35 Movies That Will Make You Think Differently About Your 30s

It's the movie (based on the book) that helped launch a worldwide obsession with Tuscany. Diane Lane stars as a woman who pieces her life back together after an ugly divorce by impulsively buying a house in Italy and learning about her new country (and herself) as she makes the home her own. This is a must for anyone in their 30s eager to start over in a brand-new place.

In Eat Pray Love, based on Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling memoir, Julia Roberts plays a woman in her early 30s who wants to reclaim her zest for life through journeys to India, Italy, and Indonesia. The daily grind of balancing work and a personal life can take an emotional and spiritual toll, and Eat Pray Love inspired an entire generation to follow their wanderlust.

Whoopi Goldberg is a lounge singer who hides out in a convent after she witnesses a murder, but at the heart of the 1992 comedy is the idea that family is what you make it and life doesn't stop just because your circumstances change.

The hit comedy starring Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, and Tiffany Haddish is a tribute to the ups and downs that come with nurturing friendships throughout a lifetime, and it's perfect for anyone looking to reconnect with their BFFs.

Just because a relationship ends doesn't mean it wasn't a success. Forty-five years after its release, The Way We Were is a shining example of the growth that can occur after a romantic relationship fades.

The beauty of growing older is that, with time, we often develop a deeper love and appreciation for our parents. Following Chinese-American women and their Chinese mothers, The Joy Luck Club beautifully illustrates how the bond between mothers and daughters can become unbreakable when there is unconditional love and understanding.

Bridget Jones is one of the most dynamic female characters ever created, and everyone should watch this hit movie for pointers on how to boost your self-esteem and sexual confidence while becoming your own "wanton sex goddess."

Where there's a group of women, there will always be wisdom, support, love, and protection. Oprah produced and starred in this miniseries, based on a novel by Gloria Naylor, set in a New York apartment building about the ups and downs of the lives of black women.

Creativity goes a long way in Julie & Julia, the 2009 movie about a real-life writer who set out to cook every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and documented the highs and sometimes heartbreaking lows of her journey along the way. Watch this if you want inspiration on how to make a change in your life without doing something drastic like quitting your job or skipping town.

A beauty salon is more than a place for getting a new hairstyle for a group of Louisiana women in this 1989 film based on a play of the same name. Beautiful, funny, and relatable, Steel Magnolias is a shining example of just what can be accomplished when women love and support one another, even when they don't always get along.

A couple in their 30s struggling to make ends meet set out to reconnect with family and friends once they discover they have a baby on the way. As they search for advice on how and where to raise their growing family, they begin to realize that not even the most perfect families have everything figured out.

A group of friends whose lives have taken vastly different paths reunite for a funeral in this 1983 classic. In order to honor the memory of their late friend, each person must confront his and her own painful personal truths and insecurities.

We all have that one ex we wish we could forget, but what if you could erase the memory of a failed relationship for good? Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star in this innovative and emotional film about what we get right and wrong when it comes to coping with pain and loss.

Jennifer Aniston plays a struggling maid surrounded by well-to-do friends in this 2006 dramedy that creatively raises the question about whether friendships can survive across financial disparities.

Empires aren't built overnight. A French film about Coco Chanel's humble beginnings, Coco Before Chanel, is an elegant tribute to a cultural icon who was once just a young woman trying to make it in the the world of fashion.

Can a friendship remain even when you part with a spouse? This 2012 Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg dramedy seeks to highlight that painful experiences, even a divorce, may be necessary on the road to emotional development.

A husband's midlife crisis and frustration with his suburban life impacts his entire family in this unconventional, Oscar-winning classic. A satire about the idea of the "American family," American Beauty elegantly confronts the institution of marriage and the natural desire to understand the true meaning of life.

What lengths would you go to for your best friends? The 1996 crime drama is a must for anyone who loved Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett in Girls Trip, and it will make you shed a tear while you ponder the true meaning of friendship.

As a husband and wife both prepare to turn 40, they must work to keep the love in their marriage while dealing with financial hardships, aging parents, failing businesses, and children who hate them. This Is 40 is a charming reminder that no matter what you're going through, you're not alone.

Love it or hate it, Sex and the City helped to redefine how a generation of 30-something women viewed themselves, relationships, careers, and friendships. The feature film picks up where the show left off, and while the movie's glitz is over the top, the core message of never settling for less than you deserve is always a welcomed reminder.

One train ride can change the course of your life, which is exactly what happens in this 1998 drama that follows two storylines, one where the main character catches the train and one where she misses it. Your 30s can sometimes feel like you're on autopilot, and Sliding Doors shows that one small decision can set you off on a different path at any time.

Steven Spielberg's 1985 drama based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a gorgeous coming-age-story about the plight of Southern black girls and women in the rural South and is a tribute to how love can transcend distance and time.

If you've ever felt like you could do your job better than the higher ups in your office, this 1980 satire about three secretaries who overthrow their sexist, tyrannical boss is a must watch.

What if the love of your life has been right in your pocket all along? Set in the not-so-distant-future, Her follows a newly divorced Los Angeles man as he tries to make sense of his blossoming relationship with a new operating system called Samantha. Sure, the storyline is a little out there, but Her speaks to the very real issue many 30-somethings are currently experiencing when it comes to a lack of intimacy and our culture's obsession with technology.

What's Love Got to Do With It, which recounts the abuse Tina Turner suffered at the hands of her husband Ike, is proof that it's never too late to leave a bad relationship.

Sometimes you just need to watch a movie about a someone who creates an empire from scratch to get the inspiration you need to change career paths or start a new business. Orson Welles produced, cowrote, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane, and the classic film reminds us all to reflect on who we want to be and what we want to bring to the world.

Sometimes your friends are the only ones that can help you get through the hurdles that come with finding and losing love, and this film starring Whitney Houston, Lela Rochon, Angela Bassett, and Loretta Devine is a testament to the idea that the greatest love you could have just might be the bond you have with your girlfriends.

The Quentin Tarantino classic starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis is filled with philosophical banter and witty dialogue that has a deeper and richer meaning when you watch it in your 30s.

Sofia Coppola wrote and directed this movie that follows an aging movie star, played by Bill Murray, as he befriends a lonely newlywed, played by Scarlett Johansson. Set in Tokyo, Lost in Translation is a great reminder that meaningful connections can be formed where and when you least expect it.

Artist Frida Kahlo lived her life on her own terms, and the beautiful Oscar-winning movie starring Salma Hayek is a testament to staying true to yourself, even when your world is falling apart, and always putting yourself in your work.

Wild, based on Cheryl Strayed's 2014 memoir called Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, stars Reese Witherspoon as a woman who sets out to hike the country's longest and toughest trail as she comes to terms with the death of her mother and the breakdown of her marriage, which has caused her life to spiral out of control.

Thelma & Louise has been the quintessential story about the power of female friendship since it was released in 1991, and the title characters, played by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, will always be the most badass BFFs.

If a struggling single mother can bring down a power company that had been polluting water, there's no reason you can't stand up for what you believe in. Based on a true story, Erin Brockovich shows that, with enough passion, anyone can make a difference in the world.

Nothing forces a 30-something to come to terms with what they're doing with their life more than a wedding! The 2011 comedy reminds us that if we're not where we want to be by the time we're in our 30s, there are still plenty of people who will love and support us until we leave the hot-mess phase behind for good.