 91 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Showgirls Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw travel to Paris, pursued by a private detective hired by the suspicious father of Lorelei's fiancé, as well as a rich, enamored old man and many other doting admirers.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Coburn, Elliott Reid
Votes: 43,026 | Gross: $12.00M
Marilyn, especially when she sings "Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend". --------------------------------------------------------
9. Auntie Mame (1958)
Approved | 143 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An orphan goes to live with his free-spirited aunt. Conflict ensues when the executor of his father's estate objects to the aunt's lifestyle.
Director: Morton DaCosta | Stars: Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne, Fred Clark
Votes: 12,698 | Gross: $23.30M
Mame, Vera, Miss Gooch, Sally Cato, "Little Gloria". --------------------------------------------------------
10. Pillow Talk (1959)
Passed | 102 min | Comedy, Romance
An interior decorator and a playboy songwriter share a telephone party line and size each other up.
Director: Michael Gordon | Stars: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall, Thelma Ritter
Votes: 19,174 | Gross: $18.75M
Rock. (and Doris) --------------------------------------------------------
11. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Approved | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen
Votes: 192,190
Holly, Audrey & Moon River --------------------------------------------------------
12. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Passed | 134 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono, Wesley Addy
Votes: 61,905 | Gross: $4.05M
Joan and Bette, together. --------------------------------------------------------
13. Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
Not Rated | 83 min | Action, Comedy
Three go-go dancers holding a young girl hostage come across a crippled old man living with his two sons in the desert. After learning he's hiding a sum of cash around, the women start scheming on him.
Director: Russ Meyer | Stars: Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams, Ray Barlow
Votes: 16,130
Varla. --------------------------------------------------------
14. Valley of the Dolls (1967)
PG-13 | 123 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Film version of Jacqueline Susann's best-selling novel chronicling the rise and fall of three young women in show business.
Director: Mark Robson | Stars: Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Paul Burke, Sharon Tate
Votes: 9,749 | Gross: $44.43M
Neely. Sharon Tate. Patty Duke. (yeah, i know, twice and not the third one, can you remember anything about her - that third one, anyway? :) --------------------------------------------------------
15. Funny Girl (1968)
G | 151 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The life of Fanny Brice, famed comedienne and entertainer of the early 1900s. We see her rise to fame as a Ziegfeld girl, subsequent career, and her personal life, particularly her relationship with Nick Arnstein.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford, Anne Francis
Votes: 25,166 | Gross: $58.50M
Babs. Sadie. Mrs. Strakosh. --------------------------------------------------------
16. Cabaret (1972)
PG | 124 min | Drama, Music, Musical
A female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them.
Director: Bob Fosse | Stars: Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Joel Grey
Votes: 59,403 | Gross: $42.77M
Liza. Judy Garland's daughter. Sally. Sally Bowles. (yeah, i know. So What? It will all go on.... humph, which wasn't even in the movie, only the play...darn it) --------------------------------------------------------
17. Female Trouble (1974)
NC-17 | 89 min | Comedy, Crime
A spoiled schoolgirl runs away from home, gets pregnant while hitch-hiking, and ends up as a fashion model for a pair of beauticians who like to photograph women committing crimes.
Director: John Waters | Stars: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole
Votes: 10,467
Divine --------------------------------------------------------
18. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Horror, Musical
A newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.
Director: Jim Sharman | Stars: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien
Votes: 166,964 | Gross: $139.88M
Susan. Damnit. Janet. Magenta. Columbia. Tim. Rocky. Brad. Fay. Wray. Home planets. --------------------------------------------------------
19. La Cage aux Folles (1978)
R | 97 min | Comedy
The manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and his star attraction, are a gay couple. Madness ensues when his straight son brings home a fiancée and her ultra-conservative parents to meet them.
Director: Édouard Molinaro | Stars: Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Serrault, Claire Maurier, Rémi Laurent
Votes: 11,909 | Gross: $20.42M
Albin --------------------------------------------------------
20. Nine to Five (1980)
PG | 109 min | Comedy
Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.
