The 13 most empowering movie monologues of all time — tissues at the ready!
There's nothing like a feminist monologue to get you feeling empowered. Whether they're based on fact, fiction, or fever dream (hello, Barbie), what most great films have in common is the power to inspire us, or make us leave the cinema with a new perspective. Often it's down to a beautifully written and delivered monologue; that sticks with you, gives you a new mantra to live by, or just makes you laugh out loud.
Alongside checking off just about every other great movie archetype (costumes, sets, story arc - we could go on), the Barbie movie has been praised for including a perfect movie monologue, expertly delivered by America Ferrera. And it's inspired us to scroll through the streaming services and rewatch some of our favourite movies to seek out more catch phrases and lines to live by. From Clueless to Little Women, we've ranked how much they'll get you in your feels too, so you can pick a movie to suit your mood.
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Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Barbie (2023)
Who? America Ferrera as Gloria (from the Real World)
The monologue:
"It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we're always doing it wrong.
"You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass. You have to be a boss, but you can't be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas. You're supposed to love being a mother, but don't talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men's bad behaviour, which is insane, but if you point that our, you're accused of complaining. You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.
"But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It's too hard! It's too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.
"I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don't even know.”
In-My-Feels Rating: 9/10. In the movie the speech helps Margot Robbie's Barbie snap out of literally giving up, and IRL it's been shared numerous times for how strongly it resonates, and how seen it makes women feel. It might not offer a way forward but it does articulate the struggles of womanhood in 2023 perfectly.
20th Century FoxGone Girl (2014)
Who? Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne
The monologue:
“Nick never loved me. He loved a girl who doesn't exist. A girl I was pretending to be. The Cool Girl. Men always use that as the defining compliment, right? She’s a cool girl. Being Cool Girl means I am a hot, brilliant, funny woman who adores football, poker and dirty jokes, who plays videogames and chugs beer, loves threesomes and anal sex and jams chilidogs into my mouth like I’m hosting the world's biggest culinary gang-bang, while remaining a size 2, because cool girls are above all hot. Hot and understanding. Cool girls never get angry at their men, they only smile in a chagrined, loving manner. Go ahead! Shit on me, I don't mind, I'm the cool girl. I waited patiently-years-for the pendulum to swing the other way, for men to start reading Jane Austen, organise scrapbook parties and make out with each other while we leer. And then we'd say, yeah, he's a cool guy. Instead, women across the nation colluded in our degradation! Pretty soon every girl was Cool Girl, and if you weren't, then there was something wrong with you. But it's tempting, to be Cool Girl. For someone like me, who likes to win, it's tempting to be the girl every guy wants. When I met Nick I knew that's what he wanted. For him, I was willing to try. I couldn't have been Cool Girl with anyone else. I wouldn't have wanted to. Nick teased things out in me I didn't know existed: A lightness, a humor, an ease. And I made him smarter, sharper. I forced him to rise to my level. I was happier for those few years, pretending to be someone else, than I ever have been before or after. But then it had to stop, because it wasn't me! I hated Nick for being surprised when I became me. He couldn't believe I didn't love wax-stripping my pussy raw and blowing him on request. That my fantasy baseball team was not a labour of love. It had to stop. Committing to Nick, feeling safe with Nick, being happy with Nick, made me realise that there was a Real Amy in there, and she was so much better, more interesting and complicated and challenging, than Cool Girl. But Nick wanted Cool Girl anyway. Can you imagine, finally showing your true self to your soulmate, and having him not like you?"
In-Your-Feels Rating: 7/10. Ah yes — the infamous Cool Girl speech. At the time, this moment in Gone Girl was nothing short of revolutionary. It perfectly laid out how so many women felt — that we had all been acting out a part for the men in our lives. That in order to find love in a heterosexual relationship, you had to become the girl that guys want — and the worst part was, they didn't even know it was happening.
Sony Pictures Television Inc.Little Women (2019)
Who? Florence Pugh as Amy March
The monologue:
“I’ve always known I would marry rich. Why should I be ashamed of that? Well, I believe we have some power over who we love, it isn’t something that just happens to a person. Well. I’m not a poet, I’m just a woman. And as a woman, I have no way to make money, not enough to earn a living and support my family. Even if I had my own money, which I don’t, it would belong to my husband the minute we were married. If we had children they would belong to him, not me. They would be his property. So don’t sit there and tell me that marriage isn’t an economic proposition, because it is. It may not be for you but it most certainly is for me.”
In-Your-Feels Rating: 9/10. It was at this moment in Little Women that we all realised Greta Gerwig was doing something very different with her adaptation of the classic novel. Amy, often dismissed as the silly, shallow sister, finally got her redemption, as Gerwig's script spelled out her dilemma — she's not a poet, she's just a woman! Marriage is her only choice — and in this world, it is an economic proposition. Alongside this script, Pugh's performance elevates this monologue to legendary status.
