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10 Movies To Watch if You Love 'Gilmore Girls'

Published 2 months ago9 minute read
Lorelai and Rory from Gilmore Girls
Image by Federico Napoli

There is a certain magic to that you just can't quite get from any other TV show or movie. It has the hilarious and cozy town of Stars Hollow at its center, where every television fan would love to live. It also has the excellent mother-daughter best-friend duo of Lorelai () and Rory Gilmore () at the core of the show, and a number of other characters that make the series so special.

After you've exhausted your hundredth Gilmore Girls rewatch and have similarly watched a number of TV shows like Gilmore Girls, you might still be looking for something else to watch. Like the Gilmore Girls themselves, you might want to watch a great movie or have a movie marathon with films that have similar vibes to the show or that make you think of the show. to satisfy your need for quirky characters, romance, and loving mother-daughter relationships.

Gilmore Girls Poster
Gilmore Girls

2000 - 2007-00-00

Lauren Graham, Scott Patterson, Sean Gunn, Keiko Agena, Matt Czuchry, Alexis Bledel, Yanic Truesdale, Kelly Bishop, Melissa McCarthy, Edward Herrmann, Liza Weil, Jared Padalecki, Milo Ventimiglia

7

Molly Ringwald as Darcy and Randall Batinkoff as Stan in For Keeps
Image via Tri-Star Pictures

is a classic '80s teen movie that follows Darcy Elliot (), an ambitious high school student in a serious relationship with her boyfriend, Stan Bobrucz (). When Darcy suddenly gets pregnant, she and Stan prepare to be parents, while dealing with a number of unexpected challenges. The movie follows them throughout the pregnancy, birth, and early months of their daughter's life.

Aside from the obvious teen pregnancy connection, For Keeps is . It would have come out only a few years after Rory was born and is exactly the sort of movie that Lorelai would have watched — indeed, she literally mentions it whenever someone asks about her life and experience of giving birth to and raising Rory on her own. Additionally, the movie pays a lot of attention to Darcy's complex relationship with her mother, Donna ().

01137021_poster_w780.jpg
For Keeps

January 15, 1988

98 minutes

John G. Avildsen

Molly Ringwald, Randall Batinkoff, Kenneth Mars, Miriam Flynn, Conchata Ferrell, Sharon Brown, John Zarchen, Pauly Shore, Michelle Downey, Patricia Barry, Janet MacLachlan, Jaclyn Bernstein, Matthew Licht, Renée Estevez, Darcy DeMoss, Leslie Bega, Helen Siff, Anne E. Curry, John DiSanti, Robert Nadder, Shane McCabe, Jack Ong, Sean Frye, Allison Roth, J. Trevor Edmond

Denise DeClue

Pippi Longstocking with a monkey in Pippi Longstocking
Image via G.G. Communications 

Based on the books by Astrid Lindgren, follows a young girl named Pippi Longstocking (). There is something unique and a little magical about Pippi and the life that she leads, where she lives alone with just her horse and her monkey for company. Her appearance shakes up the lives of her new friends, a pair of siblings who live near her named Tommy () and Annika ().

Pippi Longstocking is a great next watch for Gilmore Girls fans who have just rewatched "We Got Us a Pippi Virgin" and are ready to finally watch the titular movie for the first time. From the moment the opening credits start to play, in the Black, White, and Red movie theater while sitting beside Luke () and Dean () for a very awkward double date.

Katie Holmes as Sam and Marc Blucas as James in First Daughter
Image via 20th Century Studios

An early 2000s gem of a movie that has some similar vibes to Gilmore Girls is , which follows Samantha McKenzie (), the daughter of the President of the United States. Sam is excited to start college until she realizes that it won't be as easy to drop her past as she thought. With a ton of public attention and security guards watching her every move, Sam tries to have as normal of a college experience as possible.

Aside from its aesthetic, First Daughter fits very well with Gilmore Girls. Sam has a lot of similarities to Rory in her ambition and her sheltered upbringing, and her college experience feels reminiscent of Rory's Yale years. She also has a sweet romance with her love interest, James (). , First Daughter will make for an excellent next watch.

Simone Ashley as Pia and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Charlie standing in her photo studio in Picture This
Image via Amazon MGM Studios

is a recently released romantic comedy that follows Pia (), a photographer who is struggling to keep her shop afloat. As her sister Sonal's () wedding approaches, Pia is given a prediction that she will find true love on one of her next five dates. Pia doesn't believe it, but she lets the people in her life set her up on dates, all the while reconnecting with the Best Man: her ex-boyfriend, Charlie ().

