Five the Movie: Why Everyone Should Have a Women's Circle

There is something to be said about having a strong circle of female friends. Whether it's the childhood friend you've known for decades, or the supportive woman who comes into your life during a painful experience, I feel blessed to have found a group of friends who have been a part of my life for decades.  No matter how insane my schedule, I know that I can always rely upon a circle of girlfriends who I can reach out to via email, phone or even on my 8:48 commuter train. My circle is always on hand to swap stories, comfort one another when one of us is down in the dumps, offer much needed parenting or relationship advice and cheer one another on when we're attempting to tackle a task that seems insurmountable.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered that much like an US Weekly column, celebrities are in fact "Just Like Us."  They too have a circle of tight knit friends who they surround themselves with to share the good times and the bad.  It's just that when they get together, the paparazzi are usually following close behind.  

Recently,  I got the chance to attend the premiere of the much anticipated Lifetime Movie, "Five" - a series of powerful films about women battling breast cancer at various stages of their lives.  The films, which debut October 10 on Lifetime TV are directed by Demi Moore, Jennifer Aniston, Alicia Keys, Patty Jenkins and Penelope Spheeris and feature an incredible cast including Jeanne Tripplehorn, Patricia Clarkson, Kathy Najimy, Rosario Dawson and Tracee Ross, Josh Holloway, Taylor Kinney, Tony Shalhoub and Jeffrey Tambor.  What struck me most about the films was how a breast cancer diagnosis profoundly affects relationships between men and women - bringing both sides closer together or tearing them completely apart.

Tripplehorn is featured throughout all five films as Pearl, a woman who becomes an oncologist after losing her own mother to breast cancer at a young age.  Pearl is the constant in each short film delivering incredibly difficult news and helping guide her patients as they confront their darkest fears.  Out of the five films, the one that struck me the most was called "Mia," which stars Patricia Clarkson as a narcissistic homemaker who, after learning she's beat the odds and survived stage four breast cancer, re-evaluates her life, purges herself of unsupportive friends and pursues her passion for travel surrounded by the people she loves.  Mia was directed by Jennifer Aniston and is one of those films that truly makes you sit and take stock of your own life and the family and friends who are sharing it with you.

I won't spill the beans on the other films, but I just want you to know that when you watch "Five," get ready to laugh - yes - laugh despite the fact that we're dealing with incredibly heavy subject matter.  There's something about humor that brings people together even in the toughest times and that's exactly what "Five" manages to accomplish.  The films are brilliantly written, acted and directed and what makes it more incredible was that some of the most amazing women in Hollywood played an important role in making "Five" the success that I'm sure it will be with viewers.

After the screening, I joined fellow Lifetime Moms Kimberly Seals Allers and Melissa Chapman at the after party where we literally got the chance to star gaze (and dine on some delicious appetizers, I might add).  Kathy Najimy and Patricia Clarkson were just a few feet away from us and when we strolled into the VIP area, we caught a glimpse of the incredibly gorgeous Demi Moore and the amazing Jennifer Aniston. I have to say, I've been a huge fan of both women for decades and Melissa and I even played the trivia game, "What's your favorite Demi Moore film" and both of us simultaneously chimed in with "About Last Night!"  

As for Jennifer Aniston, whom I've adored since her "Rachel" days, I finally discovered why I've always been a huge fan from afar.  At the after party, we had the incredible fortune of meeting Judy, a woman who attended the event while her daughter, an actress who appeared in one of the films, is out in Los Angeles.  When Judy and I started chatting, she mentioned in passing that her daughter and Jen are good friends and while I didn't make the connection at first, I finally realized she was talking about Jennifer Aniston!  It turns out that Jen grew up with Judy's daughter and she shared that while their lives have gone in different directions, they still have a strong bond between them.  She also shared that her daughter, who is now a mom, spearheads "women's circles," where friends get to share experiences with one another in an incredilbly supportive environment.  Her daughter even has a teepee in her backyard where women get together on a regular basis to connect. 

Whether you're a celebrity in a teepee, a mom on the carpool lane or someone like me, who rides the 8:48 metronorth train with my "circle," it's so important to have supportive women in your life who are always there for you in good times and in bad.   In fact, I've got the best idea for you to connect with your circle this month - get the tissues handy and call them over to your house so you can watch "Five" together!

To catch a sneak peak of Five, check out these amazing videos and then tune into Lifetime on Monday, October 10 at 9/8c.