Courtesy of SkyClueless (1995)
Who? Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz making a debate class speech
The Monologue?
"So like, right now for example. The Haitians need to come to America. But some people are all, "What about the strain on our resources?" Well it's like when I had this garden party for my father's birthday, right? I put R.S.V.P. 'cause it was a sit-down dinner. But some people came that like did not R.S.V.P. I was like totally buggin'. I had to haul ass to the kitchen, redistribute the food, and squish in extra place settings. But by the end of the day it was, like, the more the merrier. And so if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians. And in conclusion may I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty. Thank you very much."
In-Your-Feels Rating: 6/10. This one always hits no matter how many times you've seen this iconic movie. It's rooted in comedy and Cher's rather unrelatable life experience, but it's actually a really smart take on a very important issue at the time: the US's handling of the Haitian refugee crisis in the early 1990s. Props to Alicia.
© Disney Media Distribution | All Rights ReservedThe Princess Diaries (2001)
Who? Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis (or, rather, Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi Princess of Genovia)
The monologue:
"Hi — I, uh, hello. I'm Mia...um. It stopped raining...Oh. I'm really no good at speech-making. Normally, I get so nervous that I faint or run away; or sometimes I even get sick. But you really didn't need to know that. Um, but, I'm not say afraid anymore...no. My father helped me. Earlier this evening, I had every intention of giving up my claim to the throne. And my mother helped me by telling me that it was ok, and by supporting me like she has my entire life.
But, then I wondered how I'd feel after abdicating my role as Princess of Genovia. Would I feel relieved? Or would I feel sad? And then I realized how many stupid times a day I used the word "I". In fact, probably all I ever do is think about myself. And how lame is that when there's, like, 7 billion other people out there on the planet and when –
But then I thought, if I cared about the other 7 billion out there instead of just me, that's probably a much better use of my time. See, if I were Princess of Genovia then my thoughts and the thoughts of people smarter than me would be much better heard, and just maybe those thoughts could be turned into actions. So this morning when I woke up I was Mia Thermopolis. But, now, I choose to be forevermore, Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi."
In-Your-Feels Rating: 8/10. Mia has come so far! After watching her transform from awkward teen to confident young woman, we are all rooting for her to make it to the ball n time to take her rightful place as Princess of Genovia — and when she does appear, soaked to the skin, we couldn't be prouder.
Mean Girls TM & copyright © 2004 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. All Rights Reserved.Mean Girls (2003)
Who? Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron, Homecoming Queen
The monologue:
“Thanks. Well, half the people in this room are mad at me. And the other half only like me because they think I pushed somebody in front of a bus. So, that's not good. I'm almost done, I swear. To all the people whose feelings that got hurt by the Burn Book, I'm really sorry. You know, I've never been to one of these things before. And when I think about how many people wanted this and how many people cried over it and stuff... I mean, I think everybody looks like royalty tonight. Look at Jessica Lopez. That dress is amazing. And Emma Gerber, I mean, that hairdo must have taken hours, and you look really pretty. So... why is everybody stressing over this thing? I mean, it's just plastic. Could really just... Share it. A piece for Gretchen Wieners, a partial Spring Fling Queen. A piece for Janis Ian. And a piece for Regina George. She fractured her spine, and she still looks like a rock star. And some for everybody else.”
In-Your-Feels Rating: 6/10. There are few speeches more iconic than the breaking-the-crown speech in Mean Girls. Cady's speech successfully destroys the high school pecking order and restores a sense of peach and neutrality to amongst the students — finally! But, we have to admit — this speech doesn't exactly leave us wiping away tears. Unless, of course, they're tears of laughter. A piece for Gretchen Weiners!
Sony Pictures Television Inc.Little Women (2019)
Who? Saoirse Ronan as Jo March
The monologue:
“Perhaps... perhaps I was too quick in turning him down. If he asked me again, I think I would say yes... Do you think he’ll ask me again? I know that I care more to be loved. I want to be loved. Women have minds and souls as well as hearts, ambition and talent as well as beauty and I’m sick of being told that love is all a woman is fit for. But... I am so lonely.”
In-Your-Feels Rating: 9/10. There's a reason this monologue has already gone down in cinematic history — and not just as a meme. In this monologue, Jo perfectly explains one of the inherent dilemmas of being a woman in society. She wants to have a full, rich life — a life that isn't defined by who she's married to — but that doesn't mean she doesn't crave love, too. This one definitely hits home.
