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    My Ranking Of Every Anne Hathaway Film Performance From Great To "Give This Woman An Oscar"

    Her many British accents are taken into account.

    Matthew Huff
    by Matthew Huff

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Dearly Beloved, we have gathered here today to celebrate the incomparable brilliance of Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (or Annie to close friends).

    ABC / Via media.giphy.com

    Not only is she an Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning actor, but she is also one of the most versatile performers gracing our screens today.

    ABC / Via media.giphy.com

    Sure, she can weep in a high-end prestige drama, but she’s also serving gut-busting comedy in rom-coms, AND spandex-assassin realness in action films, AND full-range, heaven-sent, sonic pipes in musicals, AND award-winning, disembodied voice humor in animated movies. Anne refuses to be boxed in, and she’s not afraid to get really weird (I’m looking at you, Serenity). She won an Emmy for her voiceover work on The Simpsons, and if she doesn’t get EGOT status, I’ll eat that flip-flop from The Princess Diaries beach shack scene. Seriously, Broadway producers, get this woman on stage STAT.

    In honor of Anne Hathaway’s illustrious career and the release of Dark Waters, here is a ranking of her film performances.

    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    Cameos and voiceover roles are included, but her appearances in documentaries and on TV are not. Also, it should be noted that this ranking is based solely on her performance and NOT the movie as a whole. So unfortunately, Meryl Streep’s iconic cerulean speech in The Devil Wears Prada does not factor into this ranking, but thankfully neither does Russel Crowe’s warbling in Les Misérables.

    And now, without any further ado:

    35. Don Peyote (2014) – Agent of TRUTH

    XLRator / Via Twitter: @badpostanne

    In a film focusing on a drugged-out conspiracy theorist, Anne Hathaway appears for a full 90 seconds as a hallucination. She punches Dan Fogler, smokes a cigarette, and wears a clown nose. Anne isn’t giving a bad performance, but why is she here? Truly, why?

    34. Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control (2008) – Agent 99

    Warner Bros.

    Reprising her role from Get Smart, Anne pops up in the briefest of cameos for this straight-to-DVD spinoff. All Anne does here is talk on a cellphone in front of a brick wall. She could literally have filmed this in her Dumbo dining room between making a smoothie and taking a nap.

    33. Valentine’s Day (2010) – Liz Curran

    New Line Cinema

    Let’s get this out of the way now. Anne Hathaway LOVES an accent. Any opportunity to play a Cockney maid or Ukrainian arms dealer, and SHE. IS. THERE. As part of this ensemble film, she plays a VERY wholesome phone sex worker (the movie is PG-13) who breaks out accents to be a Southern belle and Russian dominatrix. Anne is here to team up with Princess Diaries' director Gary Marshall again, and she appears to be having fun, but this is far from her best work.

    32. Don Jon (2013) – Emily Lombardo

    Relativity Media

    When Joseph Gordon-Levitt, playing a guido porn-addict, takes Scarlett Johansson, donning a sweatsuit and New Jersey accent, to the movies, they go see a Anne Hathaway/Channing Tatum rom-com. Neither Channing nor Anne talk, but Anne should be saluted simply for allowing anyone to record her with this post-Les Mis haircut.

    31. The Other Side of Heaven (2001) – Jean Sabin

    Excel Entertainment Group

    Despite being heavily featured in the marketing of this Mormon missionary tale, Anne is in maybe ten minutes of the film. Her boyfriend (played by Ugly Betty’s nerdy lover Christopher Gorham) is shipped out to Tonga, but Anne is kept stateside. Other than a display of swing dancing prowess in the movie’s opening moments, Anne is relegated to forlornly reading and writing letters, while her voiceover declares how much she misses her boo. A real waste of her talents.

    30. Havoc (2005) – Allison Lang

    New Line Cinema

    In a child actor rite of passage, Anne Hathaway signed on for this nudity-filled, adult film to distance herself from earlier Disney, kid-friendly roles. The result: A HIGHLY problematic movie in which a group of rich, bored, white LA high schoolers decide to join a gang of drug dealers for a bit of excitement. Havoc mercifully skipped theaters, but it proved Anne could handle more mature roles.

    29. The Intern (2015) – Jules Ostin

    Warner Bros.

