25 '00s Movies Every Girl Was Totally Obsessed With

    Don't tell anyone, but '00s movies > '90s movies.

    Ellie Bate
    by Ellie Bate

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. Bring It On (2000)

    Universal Pictures / lindsayslohan.tumblr.com

    Bring It On gave us a rare glimpse into the lives of the cheerleaders who were usually minor, bitchy characters in other '00s movies. They gave us something to aspire to, or – in the case of '00s girls in Britain, where high school cheerleading isn't a thing – gave us dreams of the adventures we ~could~ have if we were only allowed to cheer.

    2. Life-Size (2000)

    Walt Disney Television / monica-geller.tumblr.com

    The first in a long line of classic Lindsay Lohan '00s movies, Life-Size allowed us all to realise a dream we never even knew we had: our favourite doll coming to life, and turning into an incredibly successful '90s supermodel. Duh.

    3. Coyote Ugly (2000)

    Buena Vista Pictures / dailygiffing.tumblr.com

    Let's face it: it was probably inappropriate for us to be watching Coyote Ugly at a young age and deciding which character we'd most like to be. But whatever, it was aspirational – and that LeAnn Rimes song was a banger.

    4. The Princess Diaries (2001)

    Buena Vista Pictures / soundsofmyuniverse.tumblr.com

    A staple in the DVD collection of any true '00s girl, The Princess Diaries helped us all realise our dreams of finding out we are heir to the throne of a tiny European country we didn't know existed. Also: makeover sequence. Of course.

    5. Legally Blonde (2001)

    Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / robbsstrk.tumblr.com

    Elle Woods was the ultimate role model: she had an adorable dog, knew how to do the perfect high ponytail, and got into Harvard Law School just to prove a boy wrong. We were lucky to have her as such an important part of our formative years.

    6. Save the Last Dance (2001)

    Paramount Pictures / lalalandx.tumblr.com

    Save the Last Dance was the first in a long line of incredibly important '00s dance movies, and it was without a doubt the best. Not only did it win the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss – which, as everyone knows, is the most prestigious award a movie can win – but it also had a young, pre-Scandal Kerry Washington!

    7. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

    Fox Searchlight Pictures / filmeslut.tumblr.com

    Watching Bend It Like Beckham at a sleepover with your friends was a milestone in the life of every young '00s girl. You probably cheered when Jess kissed the hot football coach at the end, even though looking back that relationship was super weird and she should've ended up with Keira Knightley.

    8. Crossroads (2002)

    Paramount Pictures / dailybritneygifs.tumblr.com

    When it came to Crossroads, we started watching for Britney Spears and stayed for the beautiful female friendships and the idea of a super cool cross-country road trip that we all dreamed of, but would never, ever be allowed to go on.

    9. The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)

    Buena Vista Pictures / ryans-gosling.tumblr.com

    The Lizzie McGuire Movie marked the beginning of Hilary Duff's reign as Queen of Teen – we all followed her move from TV to big-budget movies, and wished we could go on a trip to Europe and discover our own famous pop star doppelgängers in the process.

    10. Freaky Friday (2003)

    Buena Vista Pictures / edward-sheffields.tumblr.com

    Freaky Friday was literally the perfect '00s movie. It had Lindsay Lohan in her Disney days, Chad Michael Murray in his One Tree Hill days, AND a kick-ass musical number at the end. You probably started wearing chokers a lot after watching it.

    11. Mean Girls (2004)

    Paramount Pictures / emilyblunts.tumblr.com

    Listen, it's not possible to make a list of '00s movies without Mean Girls being on it. It's been 13 years and we're all still referencing it pretty much daily, but it holds a special place in the hearts of all true '00s girls.

    12. A Cinderella Story (2004)

    Warner Bros. / marciabrady.tumblr.com

    Basically all you needed for a movie to be popular with '00s girls was Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, and a masquerade ball, and A Cinderella Story had it all. Deep down, you knew that it was unrealistic that Austin wouldn't recognise Sam in her mask, but whatever – it was SO ROMANTIC.

    13. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004)

    Buena Vista Pictures / hippiecrite.tumblr.com

    You were probably really jealous of Lindsay Lohan in this movie, because she got to wear really cool hippie clothes and managed to sneak off to New York to see her favourite band in concert. Looking back now, it's as unrealistic as movies can get, but at the time it was the ultimate dream.

