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Movies Like 'Girls Trip' to Watch Next

From raunchy to heartfelt, there are plenty of R-rated comedies to enjoy after 'Girls Trip.'
by Allison Bowsher — 
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'Girls Trip'

Universal Pictures

It's been five years since the hilarious Girls Trip (Metascore: 71) exploded into theaters and made huge waves at the box office. Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, Girls Trip was co-written by Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and screenwriter Tracy Oliver. Thanks to the film's success, Oliver became the first Black female writer to pen a film that crossed the $100 million mark. 

Girls Trip stars Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish, and Queen Latifah as college friends who reunite in New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival. The lives of the friends have changed dramatically since their days in dorms and the once close-knit bond of the "Flossy Posse" is gone. After a few wild nights fueled by alcohol and music, some difficult heart-to-hearts, and a lot of laughs, the group rekindle their relationships with one another and support each other in the next phase of their lives. But make no mistake, in addition to being an uplifting and inspiring film about friendship, Girls Trip is also very, very funny and very, very naughty. We may never look at grapefruit the same way, thanks to Haddish.

Girls Trip reunited Set It Off co-stars Pinkett Smith and Latifah and helped turn stand-up comedian Haddish into a household name, earning her an NAACP Award, a Black Reel Award, and a MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Comedic Performance. Plus, without Girls Trip, viewers wouldn't have gotten to experience one of the best late-night stories of the past decade.

We still don't have a Girls Trip sequel (it's coming!), but there are plenty of other films filled with laughs, stories about friendship, and impressive ensembles. Check out these 10 films to watch if you like Girls Trip, listed by Metascore.


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'Bridesmaids'

Universal Pictures

Bridesmaids

Metascore: 75
Best for: Fans of ensemble comedies with laugh-out-loud moments
Where to watch:

Google Play, , ,
Runtime: 125 minutes

For Girls Trip fans who loved the humor in seeing Pinkett Smith urinating on a crowd while zip lining, they're going to love Maya Rudolph defecating on a busy street in a wedding gown. Directed by Paul Feig, Bridesmaids was written by Annie Mumolo and Saturday Night Live veteran Kristen Wiig and stars Wigg as a woman who struggles to remain close to her newly engaged and successful best friend (played by Rudolph) while her own dating and professional lives are disasters. A rag-tag team of bridesmaids, including Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, and Melissa McCarthy, who earned an Oscar nomination for her role, form an unlikely friend group and hilarious wedding party that get together for a number of events throughout the course of the film.

"A film of great hilarity, humanity, idiosyncrasy and grade-A, eyebrow-singeing raunch." — Amy Biancolli, San Fransico Chronicle


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'Pitch Perfect 2'

Universal Pictures

Pitch Perfect 2

Metascore: 63
Best for: Music and comedy fans and anyone who enjoys a big collegiate angle to their films
Where to watch:

, Google Play, ,
Runtime: 93 minutes

The Barden Bellas return in the second installment of the Pitch Perfect trilogy, which opens with the a capella group reuniting for another school year and attempting to reclaim their title after a scandal. Like the women in Girls Trip, the Bellas, including Beca (Anna Kendrick), Amy (Rebel Wilson), and Chloe (Brittany Snow) must deal with strained relationships among the members and face some hard truths about their friendships and shared fears about the future. Also like Girls Trip, Pitch Perfect 2 includes plenty of hilarious adult-only jokes and dance choreography.

"The comedy choir wars are more intense, more absurd and more lowbrow fun than ever. ... It is almost impossible not to be amused by the cutthroat world of competitive a cappella." — Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times 


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'Set It Off'

New Line Cinema

Set It Off

Metascore: 62
Best for: Fans of action and heist films with depth
Where to watch:

, Google Play, , ,
Runtime: 123 minutes

The 1996 heist film follows four women (played by Pinkett Smith, Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise), who turn to bank robbery to lift themselves out of dire financial constraints. Their close friendship is tested when the women embark on a crime spree and their decisions have devastating results not only for the friends, but also for those around them. The film had a strong box office showing and broke barriers with an all-Black female cast, making it one of the few action films of the 1990s that wasn't dominated by male leads.

"A tale of female bonding and empowerment, this relevant film boasts a terrific cast, headed by Jada Pinkett and Queen Latifah in career-making performances." — Emanuel Levy, Variety


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'Bad Moms'

STX Entertainment

Bad Moms

Metascore: 60
Best for: Fans of raunchy comedies and parents who need a laugh
Where to watch:

, Google Play,
Runtime: 101 minutes

For parents, especially moms, who need a break from their hectic and stressful schedules, Bad Moms is here to entertain. The comedy brings the same R-rated humor as Girls Trip and also stars Pinkett Smith, along with Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn as mothers who lead a PTA-wide rebellion against the idea of perfectionism parenting. The female-centric comedy inspired a holiday-themed sequel with A Bad Moms Christmas, which was also packed with adult-only humor and a lot of tinsel.