    As previously stated, Anne Hathaway is game to do just about anything in a movie. Nancy Meyer’s film about a retiree (Robert De Niro) interning at a fashion startup, however, uses none of them. Anne plays the company’s bland founder and CEO who struggles to juggle work and family. If you’re going to cast Annie, at least give her something to do!

    28. Rio 2 (2014) – Jewel

    20th Century Fox

    Why put Anne Hathaway in a musical and barely let her sing? She won her Oscar by singing for goodness sake! Aside from the lack of a soundtrack laden with Anne, this animated sequel also downgrades her character Jewel from feisty love interest to sweet mother-of-three. While Hathaway is a talented voice actress, this role gives her the least to do, and she’s overshadowed by her nearly twenty other costars fighting to land a one-liner in this crowded film.

    27. The Cat Returns (2003) – Haru Yoshioka

    Toho

    Before Anne had cemented herself as a household name, she lent her talents to voice the English-language dubbed version of this Studio Ghibli film, originally in Japanese. The story is lovely, and Hathaway is doing a solid job as always, but the disconnect between the animation and the voices, robs the performance of its full power. Plus, any Ghiblite will tell you “subbed over dubbed” anyways, so it’s really a moot point.

    26. Nicholas Nickleby (2002) – Madeline Bray

    MGM

    Another early performance, Anne plays the love interest of a young, hunky Charlie Hunnam's character in this ensemble Dickens adaption. She feels a little caged in theatrically as the damsel in distress who doesn’t do much more than whimper and swoon, but she is acting with her true love: an accent. During her first foray into the British accent, Anne is serving mostly-American with an old-timey vocal cadence, but she is charming nonetheless.

    25. Love & Other Drugs (2010) – Maggie Murdock

    20th Century Fox

    Starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal’s smarmy Viagra salesperson in this clothing-optional rom-com, Anne stretches her physical and acting muscles in her portrayal of a woman with early onset Parkinson’s Disease.

    24. Song One (2014) – Franny Ellis

    Cinedigm Entertainment Group

    Anne delivers a similar performance in the little-known Song One. Playing a woman whose estranged brother is hit by a car and sent into a coma, Anne makes it her mission to revive her brother by filling his hospital room with sounds from his life. She tracks down his favorite musician and wouldn’t you know, they fall in love! In the immediate aftermath of the accident, Anne has some strong acting moments, but overall she isn’t asked to do much here.

    23. Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) – The White Queen

    Walt Disney Pictures

    WHAT IS THIS ACCENT? I truly have no idea. British, but also…not? Anne is making some big choices with this character in the sequel to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. She’s got the posture of a ceramic doll and thinly veiled serial killer energy. Only in a couple scenes, Anne’s White Queen also never grates on me.

    22. Alice in Wonderland (2010) – The White Queen

    Walt Disney Pictures

    Basically the same as above, but saying “buttered fingers” in her bizarre accent gives this one the leg up.

    21. The Hustle (2019) – Josephine Chesterfield

    Universal Pictures

    I am thoroughly convinced that Anne was only in this movie for the accents. Someone told her, “You can do those accents from Valentine’s Day but for a full 94 minutes,” and she was like, “Hell yes, I’m there.” Starring opposite Rebel Wilson in this con-women comedy, Anne’s accents are the only thing more ludicrous than the plot. Critics hated this movie (14% on Rotten Tomatoes), but Hathaway seems in on the joke here and revels in her cons as German optometrist Frederica Schaffhausen.

    20. Rio (2011) – Jewel

    20th Century Fox

    Again, why is professionally trained vocalist Anne Hathaway not singing in a musical? It’s like putting Zac Efron in a beach movie and making him keep his shirt on. Nevertheless, Anne serves up an energetic performance as the lone female Spix’s macaw left in the world. Anne is at her best comedically when she’s annoyed or awkward, and struggles to shine when she’s just playing the sweet wife/girlfriend. Not yet the mother in Rio 2 and chained to Jesse Eisenberg’s lone male macaw for most of the movie, Anne is at peak sass.

