We all have that one comfort watch. For a lot of us who grew up in the early 2000s, that movie was What a Girl Wants. Amanda Bynes, rocking those chunky highlights and a cargo pant collection that would make any Gen Z influencer jealous today, headed to London to find her father. It was peak wish fulfillment. You’ve got the "hidden royalty" trope, the culture clash between messy American teen energy and stiff British aristocracy, and, of course, a young Colin Firth looking vaguely bewildered in a leather vest. Honestly, it’s a vibe that’s hard to replicate, but if you’re looking for movies like What a Girl Wants, you’re probably chasing that specific blend of earnestness and makeover montages.
The early 2000s were a goldmine for this. It was a time before every teen movie had to be a gritty "Euphoria" style commentary on trauma. Back then, the biggest problem a protagonist faced was usually a snobby step-sister or a debutante ball gone wrong. If you’re craving that nostalgia, you have to look at the DNA of what made the Bynes era so special. It’s about the fish-out-of-water story. It’s about finding where you belong without losing your "authentic" self—even if that authentic self involves dancing to "Get the Party Started" in a literal palace.
The Royal Makeover: Why We Can't Stop Watching Commoners Become Queens
The most obvious starting point for movies like What a Girl Wants is The Princess Diaries. It’s the gold standard. Anne Hathaway’s Mia Thermopolis is basically Daphne Reynolds’ soul sister, just with more frizz and a slightly more terrifying grandmother. Both films lean heavily into the "secret lineage" fantasy. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching a girl who feels invisible suddenly realize she’s a literal princess. It taps into that universal adolescent feeling of being a late bloomer.
But it’s not just about the crown. It’s about the contrast. In What a Girl Wants, the tension comes from Daphne’s bohemian upbringing clashing with the political aspirations of Henry Dashwood. In The Princess Diaries, it’s the San Francisco artist loft vs. the Genovian consulate. If you want something a bit more modern but with the same "royal" DNA, The Prince & Me (2004) hits similar notes, though it swaps the father-daughter dynamic for a secret-prince-at-college romance. Julia Stiles plays a pre-med student who doesn't realize her lab partner is the future King of Denmark. It’s cheesy? Yes. Is it exactly what you need on a rainy Tuesday? Absolutely.
The Amanda Bynes Cinematic Universe (ABCU)
You can't talk about movies like What a Girl Wants without acknowledging that Amanda Bynes was the undisputed queen of the mid-aughts teen comedy. She had a specific type of physical comedy—harkening back to her days on The Amanda Show—that made her feel approachable. She wasn't the "mean girl"; she was the girl who tripped over her own feet and made a joke about it.
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She’s the Man is arguably her masterpiece. While What a Girl Wants is a loose remake of the 1958 film The Reluctant Debutante, She's the Man is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It’s chaotic. It’s got Channing Tatum in his prime "confused athlete" era. Most importantly, it carries that same theme of identity. Daphne wants to know who she is by finding her dad; Viola wants to prove who she is by playing soccer. If you like the heart of Daphne, you’ll love the sheer absurdity of Viola.
Then there’s Sydney White. It’s a modern retelling of Snow White set in a college Greek life system. It’s probably the most underrated of her films. It deals with the "dorks vs. elites" trope that defines the latter half of What a Girl Wants. When Daphne is being bullied by those awful socialite girls in London, you feel that same sense of injustice you feel when the "Seven Dorks" are being kicked out of their house in Sydney White.
The British Connection: Tea, Tiaras, and Teenage Angst
A huge part of the appeal of What a Girl Wants is the setting. London in 2003 looked like a postcard. The movie made every American girl want to hop on a red double-decker bus and find a boyfriend who plays the guitar in a dusty attic.
If it’s the British vibe you’re after, Wild Child (2008) is the perfect spiritual successor. Emma Roberts plays a spoiled Malibu brat sent to a strict English boarding school. It’s basically What a Girl Wants in reverse. Instead of an American girl trying to fit into the British upper class to bond with her dad, it’s an American girl being forced into British discipline to learn some humility. It has everything: the makeover, the cute British love interest (Alex Pettyfer), and a climax that takes place at a school function where the protagonist finally stands up for herself.
