10. Sex and the City (2008)

Not quite the strike out of the ballpark predicted before its release, SATC The Movie still offers lots of worthwhile eye candy (of the male and couture variety) while reinforcing the importance of camaraderie when the best laid plans go south. And as always, the glorious city of Manhattan serves as the crucial fifth cast member alongside Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha.
9. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Worth the price of rental for the infamous deli scene (you know the one where the Sally character demonstrates how women can fake... oh never mind) this late-80s gem gamely tackled the age-old question of whether or not men and women can actually be friends without really answering it. No matter - Meg Ryan is at her perky best and Billy Crystal, though hardly conventional dreamboat material, delivers more zingers than a yellow-jacket at a beekeeper's convention.


8. Pretty Woman (1990)

Oh Julia Roberts, what hath fame wrought? Though you went on to be paid more (much  more) in subsequent roles, you were never more fetching, more undeniably watchable and coquettish than here opposite a dashing Richard Gere. AND you bewitched us playing the most dog-eared role in the book: the hooker with the heart of gold. Jeesh. In truth, there's not a woman alive who hasn't dreamt of being swept off her feet this way... even if Roberts' feet had to be outfitted in thigh-high boots for it to happen.

7. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Vodka-swilling, cigarette-smoking self-sabotage isn't recommended for women adrift in the seas of single life... but it sure is fun to watch! This screen adaptation of author Helen's Fielding's wildly successful novel about a kind-hearted, weight-obsessed British gal who can't catch a break retained the book's bawdy humor while cementing actor Colin Firth's status as the go-to guy to play opposite misfit rom-com heroines.

6. Titanic (1997)

At times impossibly hokey yet impossible to exclude, this size-large popcorn epic has it all: romance, adventure, heartbreak, passion, villainy, flashbacks, costumes, accents, jewelry, insanely watchable special effects and Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in starring roles. The balance of fact and fiction is deft and while scheduled bathroom breaks are recommended (the film runs three-plus hours), there's never a moment when Titanic's multiple Oscar wins (among them best picture, best director and best actress) are in question.

    5. Annie Hall (1977)

With some of the best one-liners ever committed to film and a stunning Diane Keaton in top form, Woody Allen's yarn of neurotic love unfolding amid the skyscrapers of New York is so quirky it practically twitches yet its abundant humor - always darkly self-deprecating and virtually missile-guided - leaves viewers charmed. Plus, though it's hard to fathom now, the distinctly mannish wardrobe sported by Keaton's character impacted the way women dressed throughout 1977. Really.


 4. Oceans Eleven (2001)

George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Topher Grace, Andy Garcia and Casey Affleck are among the cast. 'Nuff said. (Also in this vein see 1983's The Outsiders featuring baby-faced but thoroughly recognizable Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon and Emilio Estevez).

3. The English Patient (1996)

Forget for a moment that the film, based on Michael Ondaantje's ethereal novel, stars Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas - two of the best-looking people on the planet. Or that a decaying Italian villa circa World War II forms the dramatic backdrop of a tale told largely in flashback. This sweeping fable of monumental love and equally monumental loss - directed with palpable sensuality by Anthony Minghella - is so wrenching that it's not recommended for solo viewing. So gather the girls and let the tissue fly.

2. The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

Meryl Streep has played a million great roles in her career. But her portrayal of an Italian-born woman transplanted to an Iowa farm who, against all odds, meets her soul mate and then must choose between the obligation of family and the thrall of lust is staggering. Indeed, it would have been ridiculous had Streep not nailed it just so. Also featuring a mystically calm Clint Eastwood, who also directed, Madison County is about... life. And nothing resonates quite like the real thing, even in a fictional setting.

1. Thelma & Louise (1991)

You did see this top pick coming, right? The ultimate female road movie with Geena Davis as the put-upon housewife and Susan Sarandon as the BFF who liberates her in more ways than one, Thelma & Louise showed that friendship - more than love or money or even power - is the most valuable currency anyone can possess. Notable for an early appearance by Brad Pitt (albeit in a small role), an atypically sympathetic Harvey Keitel and for its starkly un-Hollywood ending.