Gilmore Girls fans will enjoy Picture This due to its silly humor and cute love story. Additionally, the movie centers family, including Pia and Sonal's relationship with their mother, Laxmi (). Pia is alsowho will root for her to succeed professionally and to find love. Additionally, Picture This has some hilarious scenarios that are right out of something you'd see in Stars Hollow.

picture-this-poster.jpg
Picture This

March 6, 2025

Simone Ashley, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Sindhu Vee, Luke Fetherston, Nikesh Patel, Adil Ray, Anoushka Chadha, Eben Figueiredo, Cordelia Bugeja, Phil Dunster

101 minutes

Nikita Lalwani

Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon) and Amos (Ben Platt) looking shocked in Theater Camp (2023)
Image via Searchlight Pictures

For Gilmore Girls fans looking for a movie with a setting that feels a bit like Stars Hollow, will make for a great choice. The movie takes place at AdironadACTS, a sleepaway camp with a focus on theater. After the camp's founder and leader, Joan (), falls into a coma, her son, Troy (), takes over in her place. The movie shows the camp trying to have a typical summer while dealing with the change in leadership, risks to the camp's future, and their personal dramas.

Theater Camp has such a fantastic setting, with its . It is also filled with a number of unique and funny characters. It feels very Stars Hollow-esque and is the perfect world for Gilmore Girls fans to get immersed in. It also has a sharp and particular sense of humor and a strong focus on friendship and messy drama that Gilmore Girls fans will love.

Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds standing really close to each other in The Proposal
Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

is a fun fake-dating rom-com about a successful book editor named Margaret Tate () and her assistant, Andrew Paxton (). When Margaret, a Canadian citizen, is faced with the loss of her US visa, she convinces Andrew to marry her so that she can get a green card. Things get messy when the two visit Andrew's family in his hometown of Sitka, Alaska, together for the weekend.

With a heavy focus on family and The Proposal is perfect for Gilmore Girls fans. It is a very cozy movie with a wildly funny sense of humor that shows Andrew and Margaret faking their relationship for his family while falling in love during the process. For Gilmore Girls fans looking for a fun, silly, and romantic next watch, The Proposal is a great choice.

the proposal
The Proposal

June 19, 2009

108 Minutes

Anne Fletcher

Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Oscar Nunez, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Nouri, Gregg Edelman, Michael Mosley, Dale Place, Alicia Hunt, Alexis Garcia, Kortney Adams, Chris Whitney, Jerrell Lee Wesley

Peter Chiarelli

Ellie and Paul speaking on the road
Image via Netflix

is a small-town coming-of-age film that Gilmore Girls fans will absolutely love. It follows Ellie Chu (), a smart and talented high school senior who has to focus on practicality and helping her dad () pay the bills. One way that Ellie does this is by writing classmates' essays for money. When a popular jock named Paul Munsky () hires Ellie to write a love letter to his crush, Aster Flores (), Ellie gets caught in a messy Cyrano situation.

Like Gilmore Girls, The Half of It tells a touching coming-of-age story with a strong friendship, romantic drama, and at its center. Ellie's friendship with Paul is really sweet, and the romantic storyline is perfect for Gilmore Girls fans who love the messy love triangle between Rory, Dean, and Jess (), as Ellie falls for the girl she's supposed to be helping Paul woo.

April lying awake next to a sleeping Clara in Banana Split (2018)
Image via Vertical Entertainment

follows April (), a recent high school graduate who has just broken up with her boyfriend, Nick (), because they're going to different colleges. When Nick starts dating a new girl named Clara (), she tries to clear the air with April, but the two end up secretly becoming best friends behind Nick's back. Over the summer, they spend all their time together while trying to avoid the elephant in the room.

Like Gilmore Girls, Banana Split has sharply funny and specific dialogue, wildly over-the-top and silly scenarios, and a really touching heart at its center. , and Gilmore Girls fans who want to watch something with strong women at its center will love these two characters and their story.

Banana Split (2018)
Banana Split

September 22, 2018

88 Minutes

Benjamin Kasulke

Hannah Marks, Liana Liberato, Dylan Sprouse, Luke Spencer Roberts, Meagan Kimberly Smith, Haley Ramm

Hannah Marks, Joey Power

A couple staring into each other's eyes on a sports field
Image Via Netflix

For Gilmore Girls fans who miss the coziness and sweetness of the series, will make a great watch for a classic Gilmore-style movie night. The first movie in the trilogy, based on the novels, follows a shy yet dreamy-eyed teenage girl named Lara Jean Song Covey (). Lara Jean is secret in love with her sister's () boyfriend, Josh (), so she writes him a love letter to add to her collection.

Things get really messy when all of the letters get sent out, so Lara Jean panics and fake-dates one of the recipients, Peter Kavinsky (). Their love story is so fun and sweet, with at its center. This trilogy is a great choice to watch after Gilmore Girls, and although it's not Luke's, it does primarily feature a diner.

The perfect next stop after Stars Hollow, Connecticut, is the island of Kalokairi, the home of Mamma Mia. The movie musical centers on a mother and daughter named Donna (Meryl Streep) and Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried), who have a close relationship. Sophie is getting married, but she's never known who her father is, so she invites her three potential fathers from her mother's old diary to her wedding — and they all actually show up.

Mamma Mia is such a fun movie with similar vibes to Gilmore Girls. It has a close-knit island of people at its center that feels like Stars Hollow, some excellent romances, and a really beautiful mother-daughter relationship that is the heart of the whole affair. It's an excellent next watch after Gilmore Girls, with many similar elements, that also adds a musical element and a beautiful vacation location.

NEXT: [Every Season of 'Gilmore Girls,' Ranked]

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