5 Leading Ladies I'd Like to Have Brunch With
This may be a wild and crazy idea, but I think that brunch is a sacred meal that should be celebrated with pomp and circumstance. Breakfast and lunch foods, sweet and salty, a cheeky mimosa, all on one table, what's not to love! The only thing that makes brunch better is the company you keep and, since I’m a film writer, I figured the silver screen was my oyster and I could fantasize about the perfect brunch guests to my heart's content! I’ve limited myself to five films with incredible leading female characters who I think would make the perfect brunch invitees.
Diana Prince, Wonder Woman, 2017
(Directed by Patty Jenkins)
One of my favorite memories was seeing Wonder Woman in a theatre, sandwiched between my grandmother and my cousins who are eight and ten. Despite the age gap on both sides of the spectrum, grandma stayed awake the entire time (a miracle) and the cousins sat wide eyed at all the action, the movie was clearly a multigenerational success! Lead actress Gal Gadot gives this famous superhero a heart of gold. She’s kind and virtuous, while also being a total badass. The exact type of woman I’d like to be friends with. Wonder Woman is the type of BFF who’d share her avocado toast with you, and keep creepy guys from hitting on you. A win/win!
Elle Woods, Legally Blonde, 2001
(Directed by Robert Luketic)
Who wouldn’t want to be friends with Elle Woods? The bend and snap aficionado supports her fellow women no matter what their background is, and she’d give the best fashion advice. Even if you’re not a fan of the color pink, you must admit her journey from potential housewife of Beverly Hills to Harvard grad is inspiring. I can imagine us clinking mimosas to celebrate her win on a big court case and I know she’d be just as excited to celebrate any of my accomplishments in equal measure. Every girl needs a friend like Elle Woods in their life!
Thelma Dickinson and Louise Sawyer, Thelma and Louise, 1991
(Directed by Ridley Scott)
So, I’m technically cheating with this choice since it’s two women, but who am I to separate these iconic best friends? These gals are ride or die, literally. And, despite being very different women they’ve always got each other's backs. Louise works in the restaurant industry, so she’d know great places and I’ll bet she’d tip well since she’s a waitress herself. Thelma would definitely flirt with the cute waiter and get us some sort of treat—on the house! With friends like this, brunch is sure to be a screaming good time.
Summer Finn, 500 Days of Summer, 2009
(Directed by Marc Webb)
Summer Finn was the blueprint for the “manic pixie dream girl” trope. Zooey Deschanel plays Joseph Gordon Levitt’s perfect girlfriend, but his idealization of their relationship is ultimately what tears them apart. The film is all told from his perspective, but I’m really curious to pick Summer’s brain and hear her side of the story. She’s sarcastic and witty with great taste in music, but what she needs is a gal pal to analyse clingy men with. We’d lament our unsuccessful relationships at the hippest, most underground brunch spot in town!
Scarlett O’Hara, Gone With the Wind, 1939
(Directed by Victor Flemming)
She may show up to brunch in a dress made from the drapes in her parlor, but she’d make them work! This southern fireball is certainly a polarizing character. She’s not always likeable, but she would be a grand time. Scarlett is a major drama queen who’s always got the hottest gossip in town. The two of us could sip mint juleps and silently judge everyone else in the place before we’re picked up by our beaus for a lovely afternoon picnic.