The Devil Wears Prada

We’ll just say this: Watch it again. Especially if you’ve made a big ladyboss move since last time you saw Meryl Streep’s face-melting sneer.

Not only is it nearly impossible to avoid being inspired by Meryl Streep or Anne Hathaway, seeing the mix of newbie Hathaway with Streep at her most bossy is a roller coaster of female feels. There’s real and raw failure, which precipitates even stronger women in the end. There’s cut-throat competition, relationship dramas, real-talk mentors, and of course—grilled cheese sandwiches.

“This is not just a magazine. This is a shining beacon of hope for... oh, I don't know... let's say a young boy growing up in Rhode Island with six brothers, pretending to go to soccer practice when he was really going to sewing class and reading Runway under the covers at night with a flashlight. You have no idea how many legends have walked these halls. And what's worse, you don't care. Because this place, where so many people would die to work, you only deign to work. And you want to know why she doesn't kiss you on the forehead and give you a gold star on your homework at the end of the day. Wake up, sweetheart.” - Nigel

Mad Max: Fury Road

This is the female motivation equivalent drinking a Mountain Dew and then doing strength day to the gym.

Charlize Theron, fierce as ever, plays the warrior Imperator Furiosa and leads a daring escape mission through the sand-blasted and blood-spattered anarchist plotline. With this movie, I think it actually improves the film to  break the fourth wall and think of the character as the actress. Knowing Theron as the woman behind both Monster and J’Adore Dior parfum ads makes her role even more empowering. One woman is not just one thing.  

“Out here, everything hurts. You wanna get through this? Do as I say. Now pick up what you can and run.”

Frances Ha

This one’s for the Indie flick lovers who like a good, quiet, artsy Bildungsroman.

Before Greta Gerwig scored her cinematic touchdown with Lady Bird, she played the aimless and puppy-eyed Frances, a non-dancer without a home who’s living off the kindness of her friends in New York city. Less about being a badass boss babe and more about the space before you get there, this movie makes not making it okay. Like life in your early 20s or a Jack Kerouac novel, sometimes it just feels good to be a little lost and self-indulgently poetic.

“Sometimes it's good to do what you're supposed to do when you're supposed to do it.”

“I like things that look like mistakes.”

I, Tonya

Just looking at Margot Robbie does a li’l something for our inner go-getter, and watching her channel the figure skating bad girl takes it to the next level. One of the biggest empowerment takeaways from this film is to own who you are.

Yes, it’s hard to watch such a strong woman go through cycles of abuse with her boyfriend-turned-husband-turned-ex-turned-husband, and to see that man spearhead the situation that would end up ruining her career. BUT she remains an inspiring badass in spite of it all.

“Most people's impression of me? That I'm a real person, you know? I never apologized for growing up poor or being a redneck - which is what I am, you know... and it's a sport where the friggin' judges want you to be this old-timey version of what a woman is supposed to be... for being the first US woman to land a triple axel. So fuck 'em.”

Collateral Beauty

We’re not crying; you’re crying. For anyone who’s ever tried to balance work with life-changing personal experiences, you know that feeling of trying to catch a productive breath while drowning in emotional quicksand. How does work continue—and maybe even help heal you—when life hits hard?

Will Smith might be the main focus of this film, but you’ll be hard-pressed to ignore the powerhouses that are Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet and Naomie Harris. Grab your tissues and your laptop and get ready to tackle life and mergers head-on.

“We are here to connect. Life is about people...Everything that we covet, everything that we fear not having, everything that we ultimately end up buying is because at the end of the day we long for love, we wish we had more time, and we fear death”