Girl Power: Top 5 Dynamic Lady Duos

In honor of this new joint venture with Jess, I thought I'd name off my favorite female partnerships. Once I started digging, I realized that it was a lot more difficult than I anticipated when I started laying down some rules.

First, I didn't want anyone to be related, so though there are plenty of admirable mother/daughter or sister combos, I was looking for ladies who were just friends/frenemies (though one choice does bend this rule). They also had to share equal screen time or be of equal importance in the story. Lots of leading ladies have the quintessential wacky BFF, but they tend to only pop up for a scene or two to say something funny or profound and they're off again. Most importantly, men could not be a big (romantic) factor in the relationship. These three rules narrowed the field considerably.


Honorable Mention: Kim and Zoe, Grindhouse


I'm still riding high after rewatching the double feature a few days ago. Technically Zoe and Kim belong to a quartet of friends who all work in the film industry. However, these two stuntwomen clearly have a closer bond that Rosario Dawson's Abernathy can't touch. Their few conversations away from the rest of the group make up some of the best dialogue in Tarantino's "Death Proof" segment, which pales in comparison to seeing them in action in (and on) the Dodge Challenger.

5. Ray and Lila, Frozen River


So maybe "dynamic" isn't the best description for Ray and Lila, who start off very much disliking one another. But I was very impressed with the eventual respect that blossoms out of their bleak working relationship. Neither would ever admit that they like the other one, but they obviously need each other for their smuggling work. Plus it's one of Jess' favorites.

4. Sadie and Rose...and Sadie and Rose, Big Business


This one kind of bends the rules, since both sets of Sadies and Roses are raised as fraternal twin sisters, but were really switched at birth. No matter. With its over the top wackiness, I love this 80's comedy, though probably more for nostalgia at this point, as I watched it a lot as a kid. Midler and Tomlin are hystical as they both play the small town hicks and the big city business women constantly at odds with each and their true nature.

3. Roxie and Velma, Chicago


A lot of people like to hate on Chicago. I am not one of those people.  I still love this musical about the ultimate frenemies who got famous by killing their men and teaming up for a duet. I think it was the first musical I ever watched that didn't end with a cheesy love story. Quite the opposite in fact.

2. Idgie and Ruth, Fried Green Tomatoes


I had a hard time picking only one coupling from this movie, but as much as I love Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy as Evelyn and Ninnny, respectively, I couldn't turn my back on the beautiful bond between Idgie and Ruth trying to survive a man's world in the 1920s rural South. And if you've never had a fried green tomato, you're missing out.

1. Thelma and Louise, Thelma & Louise


Oh, please like it could be any other pairing. Louise and Thelma (poor Louise never gets named first) may not be the first couple of ladies who refused to be mistreated by men anymore, but two decades later, there is no doubt they remain the most iconic.


Sound off: What gal pals did I leave out?

16 comments:

  1. I'd add Enid and Rebecca from Ghost World, even if one of them isn't as exciting as the movie goes along. Nice list.

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    1. I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of Ghost World. I found Enid and Rebecca's attitude toward everything a little too pessimistic and thought they were outcasts of their own choosing because they deemed themselves better than anyone else. And since I've known people like that, it just drove me crazy. I really liked Buscemi though; he was a saving grace. I should try to give it another shot because a lot of people like the film, but I was missing something.

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  2. I'd add Susan Lynch and Rachel Weisz from Beautiful creatures. They're pretty bad ass too.

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    1. I guess I was blinded by Weisz's awful platinum blonde wig :)

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  3. My fellow blogger Jenny (aka JBT) and I got into a debate over Grindhouse yesterday. She hates Death Proof while I think it is great. Especially in regards to how the women interact with one another. Glad to see two of them make the honorable mention list.

    I’ve always be partial to the pairing of Violet (Jennifer Tilly) and Corky (Gina Gershon) from the film Bound. Also, I am surprised that CC Bloom (Bette Midler) and Hilary (Barbara Hershey) from Beaches did not make the cut.

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    1. I love Death Proof more and more every time I watch it. That 7 minute continuous shot in the diner blows me away.

      I've never seen Bound and it's been way too long since I've seen Beaches. That one was way too depressing for repeat viewings in my younger days. But definitely worthy of a mention.

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  4. You seriously need to check out a film from the 80s called 'Bagdad Cafe.' Two women leads in a story about an unusual cafe in the middle of nowhere and the kooky characters who come to it. Very sweet, endearing, fun movie which fits your criteria and which I guarantee you'll like.

    Congrats on the new site.

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    1. Thanks, Rich! I haven't heard of Bagdad Cafe, but it sounds pretty interesting. I'll have to look into it.

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  5. Muriel and Rhonda from Muriel's Wedding. They rank among my favorite women duos in film ever, especially at the end.

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    1. I haven't seen that one yet, Steve, but I've always intended to and I think it may be on Netflix streaming now. Another reason to push it higher on my list!

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  6. What? No Spice World?! Thank God!

    I don't hate Chicago. I love the music, and I enjoy the movie, but it does leave me feeling a little disturbed after each viewing.

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    1. Ha ha, no Spice World here, despite being the target age demographic when the Spice Girls were popular. Good to see someone else who doesn't hate Chicago. It seems we may be few and far between these days.

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  7. I like to hate on Chicago. :D

    Actually, it's obvious that there's a big void in this area for me - I haven't seen most of the flicks discussed (nor do I wish to). Thelma and Louise was the obvious choice for #1, though I also dig the Death Proof pick and Dan's mention of Ghost World.

    I recall Bound being pretty damn good as well.

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    1. Actually, this is a pretty big void for me too. I could've easily put some shitty rom-com BFFs, but that'd be a lie, because I tend to hate those stereotypes. Needless to say this was a bit of challenge to complete.

      I'm going to go listen to my Chicago soundtrack now, in honor of you, Dylan.

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    2. Ooh - I just thought of what I consider a great one: Cher and Dee from Clueless! Those two were a great team and were fun to watch together.

      You know, I'd never say that Chicago was a bad movie...the biggest thing it has against it is The Zell, and I couldn't even say she's bad in it...she's just annoying in general. It has great music, performances, choreography, etc...just not my bag.

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    3. I considered Cher and Dee, who were fabulous together, but, going back to my second rule, Dee was more the supportive BFF, especially in the latter part of the film after Tai comes in.

      Honestly can't blame your disklike of The Zell. I actually haven't watched Chicago in years, so if I were to give it a spin, I could likely have the same reaction.

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