Leading Ladies: 10 Films With Style and Gumption
FEATUREDTHE ARTS
Tammy Renée | Creating the Beautiful Life
8 min read
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
Rating: PG-13
Mood: Sparkling, witty, romantic, glamorous, and fast-moving
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day gives us two women whose lives change in different ways.
Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) begins the day hungry, plainly dressed, and largely overlooked. Yet when circumstances place her in an unfamiliar world, her intelligence, integrity, and quiet resourcefulness come to the surface.
Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams), by contrast, already possesses glamour, ambition, and social confidence. Her challenge is to look beyond appearances and the approval of others, and to choose a life that reflects her true affections and values.
Together, the two women offer a reminder that meaningful change may require different kinds of courage. Miss Pettigrew must learn to step forward and trust her own abilities, while Delysia must become honest with herself about what she truly wants.
Style Watch: Sleek 1930s gowns, satin dressing robes, glamorous beauty details, Art Deco interiors, and Miss Pettigrew’s elegant makeover.
Last Holiday (2006)
Rating: PG-13
Mood: Uplifting, glamorous, warmhearted, and life-affirming
Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) begins Last Holiday as a woman who keeps her dreams carefully tucked away in a “Book of Possibilities.” She works hard, asks for little, and continually postpones the life she hopes to live until some distant “one day.”
When she is suddenly told that she has only three weeks to live, Georgia decides to stop waiting. She travels, speaks more freely, allows herself to enjoy beauty and pleasure, and begins making choices with a courage she had long kept hidden.
Although the premise sounds somber, the film is ultimately warm, joyful, and life-affirming. Georgia’s story is a lovely reminder that we need not wait for a crisis before giving greater attention to the life we truly want to be living.
Style Watch: Georgia’s elegant travel wardrobe, her statement hats, tailored coats, evening dresses, luxurious hotel interiors, and beautifully presented meals.
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching The Holiday—the film with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz.
In the story, Iris, played by Kate Winslet, befriends an elderly screenwriter from Hollywood’s golden age. When he realizes that she’s been allowing herself to play a supporting role in her own life, he begins introducing her to classic films filled with strong, memorable leading ladies.
When he speaks of the great actresses of old Hollywood, he describes them as having gumption—women of intelligence, courage, and style.
I’ve always loved that word—because at one time or another, we’ve all needed a little gumption.
Below, I’ve chosen ten films featuring characters who embody both style and gumption. I’ve returned to these films many times over the years, and I hope you’ll discover one or two new favorites among them.
Sabrina (1954)
Rating: Not Rated
Mood: Romantic, sophisticated, and dreamy
In the movie Sabrina, Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) begins as the shy chauffeur’s daughter, watching the glamorous Larrabee family from the branches of a tree and longing to belong to their world. After spending time in Paris, she returns with a cultivated style, a greater confidence, and a clearer sense of her own worth.
Yet Sabrina’s most important change is not simply in the way she looks. She begins to understand that she need not remain the wistful young woman waiting to be noticed or chosen. Her story is a graceful reminder that sometimes stepping more fully into our lives begins with seeing ourselves differently—and refusing to remain on the sidelines.
Style Watch: Givenchy gowns, the iconic black cocktail dress, elegant hats and gloves, and Sabrina’s beautifully understated return home.
Pillow Talk (1959)
Rated: Not Rated
Mood: Stylish, witty, romantic, and sophisticated
Jan Morrow (Doris Day) in Pillow Talk is a successful New York interior decorator with a thriving career and a clear sense of her standards. She’s polished and feminine, but also practical and perceptive.
When she becomes involved with a charming man who’s not what he appears to be, Jan’s good judgment is tested. Once she discovers the truth, however, she refuses to be made a fool. Her gumption appears in the spirited and wonderfully creative way she stands up for herself.
Jan is a delightful example of not confusing femininity with passivity.
Style Watch: Jan’s fitted 1950s dresses, elegant coats, and the glamorous off-white silk sheath gown.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)
Rating: PG
Mood: Gentle, charming, elegant, and hopeful
In Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) is a hardworking London housekeeper whose life changes when she sees a Dior gown and decides she would like one of her own. Her gumption is not expressed through grand declarations, but through patience, persistence, and a quiet refusal to give up when obstacles arise.
What begins as a wish for a beautiful dress becomes a much larger journey. Along the way, Ada begins to see herself differently, and others are changed by her kindness, dignity, and determination.
Her story is a gentle reminder of allowing ourselves to pursue something beautiful, meaningful, or long desired, no matter our age or season of life.
