Boys on the Side
The friendships developed in Boys on the Side between the three female characters challenge the typical friendships between characters of the same sex such as the one seen in Thelma & Louise or even Easy Rider. In these two films, the friendship between the two characters is seen as strictly platonic. Even though Thelma and Louise kiss at the end, the kiss is written into the script as a kiss between two best friends, not two lovers.
In Boys on the Side, the friendship between Jane (a homosexual female) and Robin (a heterosexual female) is questioned at the dinner table. Holly and her boyfriend question the dynamics between the two women. In fact, Robin never directly denys the possibility that she and Jane have had sex, but she doesn't affirm it either. This scene challenges the ideas of female friendships when it presents the fact that there may be more than just a friendship between the two women. Robin explains this feeling about their friendship when testifying on behalf of Holly at her trial; she says that there is just something between women that she can't exactly expalin.
In the end of the film, Boys on the Side is not able to completely escape the norms placed on women from society. As Robin has died, only Holly and Jane remain in the story. However, Holly gets married and has a baby, which complete the perfect family. Jane on the other hand is left alone with out anyone as a companion. Holly is able to survive the story because she is a heterosexual woman and is able to marry and become a mother. Jane on the hand, is not allowed to do so and finds herself in a very different situacion than Holly.