Picture this: it’s 2015, and you just searched for another “Am I Gay?” quiz on your browser. You go to YouTube and, sandwiched in between the latest “YouTubers react” video and beauty guru Q&A, is a music video directed by Hayley Kiyoko, who many people might’ve recognized from Disney’s Lemonade Mouth. The title is none other than “Girls Like Girls.”
Eleven years later, a film of the same name comes out, taking what was once an iconic moment for LGBTQ+ representation and expanding it into a full viewing experience, complete with yearning and self-discovery, made for anyone who ever felt different growing up.
For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows Coley (Maya da Costa), the new girl in town, as she is embraced by a seemingly popular friend group. She meets Sonya (Myra Molloy), who instantly catches Coley’s eye and draws her in; the two of them grow close over the course of the summer and form a bubble around them. They chat on AIM and develop a strong friendship, while flirting with the idea that this could be something more.
The film has a few major wins, one of the best arguably being the artistic direction. Girls Like Girls captures the exact feeling of wearing a stretchy black choker or throwing on a denim jacket, jumping into the lake and feeling butterflies for the first time, not knowing why but, at the same time, knowing why deep down. It throws the viewer right into the setting and swallows them up, making them feel like they’re right there with the characters. The movie captures the buzziness of a first love—specifically queer love—perfectly.
The acting might feel a bit off at first, but for the most part, da Costa and Molloy step right into their roles and pull the audience into their connection. It would’ve been nice to see a few more moments featuring more dialogue and showing their connection growing steadily stronger. Perhaps more onscreen conversations or another almost-kiss could’ve built some of that tension.
The film also pushes the viewer straight into the story, so Coley and Sonya’s first meeting at the convenience store feels a little rushed or misplaced. It’s hard to tell why Coley might even go along with the group of strangers in the first place rather than walk right out. Though we assume it’s because of Sonya, it still feels like a fast burn considering it’s their first time meeting.
Bridging the gap between the song and film (and novel by the same title by Kiyoko) still feels natural. The montage of the pair’s moments feels reminiscent of the original music video—especially with the party that comes in the second half of the film. However, the movie does miss out on some iconic music video moments, which are sorely missed, considering the source material is what brought so many people to the theaters. While the background music is often instrumental, pulled straight from the song “Girls Like Girls” by Kiyoko, the song does not make an actual appearance in the film until the credits roll, which might leave fans divided.
Still, Girls Like Girls is a huge feat. The storytelling is beautiful and rare to see, which is the sad truth of representation in 2026. Any LGBTQ+ teen who watched the music video all those years ago, who went from silently crushing to watching this film in theaters 11 years later, knows that this is cause for celebration. It might not mean something to everyone, but to so many people who have been waiting to see a story like this on the big screen—after Nicole Kidman finishes her AMC spiel or hand in hand with a date and a bucket of popcorn—this movie means something real.
It’s also wonderful to see two women of color fall for one another and see their story blossom on screen. It’s another rare thing indeed to see this love displayed in theaters in a tender and authentic way. Seeing Coley and Sonya’s romance and how they are each others’ first loves is something many queer people and women of color experience and hardly get to see on screen. If there are moments of cheesiness or easy predictability, or moments this writer herself might change, well, so be it. We’re allowed to have some silly, fun, messy movies, too.