    14. 13 Going On 30 (2004)

    Columbia Pictures / wadewilsons.tumblr.com

    When you think about it, being obsessed with 13 Going On 30 when you're a teen makes a lot of sense. Not only does it teach us that life gets so much better when you hit 30, but it also reassures us that we'll fall in love and get married to the boy we've been in love with since childhood. Sure, I guess.

    15. Raise Your Voice (2004)

    New Line Cinema / pruehalliwel.tumblr.com

    This one showed Hilary Duff's darker side, which totally resonated with you while you were going through your emo phase. You also wished you could run away to a prestigious music conservatory in a new city without your parents ever knowing, and then put on an amazing performance of an original song that was so good they couldn't be mad at you when they did find out.

    16. New York Minute (2004)

    Warner Bros. / jakegyllonhaal.tumblr.com

    Obviously, all Mary-Kate and Ashley movies were staples in the lives of '00s girls, but New York Minute was like, the ultimate in Mary-Kate and Ashley movies. Following on from their straight to DVD (or VHS) movies, this was a big-budget masterpiece. And it had an amazing makeover sequence, OF COURSE.

    17. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)

    Warner Bros. / sunnyfuckingdisposition-blog.tumblr.com

    You LONGED for the type of close friendship they had in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. You definitely had arguments with your friends about which member of the gang you all were, and wished with all your heart that you could find jeans to fit all of you, so you could be best friends forever.

    18. The Perfect Man (2005)

    Universal Pictures / pruehalliwel.tumblr.com

    It was slightly lesser known than A Cinderella Story, but for any '00s girl who was obsessed with Hilary Duff (which, let's face it, was all of us), The Perfect Man was lowkey your favourite of her movies. Probably because she was kinda emo in it, and that appealed to you when no one could understand you.

    19. Aquamarine (2006)

    20th Century Fox / allmoviegifs.tumblr.com

    This was basically the perfect formula for an amazing '00s movie: Romance! Mermaids! JoJo! Like all good teen movies, it made being the ~quirky~ girl seem like the best option – because maybe one day you'd find a new best friend in the mermaid you discover in your local swimming pool.

    20. John Tucker Must Die (2006)

    20th Century Fox / giphy.com

    There were way too many movies in the '00s about girls competing with each other for male affection, so John Tucker Must Die was refreshing – girls from different cliques teaming up to take down a guy was the ultimate display of girl power in the '00s. Also: pre-Gossip Girl Penn Badgley.

    21. High School Musical (2006)

    Disney Channel / stydixa.tumblr.com

    Whether you wanted to admit it or not (because, let's face it, you were probably too old to be watching it), you counted down the days until High School Musical was first broadcast on the Disney Channel. And no judgment, because that movie is truly iconic.

    22. She's The Man (2006)

    DreamWorks Pictures / jakegyllonhaal.tumblr.com

    Amanda Bynes completed the trifecta of '00s teen queens (along with, as we already know, Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan). When you found out it was based on a Shakespeare play, you felt totally intellectual. Oh, and the tampon up the nose scene was hilarious.

    23. St Trinian's (2007)

    Entertainment Film Distributors / seeinghimcoming.tumblr.com

    It's totally underrated, but St Trinian's was ~the~ cool movie of 2007. Not only did it have badass women working together to steal a priceless work of art (of course), but, say it with me: AMAZING. MAKEOVER. SEQUENCE. The fact that Russell Brand was in it just solidified its cool status in all our young minds.

    24. Wild Child (2008)

    Universal Pictures / ubw.tumblr.com

    For some reason, Wild Child made moving from Malibu to a posh boarding school in the middle of nowhere, England, seem actually desirable. It probably had something to do with the epic makeover sequence and the appearance of Alex Pettyfer, the ultimate mid-00s crush.

    25. Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging (2008)

    Paramount Pictures / rebloggy.com

    It was only a matter of time before Louise Rennison's mega-successful book series became a movie you could watch over and over. No matter how many times she complained about her life, for girls of the noughties, Georgia Nicholson seemed to be living the dream. Also, this movie introduced us to Aaron Johnson, for which we are eternally grateful.