It is a truth universally acknowledged that a group of friends in search of a movie celebrating sisterhood and romance should look no further than a Jane Austen adaptation. The beloved author was born on December 16, 1775, making 2025 her 250th birthday. She is known for her groundbreaking romantic classics that have led to many a film adaptation and retelling. While we also highly recommend reading Austen’s novels themselves, gathering your girlfriends for a movie night is a delightful way to celebrate the wit, romance and enduring female friendships that make her stories timeless.
Austen’s novels tackle heavy themes — the division of class, injustices of power and family dynamics in the 18th century — but at her core, she’s also just a girl. Her stories focus on the power of true friendship and passionate, yearning romance, a radical concept in her era, in which marriage was often mercenary.
In the Austen cinematic universe, sisterhood runs deep, the fashion is lavish, the esthetic unmatched and the men always brooding. With new adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility in the works, here are six films to swoon over during your next girls’ night in. Whether you’re a diehard fan or just entering her cosy, charming world, watching these movies is the perfect way to celebrate all Austen stands for.
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
If you only have time for one Austen film, make it this one. Joe Wright’s 2005 Pride & Prejudice is the epitome of sisterhood and a slow-burning, enemies-to-lovers romance.
Keira Knightley stars as Elizabeth Bennett alongside Matthew Macfadyen as the stoic Mr. Darcy. Rosamund Pike and Carey Mulligan play Elizabeth’s sisters, Jane and Kitty.
Differences in class and wealth lead to pride and prejudice getting in the way of true love. Elizabeth is a strong-minded feminist, while Darcy is blunt and charmingly awkward. With memorable shots of him strutting through a foggy field at dusk, his nervous declaration of love in the rain, and his unforgettable hand flex after being able to hold Elizabeth’s hand, he sets the standard for a quiet love that slowly boils and brews through the entire film before you get to taste a drop of victory.
Beyond the love story, the enduring bond between sisters Elizabeth and Jane anchors the film. Together, they navigate a reality in which their mother’s sole purpose is getting her daughters married off.
This movie’s feminist heart is behind its timeless appeal, and why you will leave bewitched, besotted and bolting toward your next Austen fix.
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
This movie is perfect for the girls who are hopelessly romantic but still want to keep their wits about them. Ang Lee’s 1995 adaptation (with an Oscar-winning screenplay by Emma Thompson) captures the push and pull between passion and practicality in characters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, played by Thompson and Kate Winslet.
Thompson’s Elinor is the quintessential eldest sister, putting her sister’s needs before her own. She is careful and guarded when getting to know any prospective partner, but quietly pines for the charming Edward Ferrars, played by a peak ’90s shiny-haired Hugh Grant. Marianne, meanwhile, wears her heart on her sleeve and is forever searching for the perfect meet-cute and a man to ride in on a white horse (which does actually happen in this movie).
The usual Austen formula of misunderstanding, miscommunication and missed opportunities is at play here, and it’s eerily prescient about today’s dating landscape, where the world is full of prospective suitors, but most have terrible timing and poor communication skills.
Watch this movie with your girlfriends, because there will no doubt be debate and discussion about which sister you are — dreamy Marianne or pragmatic Elinor — and which of their many suitors we’d claim for ourselves.
Emma. (2020)
With its frilly fashion, giggly gossip sessions and enduring friendships above all else, this film is the embodiment of girlhood.
In Autumn de Wilde’s star-studded 2020 adaptation of Austen’s Emma, we see the titular character played by Anya Taylor-Joy and her bestie, Harriet Smith, played by Mia Goth. Emma Woodhouse is rich, beautiful and loves nothing more than meddling in her friends’ love lives. What ensues is a comedic tale of crossed wires as Emma naively misunderstands nearly everyone’s intentions and almost ruins several perfect matches, including her own.
Emma’s sister has married and left home, so she takes Harriet under her wing and tries to set her up with high society’s most eligible bachelors, played by Josh O’Connor and Callum Turner. Emma is so wrapped up in helping Harriet that she fails to recognize her own connection with Mr. Knightley (Johnny Flynn), her sister’s brother-in-law and the only match for her wit.
