Film

What a Girl Wants

Name: What a Girl Wants
Genre: Family, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Released: 2003
Cast: Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston, Eileen Atkins, Anna Chancellor

Drama

A warmhearted romantic comedy about an American teenager who tracks down her estranged father in England and discovers he's a buttoned-up politician with complications. It's bubbly without being airless, sincere about family without getting maudlin, and genuinely funny about the clash between bohemian and establishment worlds. Perfect if you want to feel good.

TMDb rating

3.2

If you liked this

Notting Hill1999

A romantic comedy about an ordinary person entering a glamorous world, with the same gentle humour and genuine warmth. Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts have real chemistry, and the London setting is lovingly drawn.

But It's deliberately low-stakes—if you want plot momentum or high stakes, you'll find it slack. Also very much a 1990s film.

Bend It Like Beckham2002

Same era, same spirit: a young woman navigating between her family's expectations and her own dreams, with warmth, comedy, and a diverse cast that feels genuine. Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra are excellent.

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The Princess Bride1987

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Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from What a Girl Wants

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Parent Trap1961

Both films hinge on a young person discovering a secret parent and having to navigate the emotional chaos that brings. Both treat the fairy tale seriously while letting themselves be funny about it.

The template for this entire story: separated children, remarriage complications, a parent you've never met. But it's so elegantly made, so funny, and so genuinely moving that it feels timeless. Hayley Mills is magnificent.

But It's 1961, so the gender politics are exactly what you'd expect. Also, the second half slows down as it ties up its plot knots. Black-and-white might feel like a barrier.

Legally Blonde2001

Reese Witherspoon in a film that's funny *and* feminist, about a woman nobody takes seriously who turns out to be exactly as smart as she claims. Energetic, stylish, genuinely charming.

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10 Things I Hate About You1999

A Shakespeare adaptation disguised as a high-school rom-com, with genuine wit, likable characters, and Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger both at their best. It's clever without being smug.

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Austenland2013

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But It's very twee, and the plot doesn't make much logical sense if you think about it too hard. Some will find it cloying rather than charming.

Mamma Mia!2008

Pure joy. Amanda Seyfried discovering her father(s) while the cast of *Mamma Mia!* sings ABBA songs. It's gloriously unashamed about what it is and operates entirely on good feeling.

But If you can't tolerate theatrical energy and people breaking into song without diegetic reason, you'll hate it. The plot is wafer-thin.

Bridget Jones's Diary2001

A romantic comedy that actually understands romance and comedy, with a heroine who's funny without trying, and Colin Firth at his most charming as a man who's not what he seems. Endlessly quotable.

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My Best Friend's Wedding1997

Julia Roberts trying to sabotage her best friend's marriage before realizing she's in love with him. It's silly, it's fun, and it has genuine emotional stakes underneath the comedy.

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Fried Green Tomatoes1991

Both are ultimately about women becoming themselves despite what the world expects of them. But where *What a Girl Wants* is bubbly and romantic, this earns its emotional weight through decades of character and consequence.

A story spanning decades about female friendship, independence, and finding your voice, framed as one woman telling another her life story. Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy are extraordinary. It's tender and powerful.

But It's a serious film about real suffering—violence, loss, injustice. If you're looking for the lightness of *What a Girl Wants*, this will floor you. Also fairly long.