The 21 Best Movies and Shows on Netflix to Watch With Your Sister
Sisters. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Whether by blood or by choice, your sister is the person you go to when you're spiralling emotionally or you just want to vent about the irritating non-sisters in your life (friends, parents, acquaintances, colleagues, and the barista who keeps getting your order wrong).
Not to be cheesier than Kevin's plain cheese pizza in Home Alone, but the bond shared between sisters is truly unlike any other. Stop arguing about whoever borrowed whose favourite pair of pants without asking and press play on one of these movies and shows instead.
From romantic comedies with complex characters to coming-of-age stories that will have you reflecting on your youth (or wondering when you'll be coming of age yourself, despite definitely being an age considered "adult"), to documentaries on incredible sisters throughout history and shows that put sisters front and centre: here is a list of the 19 best titles on Netflix to watch with your sister.
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (2004)
What a premise: childhood best friends Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget are about to spend their first summer apart, and while shopping together before they leave find a pair of jeans that somehow fits them all perfectly. Based on a young adult book series, the film follows each of the friends to their respective summer locales – Greece, Mexico, South Carolina and Maryland – and with a solid cast comprising America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn and Blake Lively, has become a cult classic with a third film on the way.
Now and Then (1995)
A quintessential coming-of-age story about four friends reminisce about the summer of 1970. Now and Then is a cult classic to rival Stand By Me, with an all-star line-up. Christina Ricci and Rosie O'Donnell play Roberta, Thora Birch and Melanie Griffith play Tina aka "Teeny", Ashleigh Aston Moore and Rita Wilson play Chrissy, and Gaby Hoffman and Demi Moore play Samantha, the film's narrator. Treat yourself and the sister in your life to this throwback gem.
The First Wives Club (1996)
Simply iconic. In this cinematic masterpiece, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler are divorcées who come together to seek revenge on their ex-husbands. The First Wives Club is mandatory viewing for everyone, but especially perfect if your sister is reeling from a bad break-up.
Good Girls (2018–present)
From Grey's Anatomy alum Jenna Bans comes this crime-comedy-drama series that serves as easy viewing when you and your sister just want to veg out. Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Retta (Parks and Recreation) and Mae Whitman (so many things) play three suburban mothers, two of whom are sisters, who get involved in money laundering to help make ends meet. This is high quality "trashy" viewing, and you'll be invested more and more with each episode.
Top End Wedding (2019)
Was this the best film of 2019? Quite possibly. Top End Wedding is not ostensibly about sisters, but rather the connection to family and home. It's visually stunning and Miranda Tapsell (also the film's co-writer) is a delight to watch. She plays Lauren, a lawyer living in Adelaide who decides to get married in her hometown of Darwin. It's the perfect movie when you know crying some cathartic tears will make you feel better.
Clueless (1995)
Director Amy Heckerling's magnum opus (Fast Times is a close second) somehow gets better over time. A movie for all seasons, with so many quotable lines, iconic outfits, and supporting characters, Clueless is perfect for a cosy night in with your sister.
The Sapphires (2012)
National treasures Deborah Mailman, Miranda Tapsell and Jessica Mauboy star in this feel-good Australian film, which is based on the real story of an all-female Aboriginal singing group in the 1960s who performed for the troops in Vietnam. It's got music, it's got laughs, it's got tears... You can't go wrong with this one.
Jackie (2017)
In this documentary you'll learn about Jackie Kennedy Onassis and her younger sister, the socialite Lee Radziwill – a cultural icon in her own right. It was Radziwill who hired Albert and David Maysles to document the Bouvier family, resulting in the incredible 1976 documentary Grey Gardens, and she remained one of the best dressed celebrities until her death in 2019. She married three times, once to a Polish aristocrat and thereafter was addressed as "Her Serene Highness".
The House Bunny (2008)
Anna Faris deserved all the awards for this incredible performance as Shelley, a Playboy bunny who gets kicked out of the mansion and winds up as the "house mother" of an unpopular college sorority. Emma Stone and Kat Dennings co-star, with real Playboy bunnies Holly, Kendra, and Bridget appearing in cameos.
Someone Great (2019)
Another modern rom-com that really hits the spot. Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) plays Jenny, a music journalist whose boyfriend of nine years breaks up with her right as she's about to start her dream job at Rolling Stone. Her friends take a day off work for an epic day of partying and mayhem before she leaves New York for San Francisco.
