19 Movies to Watch After a Breakup

A serial cheater, John Tucker deserves a taste of his own medicine. Three girls, all of whom were duped by John, team up with the new girl at school to teach him a lesson. Each girl is an expert in all things John, making them the perfect people to break John the way he broke them. They make John fall in love with the new girl, who they’ve molded to be John’s ideal woman, and scheme to ruin him and his reputation in the process. Watching the girls get even will be the perfect remedy for your rage and maybe even give you a tip or two along the way.

If you think of a breakup as a step closer to finding “the one,” then When Harry Met Sally is the perfect film for you. When Harry and Sally drive from Chicago to New York together after college, they cannot stand one another. Harry torments Sally incessantly and convinces her that it’s impossible for a man and a woman to be “just friends.” As the two continue to run into one another every few years, they ironically develop a close friendship. The evolution of their relationship will warm your heart and bring you hope. And there’s the added bonus of the iconic fake orgasm in the middle of Katz’s Deli.

RELATED: 9 Movie Couples We Love 

Ron Burgundy is a hotshot anchor in San Diego. He's living the good life, at least until Veronica Corningstone enters his world. In the male-dominated world of TV news, Ron is under the impression that Veronica is only there for him to harass. When she begins showing him up as an anchor, Ron loses it and everything begins to crumble around him. Riddled with hilarious one-liners, Anchorman will have you laughing from beginning to end.

Napoleon Dynamite is the ultimate awkward teenager. A misfit whose life will make your high school experience look like a dream, Napoleon is really down on his luck. When his grandmother is in an accident and his bizarre Uncle Rico shows up to keep an eye on him, Napoleon’s life seems to get even worse. His only solace is his new friend Pedro with whom he’s running a campaign for student class president. Napoleon’s highly unusual and often hilarious life will provide the perfect distraction from any broken heart.

Terms of Endearment spans 30 years and tells the story of two women, a mother and a daughter. Aurora, a widow, has a very close and somewhat controlling relationship with her daughter Emma. When Emma marries Flap, of whom Aurora does not approve, it puts a strain on her relationship with her mother. Her marriage with Flap quickly falls to pieces as they each have affairs and struggle with financial difficulties. The farther apart Emma grows from her husband, the closer she grows to her mother. When Emma is diagnosed with terminal cancer, everyone must come together to try to make amends and care for Emma and her young children.

RELATED: 12 Super Sad Movies to Watch on Netflix

Veronica is in a clique with the most popular girls in school. When she starts dating the new guy J.D., the leader of the group, Heather Chandler, seeks to ruin Veronica’s reputation. In return, Veronica and J.D. break into Heather’s house and poison her, making it look like a suicide. Talk about screwed up! When more students at their school die by what appears to be suicide, Veronica realizes that J.D. is intentionally killing people he doesn’t like. As J.D.’s plots grow bigger, Veronica races to stop him. Hopefully, your relationship wasn’t quite this unhealthy!

Gary and Brooke have been dating for a while. Like any couple they often get into spats, but when one fight really blows up, Brooke calls it off, despite still loving him. Neither one of them is willing to move out of the condo they share. In a bold move, the exes decide to become roommates. Unable to live together peacefully, they begin devising schemes to get on each other’s nerves. Gary makes a mess of the condo and hosts a raunchy strip poker game. Brooke kicks Gary out of their “couples only” bowling game and starts trying to make him jealous. Who will cave first?

Put your phone down, stop your scheming, and live vicariously through Julia Roberts. Julianne Potter and Michael O'Neal have been friends since college and made a pact to get married if they’re both single at 28. Three weeks before her 28th birthday, Michael calls Julianne to tell her that he’s marrying Kimmy, a 20-year-old student at the University of Chicago. When she is devastated by the news, Julianne realizes that she’s in love with Michael and vows to do whatever it takes to stop the wedding. Upon arriving in Chicago, Julianna is told she's the maid-of-honor, complicating her plot. Considered one of the best rom coms of all time, My Best Friend’s Wedding is a must.

RELATED: 10 Romantic Comedies from the 90s Worth Revisiting 

Tom, a greeting card writer, is a hopeless romantic. He quickly falls head over heels for Summer, his boss’s new assistant. After dating for a while, Summer breaks it off, breaking Tom’s heart in the process. In a timeline that jumps forwards and backwards, (500) Days of Summer shows Tom’s reflections on his relationship with Summer as he tries to figure out where it went wrong. Tom can’t quite figure it out, but on the bright side, he rediscovers himself in the process. Maybe you will too.

Elle Woods has the ultimate comeback. Out at a fancy dinner, she is expecting her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, to propose. Instead, he dumps her claiming that he has to focus on going to Harvard Law and needs a more serious partner if he is going to fulfill his political aspirations. 

In an attempt to win him back, Elle enrolls in Harvard Law as well (what, like it's hard?). Elle eventually realizes that she’s far better than Warner and shows him up in the classroom—and the courtroom.

