The Diary of a Teenage Girl

You don't need another list of "underrated comedies" — The Diary of a Teenage Girl in the US on Amazon Prime Video, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video earns the label on its own. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. With 794 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Bel Powley sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, The Diary of a Teenage Girl is worth clearing space for. The Diary of a Teenage Girl does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she’s sleeping with her mother’s boyfriend. Bel Powley and Kristen Wiig lead a cast with the timing to make it work. It was released in 2015. What keeps The Diary of a Teenage Girl from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For viewers who want something light without wanting something stupid, The Diary of a Teenage Girl respects your intelligence. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Bel Powley's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl was released in 2015, directed by Marielle Heller. The full 102-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.