The twentysomething TV drama The Bold Type features smart characters and proves that the years between college and turning 30 are rough ones. While the three friends work in publishing and manage to have a lot of fun, too, their lives are a constant struggle as they try to grow up.
There are many well-respected teen movies that talk about high school life, and there are just as many movies about twentysomethings that measure up to the fun series The Bold Type. Realistic, honest, and funny, these films show that everyone experiences similar things on their coming-of-age journeys.
Reality Bites
Winona Ryder has taken on many great movie roles over the years, and Reality Bites is one of her most famous.
Ryder’s character, Lelaina, and Ethan Hawke’s character Troy are friends who each want to be something more, but they’re flailing around, unsure how to make it in the post-college real world. This film is a smart take on how no one knows what they’re doing, even if they’re supposedly adults.
Singles
Singles is one of those nostalgia-making 90’s films. It tells the stories of a group of twentysomethings who are attempting to date and realizing that it’s not as easy as they’d like it to be.
While rom-coms feature unrealistic grand gestures, this particular movie shows that dating really can suck, and that simply getting through this time in life can be considered a grand accomplishment.
Someone Great
Just like The Bold Type is about best friends, Someone Great proves that for millennials, friendships are just as crucial as romantic relationships, if not more so.
This Netflix film is special as it uniquely focuses on three friends and their career goals. They’re open to finding soulmates, sure, but they know that right now, the best thing they can do is nurture these platonic relationships.
While We’re Young
The 2014 film While We’re Young shows that the grass is not always greener (as in, being a twentysomething isn’t always better).
Cornelia (Naomi Watts) and Josh (Ben Stiller) become obsessed with a twentysomething couple Darby (Amanda Seyfried) and Jamie (Adam Driver), thinking that they need to get their lost youth back. But Darby and Jamie are actually creeps who are manipulating them. Fans of The Bold Type will appreciate this take on youth, social media, and being a good or bad person.
Frances Ha
Co-written by and starring Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha talks about twentysomething friendships in a super honest way. Her character Frances is upset when her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) is moving out, and since she’s a dancer without a lot of cash, Frances finds herself spinning out of control.
All friendships ebb and flow and that is especially true during this crucial decade, so this is an important and very realistic film to check out.
St. Elmo’s Fire
The Bold Type paints a picture of the frustrating experience of twentysomething life, and St. Elmo’s Fire does the exact same thing.
Directed by Joel Schumacher, the 1985 film is best known because of Rob Lowe’s dreamy character, Billy, and it’s a smart movie about a group of pals who would do anything to stay as close as they were in college. With their professional and love lives a mess, these friends are determined to make it all work, while still hanging out and supporting each other.
Almost Adults
The 2016 film Almost Adults paints an accurate picture of the last year of college and all of the changes that can take place.
Cassie (Natasha Negovanlis) and Mackenzie (Elise Bauman) are each on their own path as they figure out their future, and they have to keep their friendship intact as they process all of the changes in their lives.
Garden State
Sam and Andrew are trying to figure it all out in Garden State, Zach Braff’s 2004 movie that has really stood the test of time. Andrew falls for Natalie Portman’s perfect indie film girl, while realizing that he has to deal with his family problems and figure out what will actually bring joy to his life.
It’s comforting to watch a film that doesn’t depict life as totally perfect, so The Bold Type viewers will want to take a trip down memory lane with this classic film.
Drinking Buddies
Being part of a friend group is great… except when it’s not, and in the comedy Drinking Buddies, the young characters are realizing that while they have fun working at a brewery, their dating lives are kind of a mess.
Anna Kendrick’s performance stands out here, as she plays Jill, a woman trying to get her boyfriend Luke (Jake Johnson) to really commit to her. Being a twentysomething is both fun and confusing and this movie gets that balance right.
Post Grad
Playing a similar character to Rory Gilmore, Alexis Bledel stars in Post Grad as a young woman who gets quite the real world awakening when the future is a lot harsher than she thought it would be.
This movie has it all: career dreams, a hefty dose of humble pie, and a cute love story. It’s the perfect watch for fans of The Bold Type who love watching twentysomethings deal with romance and their jobs, too.