RELATED: Must Love Dogs: Read an Excerpt from Pug Actually

Georgia is a salesperson at a large department store. She has big dreams but lives an exceedingly average life, until she is diagnosed with a rare brain condition. After being told that she only has a few weeks to live, Georgia quits her job and uses all of her savings to take an elaborate vacation to the Czech Republic. She spares no expense. Georgia books the Presidential suite, buys a designer wardrobe, makes the most of the hotel's spa, learns to snowboard, and dines on extravagant meals prepared by a world-renowned chef. Georgia’s incredible vacation will show you what it means to live your life to the fullest and keep you laughing the whole time.

In this adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Kat, a high school senior, couldn’t care less what everyone thinks. Popular and vain, Bianca wants nothing more than to date. Their father, an overprotective OBGYN who fears teenage pregnancy and has forbid his daughters from dating, lightens up a bit and tells Bianca she can date if her older sister does as well. Antisocial and rebellious Kat has absolutely no interest in boys, but her sister develops a complex plan to get her sister a man.

RELATED: 10 Romantic Movie Quotes for When Real Life Just Isn't Cutting It 

Four best friends known as the "Flossy Posse" have been growing apart since college. Lifestyle guru Ryan Pierce is invited to speak at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans and brings the posse along for a bonding session. The four women have gone in astonishingly different directions, but hopefully being back together again can make everything right. Plus, there’s a cheating husband who gets what’s coming to him.

RELATED: 8 Great Movies About Being Single 

Set on a beautiful island in Greece and based on ABBA’s songs, Mamma Mia! is a joy to watch. Sophie, a young bride-to-be, grew up without a father. Her mother, Donna, the owner of a small hotel, has told her nothing about the man. When Sophie comes across her mom’s diary, she finds that Donna had an affair with three men in one summer and assumes that one of the men must be her father. She secretly invites all three men to her wedding. Filled with sensational musical numbers, Mamma Mia! is an enticing story filling with drama and humor.

Beyond distraught that her ex-husband has married a much younger woman, Cynthia commits suicide. Before jumping from the balcony of her penthouse, she mailed letters to her three best friends from college. At her funeral, the three remaining friends see each other for the first time in almost 30 years. Upon reconnecting, they bond over the terrible ways in which their husbands have treated them. Each struggling with her own ex or soon-to-be ex, the three women create the First Wives Club. Its mission: seek revenge. After realizing that vengeance would make them just as bad as their ex-husbands, they reroute the funds they had allocated for revenge into a nonprofit in memory of Cynthia. The First Wives Club shows that you can turn your anger and hurt into something great.

RELATED: 22 Romantic Movies on Netflix Right Now 

An animated film with fantastic music and beautiful graphics, Moana is the story of a young girl who sets out to save her people. The land they live on is dying because the heart of the goddess of life was stolen. After a harrowing sea journey, Moana arrives at the source of the destruction and restores the heart. Can we just acknowledge that Moana, a teenage girl, saves the entire world basically all on her own? You go girl. The best part? No prince in sight.

Welcome to the world of male stripping. Mike is a man with big dreams who at the moment works a few odd jobs, primarily performing as the star stripper of the Xquisite Strip Club. When Mike meets 19-year-old Adam, he sees a star in the making. Adam quickly gets caught up in the world of stripping, doing drugs and having sex with clients. Adam’s sister, Brooke, for whom Mike has developed feelings, begins to worry about Adam and is angry with Mike for pulling him into this world. After a drug deal goes bad, Mike feels obliged to protect Adam. Full of drama and incredible dancing, Magic Mike is the perfect movie for you.

Yes, Fifty Shades is an international sensation. But at the heart, it’s the story of a young woman who finds herself in an abusive relationship. A literature major at Washington State University, 21-year-old Ana meets 27-year-old Christian Grey, a billionaire entrepreneur, when she is sent to interview him for the school’s paper. When Christian and Ana start seeing each other, he makes her sign a contract that includes a non-disclosure agreement and indicates her willingness to participate in a sadomasochistic relationship. In an attempt to persuade her to sign, Christian showers the college student, who is struggling financially, with lavish gifts. Complete with a fantastic soundtrack and some interesting sex scenes, Fifty Shades of Grey makes for a pretty entertaining watch, despite being ridiculously screwed up.

RELATED: 11 Erotic Romance Novels That Will Make Your Toes Curl 

If there were a rom com hall of fame, Pretty Woman would be in it. Vivian is a young sex worker living and working in Hollywood. Edward, a wealthy businessman in town on business, gets lost on Hollywood Boulevard and he asks Vivian for directions. After asking her to get in and direct him to his hotel, Edward decides to hire Vivian to play his girlfriend. The pair quickly fall for each other, but their different backgrounds threaten to keep them apart. Pretty Woman will remind you that there’s someone better for you out there and that breaking up with you was a big mistake! Big! Huge!