Outrageously lavish costumes, dazzling hair and makeup, colourful scenery and the perfect amount of dance scenes at dramatic balls make this movie a pure delight. It’ll serve as a lovely change of pace if you don’t want your entire Austen movie marathon to be one tear-jerker after another.
Persuasion (2022)
This modern take on a beloved classic will have you and your girlfriends laughing and swooning at the mismatched Elliot sisters and the tale of a second-chance romance. In Carrie Cracknell’s 2022 adaptation of Persuasion, Dakota Johnson breathes new life into Anne Elliot with witty banter and even some contemporary dialogue (in one scene, she refers to a man as a “10”). The film’s self-aware humour and fourth-wall breaks might ruffle Austen purists, but its diverse casting and dazzling performances give it Bridgerton-esque flair.
At the grand old age of 28, Anne is single and on the verge of being declared a spinster. No one compares to Captain Wentworth, played by Cosmo Jarvis, whom she was persuaded to break up with years ago but is now back in her life. What girl can’t relate to trying to find a way to stay “friends” with an ex? It’s a canon event.
Although the film deviates from the source material in several ways, this bold reimagining makes a classic work of literature more accessible to today’s generation. While the opinions on this movie are divisive, the performances by Mia McKenna-Bruce as Anne’s narcissistic sister, Mary, and Richard E. Grant as her eccentric father really help sell the complicated family dynamic — and add a layer of comedy you don’t often find in period pieces. Add to that the handsome Henry Golding as a rich suitor who’s pursuing Anne, and we have a recipe for a fun girls’ night in.
Get together and decide whether this modern twist on a classic deserves a second chance — just like your favourite ex.
Clueless (1995)
Does Austen have to stay in the past? Ugh, as if! Amy Heckerling’s beloved 1995 cult classic Clueless is a modern retelling of Austen’s Emma, set in a Beverly Hills high school in the ’90s. Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) is a spoiled, meddlesome yet well-intentioned teen who takes a new girl under her wing, gives her a makeover and tries to set her up with some of her high school’s most elite bachelors. Sound familiar?
With its endlessly quotable dialogue and iconic outfits, this rendition of Austen’s story is executed to perfection — and the girlies totally love it. Paul Rudd as an updated Mr. Knightley is definitely swoonworthy, but the best part of the movie is its celebration of teenage girlhood: making new friends, choosing cute clothes, going to your first house party and falling in love for the first time.
With humour and heart, Clueless follows Cher’s journey of self-discovery as she learns from her many mistakes — including that slightly inappropriate relationship with her sort-of relative. Add this adaptation to your list if a period piece isn’t your thing, but you still want a timeless classic.
Bride & Prejudice (2004)
This movie is a girls-night-in necessity. A unique interpretation of Pride and Prejudice with a cultural twist, this 2004 adaptation starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Martin Henderson brings the classic story to modern-day India.
Lalita Bakshi (Bachchan) and her three sisters encounter some wealthy, arrogant men who don’t come from their country or culture. Lalita and William Darcy (Henderson) immediately get off on the wrong foot, even though there’s an initial attraction between them. This is all while Mrs. Bakshi — much like the character she is based on, Mrs. Bennett — is trying to marry off her daughters to the richest, most culturally appropriate bachelors. A story of miscommunication and unwarranted prejudice ensues.
The real heart of the film lies in the bond between Lalita and her sister Jaya (played by Namrata Shirodkar, and representing Elizabeth’s sister Jane from the original story). The chemistry, love and care they share shine brighter than any of the romances in this movie.
In true Bollywood style, the film dazzles with extravagant dance numbers and colourful outfits — and even a surprise cameo by R&B singer Ashanti. What more could a girl ask for?
If you’re looking for an Austen adaptation that nixes the 18th-century dialogue but keeps the sisterhood and romance intact — and adds a catchy soundtrack to boot — this film needs to be on your list.