    19. Dark Waters (2019) - Sarah Bilott

    Focus Features

    In her most recent big screen foray, Anne plays the wife of Mark Ruffalo’s environmentalist lawyer. She is Catholic. She is a mother. She used to be a lawyer but isn’t anymore. Otherwise, we learn woefully little about her. Anne (decked out in two decades' worth of wigs) chews up every sparse line of dialogue she is served, but her character remains underfed. Anne is giving her all in a generally good movie, but no amount of glowering in a bathroom can make up for her maybe ten minutes of screen time.

    18. Passengers (2008) – Claire Summers

    TriStar Pictures

    In a bit of a departure from Anne’s typical films, she stars in this M. Night Shyamalan-esque thriller as a psychologist tasked with treating the survivors of a recent plane crash. Part twitchy detective on a mission, part voice-of-reason to increasingly neurotic patients, Anne shows a side of her we don’t often get to see. This movie (and its simultaneously absurd yet dull twist) left me unsatisfied but piques my interest for an Anne Hathaway-led Shutter Island or Zodiac.

    17. Becoming Jane (2007) – Jane Austen

    Buena Vista Pictures / Via pinterest.at

    This leading lady performance is thoroughly solid, but it’s nothing to write your older, soon-to-be-married-to-a-member-of-the-militia sister about.

    16. Hoodwinked! (2005) – Red Puckett

    The Weinstein Company

    Finally, an animated musical that lets Anne show off her chops! Playing Little Red Riding Hood in this classic fairy tale turned crime drama, Anne is given the clever dialogue and appropriate solo to fully shine. This Memento-styled nonlinear whodunnit is Anne’s best vocal performance to date. Give this woman a Pixar movie, you cowards!

    15. Interstellar (2014) – Amelia Brand

    Paramount Pictures

    Christopher Nolan’s epic space odyssey is crammed with many stars, including Anne. While her stint as Matthew McConaughey’s repressed, brooding copilot is not her flashiest role, she provides plenty of gravitas as she struggles in the face of the Earth’s demise and an infuriatingly elastic timeline. Her monologue on love is a standout moment in the film, and let’s be real, that Hans Zimmer score makes every acting choice a good one.

    14. Get Smart (2008) – Agent 99

    Warner Bros.

    Annoyed Anne Hathaway is often the best Anne Hathaway, and casting her as the highly skilled secret agent tasked with babysitting the bumbling Steve Carell was genius. Not only does she get to roll her eyes and shoot off sarcastic one-liners, but we also get action hero Anne performing skydiving martial arts and slinking under laser beams. Equal parts funny, strong, and sexy, this is a prime example of Anne as a consummate professional.

    13. One Day (2011) – Emma Morley

    Focus Features / Via microsoft.com

    Guess who’s back? Back again! The British accent’s back! Tell a friend!

    The accent aside, Anne creates a character here that feels lived-in. A theater kid at heart, her acting can often feel performative. In this film based on the David Nicholls novel and told over twenty years-worth of July 15ths, however, Anne gives us a real person facing the ups and downs of an actual human being. That human being may have an inexplicable accent, but I think this is still a top-notch performance.

    12. Ella Enchanted (2004) – Ella of Frell

    Miramax Films / Via amazon.com

    Fans of Gail Carson Levine’s young adult novel may poo poo Ella ranking so high, but if there was ever a movie to show off the full range of Anne’s talents, it is this one. Cursed with the “gift of obedience” by her fairy godmother, Ella must always do exactly what she’s told. Cue humor. Cue strange robotic movements. Cue the devastating moment where her evil stepsisters force her to humiliate her best friend. Cue the scene where she is trying with all her might not to murder Hugh Dancy's character. Plus, Anne performs several full-on song and dance numbers! This is young Anne proving she deserves to be a movie star.

    11. Serenity (2019) – Karen Zariakas

    Aviron Pictures

    SPOILER WARNING FOR SERENITY

    Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get your pitchforks ready. Drag me for ranking this beachy neo-noir so high. This is an insane movie with a bonkers twist and Anne is, yet again, giving the world a nonsensical accent. BUT, the twist of the movie is that the whole thing is actually a video game, and Anne is playing a video game character who is trying to convince the player to murder her husband. Watch this movie again and tell me Anne isn’t 100% delivering on “Sexy Woman Written By A Man In The Grand Theft Auto Franchise.” Anne had the balls to give us a performance that is actually good because it’s bad. Gosh, I love weird Anne.

