Article Summary: Michelle Obama Women Like Us brings together Whoopi Goldberg, Jenifer Lewis, Vanessa Williams and Vivica A. Fox for a Netflix ensemble comedy about grief, marriage and a Hamptons weekend that changes everything.
Michelle Obama just brought four of Black Hollywood’s most established names into one house in the Hamptons—notably, Whoopi Goldberg, Jenifer Lewis, Vanessa Williams, and Vivica A. Fox are teaming up for a story about grief, friendship and an anniversary that never happened. Michelle Obama Women Like Us is officially underway.
This new Michelle Obama Netflix movie marks her latest collaboration through Higher Ground, the production company she runs with Barack Obama. Directed by Tasha Smith, the ensemble comedy stars Goldberg, Lewis, Williams and Fox. Together, they play women confronting grief, marriage and unfinished dreams during a trip to the Hamptons, joining a wave of starry ensemble comedies fueling Hollywood’s biggest comeback season in years.
What Is Women Like Us About?
Women Like Us follows a recently widowed woman. She gets dragged to the Hamptons by her lifelong best friends and sister. Notably, the trip falls on what should have been her 30th wedding anniversary. According to the official synopsis, the weekend becomes a reckoning with grief, with marriage, and with the sisterhood that has carried the women through the years.
The story also leans into reinvention. Notably, the synopsis adds a realization that dreams don’t have an expiration date. Consequently, the premise establishes a tonal mix of humor and emotional weight over a single weekend, rather than a single-note comedy.
A first-time studio pairing
This Michelle Obama Higher Ground film marks a notable industry first. Indeed, Higher Ground is teaming with Macro Film Studios for the first time. Three-time Oscar-winning producer Charles D. King leads the banner. Furthermore, Macro has previously produced Judas and the Black Messiah, Fences and One of Them Days.
Key Takeaways
- Michelle Obama Women Like Us stars Whoopi Goldberg, Jenifer Lewis, Vanessa Williams and Vivica A. Fox in a Netflix ensemble comedy.
- Tasha Smith directs the film from an original script by Ali Kinney, with additional writing from Girls Trip’s Tracy Oliver.
- Production begins this fall in New York City, though no release date has been announced.
Who Is in the Cast of Women Like Us?
Whoopi Goldberg, Jenifer Lewis, Vanessa Williams, and Vivica A. Fox lead the Women Like Us Netflix cast. The pairing reunites Goldberg and Lewis. Notably, the two performers’ careers have overlapped for decades without a shared lead project quite like this one. Fans have already framed the casting as a long-awaited Whoopi Goldberg-Jenifer Lewis reunion, and social media reaction to the announcement leaned heavily on nostalgia for their earlier overlapping film and television work.
Tasha Smith directs from an original screenplay by Ali Kinney, known for Ginny & Georgia and Love Life. Notably, Tracy Oliver, the writer behind Girls Trip, Harlem and The Blackening, contributed additional writing. Notably, this Tasha Smith Women Like Us project follows her recent work on Mayor of Kingstown and Bel-Air. She is also set to direct Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Again?
The producers behind the cast
James Lopez, Poppy Hanks, Anikah McLaren and Mark R. Wright share producer credits on the film. Michelle Obama and Charles D. King executive produce, with Higher Ground and Macro Film Studios jointly backing the project. Together, that roster pairs Vanessa Williams and Vivica A. Fox’s movie-star power with serious behind-the-camera credibility, a combination Netflix has increasingly favored across its recent ensemble comedy slate.
When Will Women Like Us Be Released on Netflix?
Women Like Us does not yet have an announced release date. Production begins this fall in New York City, according to Variety’s report on the announcement. Consequently, a 2027 release window appears more likely than a late-2026 debut, though Netflix has not confirmed timing.
This Women Like Us release date gap is typical for a project this early in production. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film continues an active partnership between Higher Ground and Netflix. That relationship includes prior collaborations such as Leave the World Behind, American Symphony and Rustin. Additional upcoming titles include All the Sinners Bleed, The Altruists and a Julianne Moore-led mother-daughter comedy.
Why this project stands out
The ensemble’s combined resume separates this from a typical streaming comedy. Notably, Goldberg, Lewis, Williams, and Fox each have decades of film and television experience. Rarely have all four shared a single cast list. That density of star power, paired with Higher Ground’s growing Netflix track record, makes Women Like Us one of the platform’s more closely watched 2027 prospects already, in a season already crowded with awards-season contenders vying for attention.
What Comes Next for Women Like Us
Production begins this fall in New York City for Michelle Obama Women Like Us. Notably, the Hamptons setting serves as the film’s emotional backdrop rather than its shooting location. Watch for casting updates, first-look images, and a release date announcement as production moves forward. For the film premieres and industry moves shaping entertainment, trust Runway Magazine.