"Although it often stumbles in service to delivering yet another foul-mouthed joke, its heart remains firmly in the right place." — Kate Erbland, IndieWire


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'The Best Man Holiday'

Universal Pictures

The Best Man Holiday

Metascore: 59
Best for: Fans of ensemble casts and movies that cover heartbreak, friendship, humor, sex, and more
Where to watch:

, Google PlayHBO Max, Vudu
Runtime: 123 minutes

Before Girls Trip and 2019's Little (see below), writer and director Lee and actor Hall had already reunited for The Best Man Holiday (the pair first worked together on The Best Man, which was also Hall's film debut). The sequel reunites the impressive ensemble cast, including Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Harold Perrineau, Sanaa Lathan, and Terrence Howard, this time for the holidays instead of a wedding. The Christmas season brings out the best and worst in the friend group, who are all dealing with their own struggles in their personal lives. Old rivalries and attractions return in the dramedy, which has an ending that is emotional and heartfelt.

"It might be overlong, overstuffed, and occasionally operatic, but that doesn't mean that it can wring the tears out of you." — Drew Taylor, The Playlist


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'Tag'

Warner Bros. Pictures

Tag (2018)

Metascore: 56
Best for: Fans of comedy films that celebrate the power of friendship
Where to watch:

, , ,
Runtime: 101 minutes

In Girls Trip, it took the annual Essence Festival to reunite a group of friends. In Tag, inspired by a true story, it's a yearly game of tag that keeps a group of five men connected after childhood. The ensemble film stars Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Ed Helms, Hannibal Buress, and Jake Johnson as friends who have been playing a game of tag for one month every year since childhood. With a tag retirement on the horizon by the one member of the group (played by Renner) who has never been tagged, the men band together to beat him, eventually realizing that the annual tradition is about much more than just a game.

"The cast is a likable bunch, and I can see how Tag might go down nicely with a couple of beers beforehand; it's definitely funny in spots, in a we're-making-this-up-as-we-go-along sort of way." — Moira McDonald, The Seattle Times


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'Bachelorette'

20th Century Studios

Bachelorette

Metascore: 53
Best for: Fans of raunchy comedies and badly behaved characters
Where to watch:

, Google Play, Vudu
Runtime: 87 minutes

Bachelorette doesn't have as many of the warm fuzzy moments that can be found in Girls Trip, but it does have plenty of R-rated comedic moments that viewers of both films will likely enjoy. The 2012 film stars Pitch Perfect's Wilson as Becky, whose upcoming nuptials reunite her with her long-time best friends played by Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, and Lizzy Caplan. The three women are pretty terrible at their bridesmaid duties, giving inappropriate speeches, ruining the bridal gown, and being late for the ceremony, but their friendship does offer a few moments of redemption for the motley (bridal) crew.

"While Bachelorette is admirably free of the normal formulas governing movies that revolve around women and wedding dresses, it doesn't offer anything more satisfying in their stead." — Keith Phipps, The A.V. Club


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'Rough Night'

Sony Pictures

Rough Night

Metascore: 51
Best for: Fans of R-rated humor with splashes of dark comedy
Where to watch:

, Google Play, ,
Runtime: 101 minutes

Featuring a screenplay by Broad City and Hacks writers Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs and directed by Aniello in her feature debut, Rough Night follows four college friends who reunite in Miami to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Jess (Scarlett Johansson). Like in Girls Trip, the former besties find their new stages in life have left little time for their friendship. Joined by Jess' Australian friend Pippa (Kate McKinnon), the group's weekend of making new memories takes a dark turn when they accidentally kill a man they believe is their hired stripper. The dark comedy is packed with a stellar cast of actors, including Downs, Ilana Glazer, Zoë Kravitz, Jillian Bell, Colton Haynes, Hasan Minhaj, Ty Burrell, and Demi Moore.

"Rough Night starts out buoyantly, and it and features some wonderfully weird moments scattered throughout. But those scenes never truly gel with the movie's eventual life-or-death stakes." — Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com


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'Little'

Universal Pictures

Little

Metascore: 49
Best for: Fans of carefree comedies with an inspiring message
Where to watch:

, Google Play, Vudu 
Runtime: 109 minutes

Written and produced by the team behind Girls Trip, Little stars Hall as Jordan Sanders, a cruel executive who runs her company like a dictator. When a little girl casts a spell on Jordan, she wakes up the next day to find that she has been turned into her childhood self, played by Black-ish star Marsai Martin. Jordan must now rely on her overworked and underappreciated assistant April (Issa Rae), who has to pose as Jordan's aunt to keep Child Protective Services at bay. The fun and light comedy, which is a take on the 1988 film Big, is entertaining, features several positive messages, and has a great soundtrack.

"Here and there, a mild chuckle might escape your lips. Ten minutes later, a half-hearted titter, or perhaps a knowing chortle. Just don't expect to guffaw or cachinnate, and forget all about busting a gut. It's not that kind of comedy." — Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle


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'Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins'

Universal Pictures

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins

Metascore: 46
Best for: Fans of family-based comedies
Where to watch:

, Google Play, , Vudu
Runtime: 118 minutes

While Girls Trip followed four friends reuniting in a new city, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins follows the title character, played by Martin Lawrence, reuniting with his family and friends in his hometown after almost a decade away. Returning as a successful TV host with a beautiful fiancé (Joy Bryant), Roscoe quickly finds himself reverting to his old ways, including competing with his cousin Clyde (Cedric The Entertainer) and feeling like the family failure. The 2008 film, which also stars James Earl Jones and Mo'Nique, was written and directed by Girls Trip filmmaker Lee.

"Imagine a Three Stooges short with a feel-good ending, and you get the idea." — Chris Kaltenbach, Baltimore Sun