Never Have I Ever (2020–present)
Created by Mindy Kaling, this coming-of-age comedy follows high school student Devi, who's dealing with the death of her father and all of the stuff that comes with being a teenager. You'll fall in love with newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who plays Devi, and her relationships with her mother and her cousin. Tennis legend John McEnroe narrates the series, because why not?
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Like Top End Wedding, this one can be filed under "present-day romantic comedies that are actually so good". Comedians Ali Wong and Randall Park play childhood friends who had an awkward fling when they were teenagers. She's a high profile chef, he's living with his dad and plays in a band (local gigs only). Oh, and Keanu Reeves appears as himself in a performance that will somehow make you love him more. Add to list: every Keanu movie ever.
Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)
Whether you feel like it's not really your "thing" or you've watched all seven seasons multiple times, there really isn't a reason not to watch Gilmore Girls, especially with your sister. At its heart, this cult classic is all about family, wherever you find it. Plus, by the time you get to the finale you'll have a pop culture reference for every situation.
The Holiday (2006)
If Clueless is a movie for all seasons, The Holiday is like movie version of the pants in The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants. Does that make sense? The Holiday is a movie that somehow applies to any best-of list. Best Christmas movies, best rom-coms, and definitely one of the best films to watch with your sister – especially if you're considered nothing like one another. Cameron Diaz plays a movie trailer producer living in LA and Kate Winslet plays a newspaper columnist living in London. They decide to house-swap; romance and friendship ensues. Just press play, you won't regret it.
Sisters (2017)
This short-lived Australian series comes from the makers of Offspring and follows the story of Julia, whose life is thrown into disarray when her dying dad makes a confession on his deathbed – during his 30-year career as a fetility specialist, he used his own sperm and is potentially the father of hundreds of children. Julia discovers she has hundreds of brothers but only two sisters, which is where the show's title comes from.
Ibiza: Love Drunk (2018)
This made for Netflix movie is special, in that is better than it should be. The premise: Harper is a single, 30-year-old woman working at a New York PR firm who goes to Barcelona on business, with her best friends along for the ride. It's the cast that makes this particular incarnation of "girls trip romantic comedy" so good. Gillian Jacobs (Love, Community), Phoebe Robinson (2 Dope Queens), and Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live) give deeply hilarious performances and actually seem like real people who are friends in real life. The very hot Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) plays Harper's very hot love interest, a famous DJ who is secretly really down to earth. How can you go wrong.
Amelia (2017)
Do you know what happened to Amelia Earhart? Well, nobody does, but do you know who Amelia Earhart is? If not, this documentary will give you background on the American aviation pioneer and author who disappeared in 1937 somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, never to be seen again. You'll also learn about her and her sister Muriel, who is largely responsible for the ongoing celebration of Amelia's incredible accomplishments.
The Wrong Missy (2020)
This very silly rom-com is full of slapstick humour and the usual tropes you know and love from movies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall. What makes it unique is its star performance by improv notable Lauren Lapkus, who goes all out in the name of comedy opposite straight-man David Space. Spade plays Tim, who has a blind date with a woman called Melissa (nickname Missy). The date goes terribly, Missy is the dictionary definition of a hot mess, and Tim moves on with his life. Until! Months later he mistakenly messages Missy inviting her to a work retreat in Hawaii, thinking it's another, more sane Melissa he met at the airport. Genuine hilarity follows.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Maybe your sister has never seen The Breakfast Club, or maybe it's the '80s movie you watch together at least once a year. Whatever the case, there's rarely a bad time to press play on this John Hughes classic. When "Don't You Forget About Me" plays at the end, you'll know it's time to replenish the popcorn and choose another title from your Netflix list.
Grace and Frankie (2015–present)
This comedy series stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as the titular Grace and Frankie, unlikely friends brought together by the news that their husbands are in love with each other and planning to get married. It's officially the longest-running Netflix original series, with a seventh and final season awaiting production.
The Mitfords (2017)
If you're Gucci obsessed, you might remember the spring/summer 2018 "Never Marry a Mitford" sweater. The brand's celebrated creative director Alessandro Michele was inspired by the Mitford sisters, who were British aristocrats living in the 1930s. The stylish socialites and novelists were like the Kardashians of their time – at times celebrated, at others mired in scandal. In 1941, Deborah Mitford married the Duke of Devonshire, who liked to knit funny slogans onto sweaters, and one of those slogans was "Never Marry a Mitford". If you and your sister loved Downton Abbey and has seen Jane Austen movie adaptation multiple times, you'll enjoy this documentary.
Want more? Here are some of the best mother-daughter movies on Netflix.
