Film

Dumplin'

A Texas teenager enters a beauty pageant to challenge her mother and the narrow standards of her small town. Warm, funny, and genuinely interested in its characters' inner lives, Dumplin' balances comedy with real hurt—it's about belonging, not belonging, and deciding which matters more. For anyone who's felt like they didn't fit the mold.

TMDb rating3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like coming-of-age comedies where the humor comes from a sharp, stubborn heroine who refuses to shrink herself, and where warmth and a little rebellion sit comfortably together.

Skip it if you want a tightly plotted story with big twists or a fast pace, since this one moves at a comfortable, chatty clip and leans on small moments between its characters.

What it asks of you: Settle in for about two hours of easygoing scenes, with the mood shifting between bright and bittersweet, and give it your attention for the characters more than for the plot.

If you liked this

Hairspray2007

A joyful musical about a plus-size teen who won't be sidelined, full of energy and genuine heart. The cast is brilliant and it's impossible not to feel better after watching it.

But If you don't love musicals, the constant singing can feel relentless. The Baltimore setting feels a bit theme-park-ified.

Hairspray poster

Clueless1995

A comedy about a girl learning that her narrow worldview isn't the whole world. Smart, funny, and kind to every character, even the ones Cher misjudges.

But The fashion and slang are very mid-90s. Some may find the tone too frothy for what's underneath.

Clueless poster

10 Things I Hate About You1999

Witty teen romance that actually respects its female characters and builds them as real people. Heath Ledger's charm, a Shakespeare adaptation that works, and genuine laughs.

But The setup feels a bit mechanical. If you're tired of makeover narratives, this plays with one.

10 Things I Hate About You poster

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The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Shrill2019

Both center a young woman in a body she's told is wrong, and both refuse to make that body the punchline or the obstacle—it's just her life.

A half-hour series about a plus-size woman living unapologetically, refusing to make her body the joke or the reason to watch. Genuinely hilarious and takes its protagonist's sexuality, ambition, and rage seriously.

But The first episode is slower than the payoff. Some storylines about family feel melodramatic and the show sometimes mistakes cruelty for honesty.

Shrill poster
More like this (7)

All About My Mother1999

Pure joy. A film that loves its characters and lets them be ridiculous and genuine at the same time. ABBA songs are a feature, not a bug.

But It's unabashedly silly and if you need plot coherence or subtlety, this isn't for you. The singing is central.

All About My Mother poster

Legally Blonde2001

Elle Woods is underestimated and she proves everyone wrong by being exactly who she is. Feminist in a way that seems light but runs deep. Genuinely funny.

But The sorority politics feel dated. If you're looking for a protagonist who changes, Elle mostly wins everyone over instead.

Legally Blonde poster

Cinderella2015

A live-action fairy tale that's genuinely pretty and takes the servant girl's agency seriously. Lily James is luminous and it has more emotional weight than you'd expect.

But If you want cynicism or a deconstruction, this is sincere in a way that might feel saccharine. It's very long for what it is.

Cinderella poster

Mean Girls2004

Perfectly structured comedy about high school cliques and the girl who accidentally becomes what she's mocking. Sharp dialogue, loads of energy, genuinely clever.

But The female-on-female cattiness can feel shallow on repeat viewings. Cady's character arc is fast and the ending feels neat.

Mean Girls poster

The Fault in Our Stars2014

A teen romance that's funny and tender and doesn't condescend to its audience. Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley have real chemistry and the script balances humor with genuine weight.

But The melodrama might feel manipulative. If you're not in the mood for romance, the whole film hinges on it.

The Fault in Our Stars poster

Pitch Perfect2012

A capella competition comedy with a genuinely weird protagonist who doesn't soften much. Lots of character actors being funny and the women are allowed to be messy and real.

But The plot is thin and the romance feels obligatory. Some of the humor hasn't aged brilliantly.

Pitch Perfect poster

Pride2014

A story about small-town misfits finding each other and choosing to belong to a community that gets them, rather than staying invisible in the one they came from.

A Welsh mining community in the 1980s, a London LGBTQ+ activist group, and a film about solidarity that's genuinely funny and deeply moving. Real humor, real stakes, real warmth.

But British accents in a period setting can be hard to parse. The tonal shifts between comedy and political anger are steep.

Pride poster

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