5 Movies & Shows about Women Narcissists

When you hear about narcissistic wives, you might picture someone who always needs to be right, demands attention, and makes the world revolve around them. And you will generally be right.

Narcissistic traits are not the same as full-blown Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This is a mental health condition for which a person must meet a diagnostic criterion. Not every female narcissist has NPD. In most of them, narcissistic traits are formed when something traumatic happens.

Does it permit narcissistic wives to take out their narcissistic signs on others? No. Movies and TV shows have given us some unforgettable portrayals of female narcissists, and we have seen how much damage these women can cause. These characters might be exaggerated for drama, but besides screaming narcissistic signs, they also display red flags you should be aware of, not to fall into the trap of a female narcissist.

5 TV Pieces Featuring Narcissistic Wives

Hollywood has long been fascinated by the power of destruction of narcissistic women. It’s another question of why we are attracted to bad boys (or girls) and want to follow them, see how they act. From chilling thrillers to sharp comedies, these female narcissists appear everywhere.

Adding “spicy” narcissistic characters is a legit reason to make a show more engaging, but it’s the only thing that makes us a bit obsessive toward these heroines. Female narcissists on TV never think about how to stop being a narcissist, but we do. We see how they hurt others around them, and we see ourselves in their evil actions.

It’s good when a TV piece presents narcissists as harmful, but romanticising their behaviour is more common. Glamorous, sometimes terrifying, but always unforgettable. Below are seven films and shows that highlight what it’s like to live with a wife who exhibits narcissistic traits. Take these examples as a warning sign.

1.    Gone Girl (2014)

Gone Girl is a cultural phenomenon of the 2010s. No therapist, even a lazy one, hasn’t tried to diagnose Amy Dunne. This movie was based on Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel and directed by David Fincher. Amy Dunne, the main character, disappears under mysterious circumstances, leaving her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) as the prime suspect.

Amy embodies a telling narcissistic sign: the need to control. Throughout the film, she turns her life into a performance, portraying herself as a victim. Nobody, except for her husband Nick, knows that she’s a mastermind behind it all. Amy Dunn has been diagnosed with everything: sociopathy, BPD, borderline, but the narcissistic traits are the foundation of her character, which is an undeniable fact.

You won’t meet such elaborately twisted narcissistic wives in your everyday life (we hope so). But what you can notice is that female narcissists ruin birthdays and vacations to ensure that no one else gets the spotlight. Amy takes that tendency to an extreme by ruining her husband’s entire life. Instead of a ruined birthday dinner, Nick finds himself framed for murder.

2.    Ginny & Georgia (2021-now)

The Netflix series Ginny & Georgia features Georgia Miller, a charismatic single mother who tries to give her daughter Ginny a “better life.” Georgia is the type of narcissistic mother who believes she knows best. Caring does turn into obsession if a narcissistic parent cannot hold their impulses back.

Georgia constantly makes choices for her daughter without asking. Don’t get us wrong, Georgia is a caring parent, but her parenting style is always extreme. Another harmful consequence of her narcissistic signs is that Ginny loses her autonomy.

A key narcissistic trait here is the belief that others are helpless without you. Georgia cannot accept Ginny’s independence. What makes Georgia’s character complex is that she’s not simply a villain. She’s funny and protective. And many children of narcissistic parents wished their mom were that type of narcissist.

3.    Mommie Dearest (1981)

Mommie Dearest is based on the memoir by Christina Crawford; the film stars Faye Dunaway as Hollywood legend Joan Crawford. There are a lot of rumours going around about Crawford, one in particular. That her glamorous public image masked her abusive personality. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

As a character, Joan embodies the classic narcissistic trait of victimhood: her day is always harder, and her life was definitely more complicated than yours. She suffers, but she doesn’t want to be alone. So, she gives everyone around her a hard time. One sign that a wife can be narcissistic is that she uses her pain as a weapon. This is very dangerous for the people surrounding narcissistic wives. Yes, it’s played out in a movie, but it’s someone’s reality.

The movie is remembered for its infamous “No wire hangers!” scene. Although it has become both a meme, it’s actually a serious depiction of narcissistic rage that narcissistic wives and mothers mask as a discipline. Though the film received harsh criticism upon release, Dunaway’s performance has since been recognised as one of the most intense portrayals of maternal abuse on screen. For those trying to make sense of similar patterns in their own lives, Breeze Wellbeing provides reflective tools that help untangle the lasting impact of such emotional dynamics.

4.    Fatal Attraction (1987)

If Mommie Dearest showed us narcissism in the home, Fatal Attraction brought narcissism, turning into obsession. This psychological thriller, directed by Adrian Lyne, stars Glenn Close as Alexandra “Alex” Forrest, a woman whose brief affair with a married man (played by Michael Douglas) turns into violence.

An unobvious narcissistic sign Alex shows is a sense of entitlement. She believes that because she wants something, everyone owes her a favour. Even if this is the husband of another woman, her inability to accept rejection only makes her dangerous behaviour stronger. First, it’s stalking; later, it’s a self-harm threat.

What makes Alex’s portrayal so striking is how real her entitlement feels: she doesn’t see her actions as wrong. She can justify every response she had and even rationalise murder.

5.    To Die For (1995)

To Die For is a dark satire inspired by a true story. Nicole Kidman plays Suzanne Stone, a woman desperate to become a famous news anchor, no matter the cost. Suzanne embodies the narcissistic belief that her desires outweigh everything else. If she wants something, nothing—neither morality, ethics, relationships, nor even human life — can stop her. She seduces a teenage boy and manipulates him into murdering her husband simply because he stands in the way of her career ambitions.

It’s natural and even healthy to prioritise your needs first. However, your needs and desires should not outweigh other people’s lives. On the surface, Suzanne appears ambitious, but she lacks a crucial quality: empathy. It’s a common sign of narcissists: wearing a mask so that no one can see how destructive they are to themselves and others.