Style Watch: Dior couture, Parisian ateliers, delicate embroidery, and Ada’s quietly polished English style.
Focus Features
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Focus Features
Columbia Pictures
20th Century Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Born Yesterday (1950)
Rating: Not Rated
Mood: Witty, intelligent, charming, and satisfying
In Born Yesterday, Judy Holliday gives a brilliant, funny, and endearing performance as Billie Dawn, a woman who gradually learns to trust her own mind and judgment. Billie already has plenty of personality and glamorous style, but she's grown accustomed to being dismissed, spoken over, and treated as though her opinions don't matter.
As she begins reading, learning, and asking thoughtful questions, Billie becomes more confident in her own intelligence. She starts speaking up and challenging what she's been told by dishonest people.
Her story is a satisfying reminder of what can happen when one stops underestimating themselves and begins taking their own values, convictions, and abilities seriously. Judy Holliday won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance in the film.
Style Watch: Billie’s dresses and coats, polished 1950s glamour, and the subtle change in how she carries herself as her confidence grows.
Hidden Figures (2016)
Rating: PG
Mood: Inspiring, intelligent, dignified, and triumphant
Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) in Hidden Figures are polished, capable, and accomplished from the beginning. Their graceful early-1960s style reflects their dignity, but it's their intelligence, perseverance, and courage that command attention.
These women don't need to change themselves in order to become worthy of opportunity. Instead, they challenge the barriers that have prevented others from recognizing their abilities. Each one steps forward with quiet determination, using her gifts not only to advance her own life, but also to make a lasting contribution.
Their story is a reminder that gumption sometimes means refusing to accept the limitations placed upon us—and continuing to do excellent work until our value can no longer be overlooked.
Style Watch: Colorful 1960s dresses, tailored coats, pearls, gloves, polished hairstyles, cat-eye glasses, and the women’s distinctive expressions of professional style.
20th Century Fox
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Desk Set (1957)
Rating: Not Rated
Mood: Intelligent, witty, warmhearted, and sophisticated
Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn) in Desk Set is the capable and highly respected head of a television network’s research department. She is quick-minded, remarkably knowledgeable, and quietly confident in the abilities she’s developed over many years.
When new technology arrives and the value of her work is called into question, Bunny responds with composure, intelligence, and a wonderfully dry sense of humor. She doesn’t allow uncertainty to diminish her confidence or make her doubt what she knows.
Her gumption lies in trusting the worth of her experience and refusing to be intimidated by change. Bunny reminds us that wisdom, discernment, and human understanding can’t be easily replaced.
Style Watch: Bunny’s tailored dresses and suits, elegant coats, and polished midcentury office style.
Universal Pictures
Now, Voyager (1942)
Rating: Not Rated
Mood: Serious, emotionally complex, elegant, romantic, and ultimately empowering
Charlotte Vale’s (Bette Davis) journey in Now, Voyager is among the most striking in classic film.
At the beginning of the film, she’s withdrawn and nearly erased as a person beneath her critical and domineering mother. However, when shown some compassion and support, she slowly begins a profound reinvention.
Charlotte’s elegant new style makes the change visible. As she travels, forms relationships, and develops greater independence, her gumption grows into the ability to chart her own course.
Style Watch: Charlotte’s dramatic wardrobe transformation, elegant traveling suits, beautifully shaped hats, evening gowns, and the visual contrast between restriction and freedom.
Warner Bros. / Paramount Pictures
My Fair Lady (1964)
Rating: Not Rated
Mood: Witty, defiant, musical, transformative, and triumphant
Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) begins My Fair Lady as a spirited London flower seller who agrees to speech lessons in hopes of improving her prospects.
Her outer reinvention is unmistakable: elegant gowns, refined manners, and the ability to move through high society with extraordinary style.
Yet Eliza’s deeper transformation is more complicated—and more meaningful—than the makeover arranged for her.
As she gains confidence, she begins questioning how she is treated, recognizing her own dignity, and developing the gumption to insist that she is a person rather than someone else’s experiment.
Style Watch: Cecil Beaton's black-and-white Ascot ensemble with its dramatic hat, the shimmering white embassy ball gown, and Eliza's transformation from patched shawls to couture polish.
A Little Gumption
At every stage of life, there are moments that ask us to be brave, resourceful, and willing to take the next step.
Gumption isn’t only reserved for the kind of dramatic moments we often see in film. In real life, it’s often expressed in quieter ways: making an important decision that you've been postponing, adjusting to change, establishing a needed boundary, or meeting an unexpected challenge with grace.
Whatever this season of your life is asking of you, may you meet it with courage, wisdom, and a little gumption.