Director: Colin Higgins | Stars: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman
Votes: 39,430 | Gross: $103.29M
Lily, Jane, Dolly, Violet, Judy, Doralee, Roz, Dick, Mr. Hart --------------------------------------------------------
21. Xanadu (1980)
PG | 96 min | Fantasy, Musical, Romance
A struggling artist living in Los Angeles meets a girl who may hold the key to his happiness.
Director: Robert Greenwald | Stars: Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, Michael Beck, James Sloyan
Votes: 15,391 | Gross: $22.76M
Olivia. Kira. ELO. --------------------------------------------------------
22. Mommie Dearest (1981)
R | 129 min | Biography, Drama
The abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, screen queen Joan Crawford, is depicted.
Director: Frank Perry | Stars: Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest, Howard Da Silva
Votes: 18,356 | Gross: $19.03M
Faye. --------------------------------------------------------
23. Tootsie (1982)
PG | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Michael Dorsey, an unsuccessful actor, disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role on a trashy hospital soap.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman
Votes: 114,693 | Gross: $177.20M
Dorothy Michaels. Jessica Lange. Terri Garr. Phoebe's mom. --------------------------------------------------------
24. A Chorus Line (1985)
PG-13 | 118 min | Drama, Music, Musical
Hopefuls try out before a demanding director for a part in a new musical.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Michael Douglas, Terrence Mann, Michael Blevins, Yamil Borges
Votes: 11,641 | Gross: $14.20M
Val singing "Tits & Ass". Paul Paul Paul. Michael Douglas. --------------------------------------------------------
25. Mannequin (1987)
PG | 90 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
A young artist, searching for his vocation, makes a mannequin so perfect he falls in love with it. Finding the mannequin in a store window, he gets a job there and his creation comes to life.
Director: Michael Gottlieb | Stars: Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall, Estelle Getty, James Spader
Votes: 35,686 | Gross: $42.72M
Samantha Jones. Anthony Bouvier. Sophia Petrillo. --------------------------------------------------------
26. Big Business (1988)
PG | 97 min | Comedy
Two couples of sisters from New York and from the countryside discover that they are connected in an incredible way.
Director: Jim Abrahams | Stars: Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin, Fred Ward, Edward Herrmann
Votes: 15,531 | Gross: $40.15M
Ernestine and The Divine Miss M. Jupiter Hollow. The "Y". --------------------------------------------------------
27. Hairspray (1988)
PG | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A 'pleasantly plump' teenager teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show.
Director: John Waters | Stars: Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine, Debbie Harry
Votes: 23,448 | Gross: $6.67M
Pia Zadora for sure. Also Blondie and Amber and Sonny Bono. And Traci and Divine. And Link. But mostly Pia. --------------------------------------------------------
28. Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991)
R | 120 min | Documentary, Music
Documentary following singer Madonna on her controversial Blond Ambition tour in 1990.
Director: Alek Keshishian | Stars: Madonna, Donna DeLory, Niki Haris, Luis Camacho
Votes: 10,037 | Gross: $15.01M
The Material Girl. The Dancers. Wayne, Garth. Dick Tracy. --------------------------------------------------------
29. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Music
Two drag performers and a transgender woman travel across the desert to perform their unique style of cabaret.
Director: Stephan Elliott | Stars: Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp, Rebel Penfold-Russell
Votes: 55,111 | Gross: $11.22M
Adam, Bernadette, Mitzi Del Bra, but mostly Felicia Jollygoodfellow. --------------------------------------------------------
30. Wigstock: The Movie (1995)
R | 85 min | Documentary
Documentary/Concert film covering the annual Drag festival in New York City. Highlights include a performance by drag diva, Ru Paul, and the infamous Lypsinka.
Director: Barry Shils | Stars: RuPaul, John Epperson, Debbie Harry, Alexis Arquette
Votes: 719 | Gross: $0.69M
Lady Bunny. Only her. Nobody else. You better work. --------------------------------------------------------
31. Mulan (1998)
G | 87 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
To save her father from death in the army, a young maiden secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroines in the process.
Directors: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook | Stars: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong, Miguel Ferrer
Votes: 316,580 | Gross: $120.62M
Mulan. --------------------------------------------------------
32. Trick (1999)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
The misadventures of two young gay men, trying to find a place to be alone, one night in Manhattan.
