Film

Women in Trouble

Name: Women in Trouble
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 2009
Cast: Carla Gugino, Adrianne Palicki, Connie Britton, Marley Shelton, Garcelle Beauvais

Drama

A scrappy ensemble comedy about L.A. women tangled in secrets, affairs, and unspoken feelings. Director Sebastian Gutierrez juggles multiple storylines with theatrical flair and genuine heart—it's closer to a heightened drama with comedy than a straight-up laugh track. For people who like their stories messy, overlapping, and willing to get weird.

TMDb rating

2.6

If you liked this

Magnolia1999

Another ambitious, character-rich ensemble where multiple storylines collide in one long night. Paul Thomas Anderson orchestrates grief, coincidence, and human connection with operatic scale and surprising tenderness.

But Three hours of interlocking narratives can feel exhausting rather than cathartic if you're not already on board with the emotional register.

Mulholland Drive2001

A puzzle-box about fractured identities and hidden desire in L.A. Lynton pulls you between reality and fantasy, making you complicit in the mystery. Absolutely hypnotic.

But It demands active interpretation and rewards repeat viewings more than first ones. Some find it infuriatingly opaque.

Boogie Nights1997

Multiple characters, interconnected lives, a world built entirely from chaos and longing. PTA finds the dignity and damage in people society discards, with a propulsive ensemble cast that feels like a real community.

But It's almost three hours and includes explicit content that some find gratuitous rather than purposeful.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Women in Trouble

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Mistress America2015

Both are messy ensemble pieces about L.A./New York women where the real story is what nobody's saying to each other, told with theatrical stylization underneath everyday chaos.

Noah Baumbach's sharp-edged comedy about female friendship, ambition, and pretense. Greta Gerwig and Lena Dunham crackle with chemistry; it's funny, sad, and mean in ways that feel earned. A film about women helping and destroying each other simultaneously.

But It's very New York, very indie, and openly contemptuous of its characters even as we root for them. If you need to like the people you're watching, this will feel cold.

It's Kind of a Funny Story2010

Lighter-toned ensemble where characters discover things about themselves and each other. Genuinely funny and moving, with a focus on connection between damaged people who don't expect to find it.

But Occasionally tips into saccharine. The indie-film sensibility won't connect if you want sharper cynicism.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World2012

A small, intimate film about two broken people finding unexpected companionship as the world ends. Steve Carell and Keira Knightley have real chemistry, and it balances existential dread with genuine warmth.

But The apocalypse premise is handled lightly rather than urgently, which some find tonally uncertain.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World poster

Greenberg2010

A character study about a depressed man and the people orbiting him. Noah Baumbach captures the specific awkwardness of adult aimlessness with dark comedy and zero sentimentality.

But Ben Stiller's character is deeply unlikeable and the film offers little uplift. Some find it as comfortable as sitting in a cold room.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants2005

Four young women separated by summer still feel connected through a shared magical object. It's genuinely about female friendship without being cynical, and the ensemble casting is pitch-perfect.

But The magical realism element can feel manipulative, and the teen-appeal might put off viewers looking for something grittier.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants poster

Humpday2009

Two old friends navigate desire, loyalty, and vulnerability when a wild idea threatens their friendship. Mumblecore done right: naturalistic dialogue and real emotional stakes underneath the awkwardness.

But It's deliberately lo-fi and meandering. If you need tight plotting and clear character arcs, this will frustrate you.

Kaboom2010

Gregg Araki's high-energy ensemble of college kids navigating sex, friendship, and surreal mystery. Bold, colorful, unafraid to be trashy and sincere in the same breath.

But The plot is deliberately incoherent and the tone shifts wildly. It wears its chaotic energy as a feature, not a bug, which will alienate people seeking narrative control.

Afternoon Delight2013

Both center on female desire, shame, and the gap between what women show the world and what they actually feel. Both let their characters be complicated without resolving them.

A suburban mom (Kathryn Hahn, luminous) hires a stripper as a companion, and an unlikely friendship emerges. Genuinely funny and unexpectedly moving—it finds dignity and complexity in both women without condescension. Jill Soloway (pre-Transparent) at her most humane.

But It's quiet and slow-burn. The transformation it charts is internal rather than plot-driven, which can feel like nothing happening if you want conventional arcs.