20 Best Julia Roberts Movies: Timeless Classics
January 10, 2023 by Marissa Matozzo
When thinking about beloved actresses with the most impressive filmographies, Julia Roberts always come to mind. Whether you want to watch a great rom-com that will make you tear up, a coming-of-age flick to inspire you or a timeless comedy to lighten your day, Roberts, 55, truly has starred in a movie for everyone.
We rounded up 20 of her most iconic, memorable and enduring films and performances to celebrate her career with a timeline. With her return to the romantic comedy genre with the October 2022 flick, Ticket to Paradise, co-starring George Clooney, it feels appropriate to take a walk down memory lane:
READ MORE: Julia Roberts Lights Up The Red Carpet In A Plunging Barbie Pink Dress Beside George Clooney
20 Best Julia Roberts MoviesThe film that started it all! In 1988, Roberts was a young starlet who charmed audiences for the very first time with her breakthrough in the independent romantic comedy Mystic Pizza. Roberts starred as Daisy Araújo, a charismatic and quick-witted Portuguese-American teenager who worked at a pizza parlor in a seaside Connecticut town along with her sister and friend.
Julia Roberts scored her first Oscar nomination (for ‘Best Supporting Actress’) for her moving portrayal of type one diabetic Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie in the 1989 comedy-drama film, Steel Magnolias. Even while sharing the screen with icons like Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, and Olympia Dukakis, the young Roberts was still so memorable for her riveting performance as a small-town young Southern woman, and also won the Golden Globe award for ‘Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.’
One of Roberts’ most unforgettable films (and romantic comedies) is 1990’s Pretty Woman, in which she starred as Hollywood prostitute Vivian Ward, who falls in love with wealthy businessman Edward Lewis (played by Richard Gere). With her spunk, megawatt smile, perfect comedic timing and heartfelt delivery of iconic lines like “she rescues him right back,” Roberts became a household name in the early 90s largely due to the success of this film. She also deservedly received a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for ‘Best Actress’ for her performance.
When grown-up Peter Pan (played by Robin Williams) revisits Neverland after his enemy Captain Hook kidnaps his children, Roberts’ Tinker Bell leads him back in this 1991 adventure film. With her pixie haircut, playful disposition, doe eyes and illuminating smile, Roberts’ Tink helps a middle-aged Peter remember his childhood and find the joy in his life once again that he was missing.
In this 1991 psychological thriller, Roberts brings the 1987 book of the same name to life with her portrayal of abuse victim Laura Burney who is married to a toxic husband. In the edge-of-your-seat plot, Roberts’ character fakes her own death and moves in the attempt to escape her controlling and abusive husband, but finds her peaceful new life is interrupted when he discovers her and tracks her down. This film (although not critically acclaimed) was a box office success and showed off Roberts’ ability to take on more serious roles.
Roberts once again showcases her various strengths and versatility in this 1993 legal thriller where she shares the screen with the equally captivating Denzel Washington. Roberts plays Darby Shaw, a passionate law student who writes a legal brief detailing her theory on how an assassin killed two Supreme Court justices. She teams up with newspaper reporter Gray Grantham (played by Washington) and the two lead viewers on a suspenseful and gripping journey.
Further solidifying her status as a rom-com queen, Roberts portrayed the lovestruck and relatable Julianne Potter— a 27-year-old food critic who finds that she’s in love with her best friend, played by Dermot Mulroney— in 1997’s My Best Friend’s Wedding. The plot centers around Roberts’ character trying to win back Mulroney’s after he is set to marry someone else, and with Roberts’ entertaining, lively and energetic performance, she instantly won over audiences and this film still remains a classic rom-com many of us turn to.
Roberts teamed up with Susan Sarandon for this 1998 comedy-drama, which follows Jackie Harrison, a terminally ill woman (played by Sarandon) who butts heads with her ex-husband’s new lover, Isabel Kelly (Roberts) who will become their children’s stepmother. Sarandon earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance, and Roberts’ portrayal was praised as well. Together, the two actresses are sure to make you smile, laugh out loud and shed more than a few tears as they learn to put their differences aside and grow closer.
Another Roberts-led film that every romance aficionado is familar with is Notting Hill, in which she stars as famous American actress Anna Scott, who falls for a shy London bookkeeper (played by Hugh Grant) after walking into his small shop. From her chemistry with Grant to her impassioned and heart-rending delivery of lines like “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her,” there’s no wonder why this 1999 flick still remains a rom-com classic, and how, thanks to Roberts’ performance, watching it is often the best break-up cure or instant mood-booster.