Director: Jim Fall | Stars: Christian Campbell, John Paul Pitoc, Tori Spelling, Brad Beyer
Votes: 9,217 | Gross: $2.05M
Judy, the fabulous Judy when she gives her topless monologue. Brilliant. Oh and Tori. Hell yeah, Tori. But, mostly Judy, her tits, and that glorious monologue. --------------------------------------------------------
33. Bring It On (2000)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
A champion high school cheerleading squad discovers its previous captain stole all their best routines from an inner-city school and must scramble to compete at this year's championships.
Director: Peyton Reed | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, Gabrielle Union
Votes: 105,766 | Gross: $68.38M
Big Red. Missy. Whitney. Courtney. Jenelope. But mostly Big Red, Natina Reed & "these Buffies". --------------------------------------------------------
34. Sordid Lives (2000)
R | 111 min | Comedy, Romance
As three generations of a family in a small Texas town gather for a funeral, we learn the hilarious, sad, trashy truth of their "Sordid Lives."
Director: Del Shores | Stars: Delta Burke, Bonnie Bedelia, Olivia Newton-John, Kirk Geiger
Votes: 3,509 | Gross: $1.11M
Aunt Sissy. Juanita Bartlett. Brother Boy. Tammy Wynette. --------------------------------------------------------
35. Legally Blonde (2001)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Romance
Elle Woods, a fashionable sorority queen, is dumped by her boyfriend. She decides to follow him to law school. While she is there, she figures out that there is more to her than just looks.
Director: Robert Luketic | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis
Votes: 248,249 | Gross: $96.52M
Elle. Chutney. --------------------------------------------------------
36. Girls Will Be Girls (2003)
R | 79 min | Comedy, Romance
Three actresses at various places on the Hollywood food chain navigate the minefield of love, aging, and ambition. Oh, and they're all played by men!
Director: Richard Day | Stars: Jack Plotnick, Clinton Leupp, Jeffery Roberson, Ron Mathews
Votes: 1,600 | Gross: $0.15M
Evie. (sorry Coco and Varla, but, well, you know.) --------------------------------------------------------
37. D.E.B.S. (2004)
PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
Plaid-skirted schoolgirls are groomed by a secret government agency to become the newest members of the elite national-defense group, D.E.B.S.
Director: Angela Robinson | Stars: Sara Foster, Jordana Brewster, Devon Aoki, Jill Ritchie
Votes: 17,847 | Gross: $0.10M
Janet. Lucy when she lip synchs. But mostly Janet, especially when she notices things. --------------------------------------------------------
38. Mean Girls (2004)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy
Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.
Director: Mark Waters | Stars: Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey
Votes: 435,266 | Gross: $86.06M
Regina Regina Regina. --------------------------------------------------------
39. Transamerica (2005)
R | 103 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she had a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.
Director: Duncan Tucker | Stars: Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegers, Fionnula Flanagan, Andrea James
Votes: 42,348 | Gross: $9.02M
Dolly Parton singing over the closing credits. And also Bree. Though I thought she was Lynette. That is so confusing. Oh well. --------------------------------------------------------
40. Breakfast with Scot (2007)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Eric, a sports announcer and former hockey player, doesn't know how to deal with the flamboyant young boy to whom he and his partner suddenly become guardians.
Director: Laurie Lynd | Stars: Tom Cavanagh, Ben Shenkman, Noah Bernett, Benz Antoine
Votes: 3,251 | Gross: $0.05M
Scot --------------------------------------------------------
41. Grey Gardens (2009 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 104 min | Biography, Drama
The lives of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith, aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Director: Michael Sucsy | Stars: Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lange, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ken Howard
Votes: 11,215
This movie was so much better than the documentary. Thank you Drew. --------------------------------------------------------
42. The Foxy Merkins (2013)
81 min | Adventure, Comedy
Two lesbian hookers wind their way through a world of bargain-hunting housewives and double-dealing conservative women in this buddy comedy, an homage to and riff on iconic male hustler ... See full summary »
Director: Madeleine Olnek | Stars: Gian Maria Annovi, Nuotama Bodomo, Diane Ciesla, Claudia Cogan
Votes: 146
Margaret --------------------------------------------------------
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