Legally Blonde (2001)
Who? Reese Witherspoon as unlikely law student Elle Woods
The monologue:
"On our very first day at Harvard, a very wise Professor quoted Aristotle: "The law is reason free from passion." Well, no offence to Aristotle, but in my three years at Harvard I have come to find that passion is a key ingredient to the study and practice of law - and of life. It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world, remembering that first impressions are not always correct. You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself."
In-My-Feels-Rating: 6/10. It's not going to make you bawl, but after rooting for Elle to prove Harvard's snobs wrong the whole movie, her graduation speech is the perfect mix of comedy, cultural references and wisdom. You go, Elle.
Photo credit: David LeeFences (2016)
Who? Viola Davis as Rose Maxson
The monologue:
"I been standing with you! I been right here with you, Troy. I got a life too. I gave several years of my life to stand in the same spot with you. Don’t you think I ever wanted other things? Don’t you think I had dreams and hopes? What about my life? What about me. Don’t you think it ever crossed my mind to want to know other men? That I wanted to lay up somewhere and forget about my responsibilities? That I wanted someone to make me laugh so I could feel good?
"You not the only one who’s got wants and needs. But I held on to you, Troy. I took all my feelings, my wants and needs, my dreams…and I buried them inside you. I planted a seed and waited and prayed over it. I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom. And it didn’t take me no eighteen years to find out the soil was hard and rocky and it wasn’t never gonna bloom.
"But I held on to you, Troy, I held you tighter. You was my husband. I owed you everything I had. Every part of me I could find to give you. And upstairs in that room…with the darkness falling in on me…I gave everything I had to try and erase the doubt that you wasn’t the finest man in the world, and wherever you was going…I wanted to be there with you. Cause you was my husband. Cause that’s the only way I was gonna survive as your wife. You always talking about what you give…and what you don’t have to give. But you take too. You take…and don’t even know nobody’s giving."
In-Your-Feels Rating: 9/10. Viola won her first Oscar for her role as Rose, enough said.
Anne Marie FoxWild (2014)
Who? Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed
The monologue:
“It took me years to be the woman my mother raised. It took me four years, seven months and three days to do it, without her. After I lost myself in the wilderness of my grief, I found my own way out of the woods. And I didn't even know where I was going until I got there, on the last day of my hike. Thank you, I thought over and over again, for everything the trail had taught me and everything I couldn't yet know.
"Now in four years, I'd cross this very bridge. I'll marry a man in a spot almost visible from where I was standing. Now in nine years, that man and I would have a son named Carver and a year later, a daughter named after my mother, Bobbi.
“I knew only that I didn't need to eat with my bare hands anymore. That seeing the fish beneath the surface of the water would be enough, that it was everything. My life, like all lives, mysterious, irrevocable, sacred, so very close, so very present, so very belonging to me. How wild it was, to let it be?”
In-Your-Feels Rating: 10/10. Reese stars in this memoir turned movie as Cheryl Strayed who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in an attempt to escape her demons and rediscover her true self. It's a seriously affecting story and this speech marks her moment of absolution. Tissues are fundamental.
Entertainment OneQueen and Slim (2019)
Who? Jodie Turner-Smith as Queen
The monologue:
“I want a guy to show me myself. I want him to love me so deeply that I'm not afraid to show how ugly I can be. I want him to show me scars I never knew I had. But I don't want him to make them go away, I want him to hold my hand while I nurse them myself. And I want him to cherish the bruises they leave behind.”
In-Your-Feels Rating: 8/10. This monologue is beautifully delivered by Jodie and a perfect articulation of loving on your own terms and wanting someone who is dependable while being your equal. Overall this movie is a 10/10 on the feels scale, so be warned.
WILSON WEBBMarriage Story (2019)
Who? Laura Dern as Nora Fanshaw
The monologue:
“People don't accept mothers who drink too much wine and yell at their child and call him an asshole. I get it. I do it too. We can accept an imperfect dad. Let's face it, the idea of a good father was only invented like 30 years ago. Before that, fathers were expected to be silent and absent and unreliable and selfish, and can all say we want them to be different. But on some basic level, we accept them. We love them for their fallibilities, but people absolutely don't accept those same failings in mothers. We don't accept it structurally and we don't accept it spiritually. Because the basis of our Judeo-Christian whatever is Mary, Mother of Jesus, and she's perfect. She's a virgin who gives birth, unwaveringly supports her child and holds his dead body when he's gone. And the dad isn't there. He didn't even do the fucking. God is in heaven. God is the father and God didn't show up. So, you have to be perfect, and Charlie can be a f**k up and it doesn't matter. You will always be held to a different, higher standard. And it's f***ed up, but that's the way it is.”
In-Your-Feels Rating: 7/10. Overall, this movie is a serious weepy, though Laura's speech is more rousing than tear-jerking. It might not offer a resolution, but it is important for the way it acknowledges sexism.
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