There are some truly amazing lesbian films out there for the sapphic cinephiles among us, like Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Carol, or Bound, but if in your heart of hearts you really love bad movies, we see you.
Sometimes you want to be challenged when you sit down to watch a movie, and other times you want to watch something fun and mindless or a film that falls into that “so bad it’s good” sweet spot.
These movies might not be critical darlings or destined for the Criterion Collection, but they are appreciated by people with real taste.
D.E.B.S.
D.E.B.S.Warner BrothersD.E.B.S. is a campy, lesbian, early aughts parody of Charlie’s Angels that is cheesy but in an intentional way you can’t help but be entertained by. Add in Jordana Brewster as the delightful villain Lucy Diamond and some funny action scenes with young women in short skirts kicking ass, and you’re in for a good time.
Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime
Girltrash: All Night Long
Girl Trash: All Night Long Courtesy of POWER UPIf you thought a musical prequel to a web series with songs that would embarrass Broadway is a bad setup for a movie, you’re not wrong, but if you skip Girltrash: All Night Long you’d also be missing out on a great time. Gabrielle Christian and Mandy Musgrave star in this film set over a single night. The film follows a group of queer women who are navigating hookups, a Battle of the Bands competition, and a gay awakening, and it’s just as fun and chaotic as it sounds.
Where to watch: Tubi
Better Than Chocolate
Better than Chocolate LionsgateBetter Than Chocolate might not be a “good” movie, but it’s a foundational film for Gen X sapphics for a reason. It follows Maggie (Karyn Dwyer), who ends up with her mom and younger brother as roommates right when she’s falling for her hot neighbor, Kim (Christina Cox). Better Than Chocolate is a good time, but let’s be real, this movie has its problems, it just also has an iconic body-painting moment that is followed by a shower scene where the two women manage to get clean and a little dirty.
Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime
Loving Annabelle
Loving Annabelle
Wolfe Video
Loving Annabelle may be a problematic fave, but we can’t stop rewatching this taboo film about bad girl Annabelle (Erin Kelly), who starts a sexual relationship with her new English teacher (Diane Gaidry) after she is expelled and sent to a Catholic boarding school. The film may romanticize the power imbalance between student and teacher, but if you saw this as a baby gay, it probably holds a special place in your sapphic heart.
Kissing Jessica Stein
Jessica and Helen, Kissing Jessica SteinKissing Jessica Stein has been panned for being a sexless lesbian movie where the sapphic protagonist decides she’s not that into being a lesbian in the end, but it’s also a fun lesbian rom-com which are few and far between. It might not hold up to scrutiny more than two decades after it first came out, but stars Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt are so much fun to watch together, you’ll end up forgiving it’s issues.
Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime
The Carmilla Movie
The Carmilla MovieFilm MovementVampy lesbian couple Carmilla (Natasha Negovanlis) and Laura (Elise Bauman) settle down and try to live a normal life until Carmilla’s past comes back to bite them, in this follow-up to a web series. The Carmilla Movie has a big gay fanbase even though it’s objectively not a great movie. The sapphic themes are definitely the selling point, and not the plot or horror elements, but you can’d help but have a good time with the cheesy dialogue, pulpy plot, and chemistry between the two leads.
Where to watch: Tubi and Prime Video
Lez Bomb
Lez Bomb
Gravitas VenturesLez Bomb, about a closeted woman (Jenna Laurenzo) who brings her girlfriend (Caitlin Mehner) home for Thanksgiving, may drag on a little too long and have some tone-deaf scenes, but it’s also a fun sapphic twist on the traditional comedy of errors. It has just as many cringe-worthy moments as hilarious ones, and while some of the emotional beats of the film fall flat, the farcical plot will have you laughing and loving the characters.
Where to watch: Tubi