Roberts reunited with Gere for 1999’s Runaway Bride, another beloved and swoon-worthy rom-com with genuinely hysterical scenes and moments. Roberts plays small-town woman Maggie Carpenter, whose unsuccessful— and frequent— trips down the aisle catch the attention of Gere’s Ike Graham, a cynical, big city-based newspaper columnist who wants to write tell-all profile piece about Maggie. As the two fall in love, the plot thickens, and Roberts shines once again for her ability to nail both comedic and poignant scenes.
Roberts took home her very first Oscar for ‘Best Actress’ thanks to her performance as Erin Brockovich in this 2000 biographical legal drama and dramatization of a true story. Roberts garnered both critical and fan acclaim for her portrayal of Brockovich, a young mother who famously fought against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for their involvement in the Hinkley groundwater contamination incident. Roberts became the first-ever actress to win all of the following awards for a single performance: Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice Movie Award, Golden Globe Award, National Board of Review Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award.
In this genre-blending film, Roberts stars alongside Brad Pitt and the duo entertain audiences with a compelling combination of the following elements; dark comedy, romance, crime and adventure. The plot follows Jerry Welbach, (Pitt) a reluctant bagman, who has to decide what to do after being given two ultimatums; one from his mob boss expecting him to travel to Mexico to get a The first is from his mob boss to travel to Mexico to find an antique pistol, (known as “the Mexican”) or suffer scary consequences. The second is from his girlfriend Samantha (Roberts) to part ways with the mob. To say that what ensues is captivating and thrilling would be an understatement.
2001 was a big year for Roberts, as she also lit up our screens as Tess Ocean, the former wife of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean, an ex-con who establishes a heist in this film. This fast-paced heist comedy flick is still entertaining to this day and with every rewatch, especially with the ever-so-charismatic and talented Roberts joining an ensemble cast composed of talents like Clooney, Pitt, Casey Affleck, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia and more.
The following year in 2002, Roberts starred as the villainous CIA operative Patricia Watson in this biographical spy film. With many intriguing moments and twists and turns, Roberts nails the role of a mysterious agent in Clooney’s directorial debut. The movie is said to depict the fictional life of game show host and producer Chuck Barris, who claimed in his 1984 “unauthorized autobiography” of the same name that he was once an assassin for the CIA while also having a career in show business. Roberts lights up every scene she is in, as usual!
In the highly-anticipated and hilarious 2004 sequel to Ocean’s Eleven, Roberts returns as Tess, the love interest and wife of Clooney’s Danny, an ex-con who leads a group in another heist across Europe after pulling off 5 casino robberies. Tess happens to look exactly like a popular actress, as written in the script and plot, so the gang aims to use her resemblance to help pull off another heist. The actress in question is Julia Roberts, and Roberts portrays not only Tess in this movie, but also herself in another memorable scene.
Roberts voices the beloved Charlotte in this live-action 2006 depiction of the classic 1952 novel from E.B. White. Roberts’ portrayal of the sweet spider who saves the life of the pig Wilbur will certainly pull at your heartstrings, and remind you of the nostalgic story from many of our childhoods. Roberts also joins a talented cast, including Dakota Fanning, Steve Buscemi, Oprah Winfrey, Reba McEntire and more.
Roberts portrays Joanne Herring in this 2007 biographical comedy-drama, with a plot based on the story of U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson (played by Tom Hanks) and CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), whose joined efforts led to Operation Cyclone, a program that organized and supported the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War from 1979 to 1989. Roberts was nominated for the Golden Globe award for ‘Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture’ for her dedicated performance.
Throughout her career, Roberts has conquered roles in countless rom-coms and action films, and we particularly love it when she stars in a movie that combines both of these elements. This brings us to 2009’s Duplicity, with Roberts playing Claire Stenwick, a corporate spy who joins another (played by Clive Owen) to carry out a complex con, and they both have to put their romantic history, chemistry, feelings and past behind them.
We could never end our list without the 2010 biographical romantic drama Eat Pray Love, which was based on the 2006 memoir of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert. Roberts stars as Gilbert, a newly-divorced woman who travels the globe in the aim to discover more about herself, traveling to Italy, India and Indonesia. With its stunning cinematography, Roberts’ clear acting talents and chemistry with Javier Bardem (who plays a Brazilian businessman that she falls for during her travels), this film is the perfect Roberts flick for anyone who wants a taste of romance and adventure.
We’re closing our list with Wonder, the moving 2017 film (based on the 2012 novel of the same name) in which Roberts plays Isabel Pullman, a devoted mother to a child born with facial differences. When Pullman’s son Auggie enters mainstream elementary school for the very first time, he faces challenges that help him grow, ultimately teaching those around him to be kind and embrace the uniqueness of others. As always, Roberts’ standout contributions to the film help make it a tear-jerker!