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For a slightly more mature—but still very "comfy"—take on the British-American culture clash, The Holiday actually fits the bill. While it’s a rom-com for adults, the storyline involving Cameron Diaz in the English countryside captures that same "stranger in a strange land" magic. You get the cozy cottages, the winter fashion, and that feeling of starting over in a place where nobody knows your history.
Why the "Father-Daughter" Trope Hits Different
At its core, What a Girl Wants isn't really about the boy or the dress. It’s about a girl who feels like half of her story is missing. That’s why it makes people cry. The scene where she sees the wall of photos and realizes she wasn't just a "mistake" is a heavy hitter for a "light" movie.
If that’s the itch you’re trying to scratch, Father of the Bride is a must-watch. Steve Martin captures that same protective, slightly overwhelmed father energy that Colin Firth eventually finds. For a more dramatic (but still PG-13) version, A Cinderella Story with Hilary Duff deals with the absence of a father and the struggle to find your place in a family that doesn't seem to want you. It has the same "ball" scene payoff as What a Girl Wants, where the underdog finally gets her moment in the spotlight.
The Fashion and the Soundtrack: A Time Capsule
Let's be real: we watch these movies for the aesthetics. The fashion in movies like What a Girl Wants is a very specific flavor of Y2K. It’s butterfly clips, low-rise jeans, and layers. Lots of layers.
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- Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen: Lindsay Lohan at her peak. The outfits are even more experimental than Daphne’s, and the movie shares that bright, saturated color palette.
- Passport to Paris: You can't talk about teen travel movies without the Olsen twins. It’s lower budget, sure, but it pioneered the "teens taking over a European city" genre that What a Girl Wants perfected.
- Sleepover: This one captures the "uncool" girl energy. It’s about a scavenger hunt, but the stakes feel as high as a royal gala when you're fourteen.
The Evolution of the "Girlhood" Movie
In recent years, the genre has shifted. We don't see as many "surprise royalty" movies anymore. Instead, we get "surprise superpower" or "surprise multiverse" stories. But the DNA is still there in movies like Monte Carlo, where Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, and Katie Cassidy go to Paris and end up in a case of mistaken identity involving a British heiress. It’s almost a direct descendant of the Bynes era. It’s got the glamour, the travel, and the eventual realization that being yourself is better than being a caricature of someone else.
Another one that often gets overlooked is Chasing Liberty. Mandy Moore plays the First Daughter who just wants to be a normal teenager, so she escapes her Secret Service detail in Europe. It’s essentially What a Girl Wants if the dad was the President instead of a Lord. The chemistry between Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode is actually great, and it captures that longing for freedom that Daphne feels when she’s being stifled by the Dashwood family's PR team.
How to Find Your Next Comfort Watch
If you’ve exhausted the classics, you have to look for the "Vibe." The vibe of What a Girl Wants is defined by three things: optimism, a clear "villain" who is usually just a snob, and a happy ending that feels earned.
Avoid the "dark" reboots. If you see a remake of a 2000s classic that looks moody and grey, it’s not going to give you the same feeling. You want high saturation. You want a soundtrack that features at least one song by a band like The Donnas or Kelly Clarkson. You want a movie where the main character’s biggest "flaw" is that she’s "too real" for the fancy people around her.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Movie Night
Instead of scrolling endlessly through Netflix, curate your own "Modern Fairytale" marathon. Here is how you can recreate the What a Girl Wants experience tonight:
- Check the "Double Feature" compatibility: Pair What a Girl Wants with The Princess Diaries if you want the royal fix. Pair it with She's the Man if you want the Bynes comedy fix.
- Look for "Fish out of Water" tags: On streaming platforms, search for keywords like "mistaken identity," "royalty," or "makeover." This usually bypasses the gritty dramas and leads you to the hidden gems of the 2000s.
- Explore the Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) catalog: If you have Disney+, movies like The Cheetah Girls 2 (the one in Spain) or Princess Protection Program hit many of the same beats—travel, friendship, and staying true to yourself.
- Prioritize the "Feel Good" score: Sites like Rotten Tomatoes have a "Popcorn" score that is often more indicative of a movie's comfort level than the critic score. For this genre, a low critic score and a high audience score is usually a green flag.
The magic of these films isn't in their complexity. It’s in their simplicity. They remind us of a time when the world felt a little smaller, the clothes were a little louder, and we all believed that a trip to London could solve everything. Sometimes, that's exactly what you need.