Film

LOL (Laughing Out Loud)

Name: LOL (Laughing Out Loud)
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2009
Cast: Sophie Marceau, Christa Théret, Jérémy Kapone, Marion Chabassol, Lou Lesage

Comedy

A French comedy about the friction between a rebellious teenage girl itching for freedom and her protective mother who won't let go. It's warm and messy, full of cringe humour about the gap between how teens see themselves and how they actually behave. For anyone who remembers the mortification of that age, or who lives with a teenager now.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy sharp, funny films about mothers and daughters squabbling their way toward understanding, where the laughs come from recognisable bickering rather than gags, and you don't mind a little sentiment.

Skip it if the sparring between mother and daughter is loose and often abrasive, which may wear thin if you need a tidy plot or gentler company.

What it asks of you: a brisk hundred-odd minutes that keep circling back to the same two women, so expect a shape built on repetition and escalation rather than a slow build.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Clueless1995

A teen comedy that actually respects its protagonist's intelligence and interior life. Cher is vain and meddling, but the film loves her for it. Sharp writing, genuine heart, and it's simply fun to spend time with these people.

But The fashion and slang are very 90s, which some find dated rather than charming. The tone is lighter than LOL—less friction, more fizz.

Mothering Sunday2021

A quiet, gorgeous film about the unspoken weight between mothers and daughters, told mostly through glances and hesitations. Olivia Colman is extraordinary. It trusts you to feel the emotions it's dancing around.

But Almost plotless. If you need things to happen and be explained, this will feel like watching paint dry. Very adult and melancholic.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants2005

Four teenage girls, real problems, real friendships. It refuses to mock its characters or reduce them to jokes. Honest about body image, sexuality, identity—and genuinely funny because the humour comes from character, not setup.

But The magical pants conceit is genuinely silly. Some scenes tip into schmaltz. It's also very much a product of the mid-2000s.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from LOL (Laughing Out Loud)

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

A Prophet2009

Both about adolescence and the cost of growing up, but where LOL finds the humour in that friction, this finds the tragedy. Same question from different angles: who do we become when the world forces us to choose?

A French prison drama where a young man navigates a brutal system and gradually becomes someone harder, more calculating. The same year as LOL, but tonally its opposite—bleak, violent, utterly serious.

But Genuinely harrowing. Not entertaining in any light way. Requires patience and tolerance for moral ambiguity. No comedy, no levity.

Tomboy2011

A French film about a ten-year-old navigating identity and belonging. Tender and unsentimental. Céline Sciamma directs with such gentleness that you feel the character's confusion and joy without any hand-holding.

But Very quiet and observational. Nothing dramatic happens. If you need plot momentum, you'll fidget.

Carrie1976

A masterpiece about teenage humiliation, rage and the horror of having a body you don't understand. It's sympathetic to Carrie's fury without excusing her actions. Brian De Palma's direction is immaculate.

But It's a horror film with extreme violence and disturbing imagery. The ending is brutal. Not at all a comedy, despite what LOL's tone might suggest.

Never Been Kissed1999

A sweet film about a woman going undercover in high school, discovering who she actually is beneath years of self-doubt. It's sentimental but earns it. Drew Barrymore is luminous.

But Very earnest and rom-com-ish in structure. Some will find it corny. The plot hinges on an adult woman in a high school, which feels odd now.

Witch Hunt: A Century of Murder2015

A French miniseries about teenage girls in a small town where jealousy and social media turn playground drama into something darker. Tense, uncomfortable, genuinely unsettling without being exploitative.

But It's bleak. There's no warmth to retreat into. The moral messiness might frustrate viewers looking for clear answers about who deserves sympathy.

Eighth Grade2018

Bo Burnham's film captures the specific terror of being thirteen in 2018. It's awkward and raw and funny and devastating. Elsie Fisher is astonishing. You'll recognize the mortification exactly.

But Genuinely difficult to watch at times. The secondhand embarrassment is intense. Also quite short and loose in structure—some want more narrative spine.

Blue Is the Warmest Color2013

A French film about a teenage girl falling in love with an older woman. It's sensual and intimate and treats her desire seriously. Adèle Exarchopoulos is extraordinary.

But Contains explicit sexual content. Very long at three hours. Some find the pacing meditative to the point of slowness. The ending is devastating in a way that lingers uncomfortably.