    10. The Devil Wears Prada (2006) – Andy Sachs

    20th Century Fox

    And then drag me again for not ranking this one higher. The Devil Wears Prada is obviously one of, if not the most, iconic films on Anne’s résumé, and she gives a strong showing as the new assistant to a tyrannical fashion magazine editor. Anne’s role in Prada, however, is more of a vessel than headliner. Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt steal the show, and Anne is just there to set them up. She is the best she can be in this role and thanklessly supports her costars, but ultimately, she’ll shine brighter elsewhere.

    9. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – Selina Kyle/Catwoman

    Warner Bros. / Via ifc.com

    When Anne Hathaway was announced as Catwoman in the original Christopher Nolan collaboration, the internet was skeptical. From her first scene, however, where she shows up disguised as a maid and robs Bruce Wayne (that “oops” line alone is applause worthy), Anne proved she could deliver sexy cat-burglar. Channeling the seductive action star bits of Get Smart without the doofy sidekick, Anne established yet again, there is no genre she can’t kill.

    8. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) – Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, Queen of Genovia

    Buena Vista Pictures

    The clumsy girl from San Francisco has moved to Genovia in this sequel to The Princess Diaries and due to an ancient law, she’s got to find a husband. While this follow-up replaces some of the high school realism of the original with aristocratic hijinks, Anne continues to offer up the bumbling charm we love. Her comedic prowess is on full display. And that sexual tension with Chris Pine, oh lord! Will someone please hurry up and make the third one?

    7. Brokeback Mountain (2005) – Lureen Newsome

    Focus Features

    The follow-up to Havoc, Brokeback is phase two of Anne’s effort to be taken more seriously, and while the former crashed and burned (like the plane from Passengers), this gay cowboy romance cemented Anne as a star to watch. While her part as Jake Gyllenhaal’s businesswoman wife is smaller and less showy than Michelle Williams’ meatier role, Anne capitalizes on every second she has. Equipped with a set of increasingly insane wigs and a Southern accent, Anne treads the line between repressed anger and actual ignorance in response to her husband’s desires. The scene where she reports his death to Heath Ledger over the phone is especially heart-wrenching.

    6. Bride Wars (2009) – Emma Allen

    20th Century Fox

    Haters may hate, but Anne Hathaway is downright hysterical as she battles Kate Hudson's character for the perfect New York wedding. As I have stated, Anne is at her comedic best when she’s sassy and/or annoyed, which is basically this whole film. It’s prank wars extreme, and Anne is full-contact wrestling in bridal gowns for the cause. Bonus points for teaching me the dance move “sprockets” in the bachelorette party scene, where she takes the stage with a Donald Trump spray tan.

    5. Ocean’s 8 (2018) – Daphne Kluger

    Warner Bros.

    After Anne won her Oscar in 2013, a growing swarm of “Hathahaters” appeared on the internet, accusing Hathaway of being fake and trying too hard. In 2018, Anne spun the narrative on its head by playing Daphne Kluger, a self-absorbed actress who comes off as fake and tries too hard. The Hathahaters were banished, and stanning Anne came back in vogue. Your mileage may vary on the female reboot of the Ocean’s franchise, but there is no debating Anne is the scene-stealing star of the movie.

    4. Les Misérables (2012) – Fantine

    Universal Pictures

    Anne won her Oscar for this one, and you know what? She did it with a MOTHERF**KING British accent. Sure, she is an American playing a Frenchwoman who speaks like a nondescript Brit, but since everyone in this movie is inexplicably doing a vague British accent, it works. Her close-up, single shot, shaved head, gut-wrenching turn as Fantine singing “I Dreamed a Dream” catapulted her to awards season glory. The only reason it’s not higher on this list is that she dies thirty minutes into the film.

    3. Colossal (2016) – Gloria

    Voltage Pictures

    Talk about bold choices in picking roles. In Colossal, Anne plays an alcoholic writer who returns to her New England hometown, only to discover her drunken antics are triggering a Godzilla-like monster to attack Korea. She uses her comedic genius to spar against Jason Sudeikis, and then unloads her dramatic chops as she grapples with how her drunkenness is affecting the lives of others. More weird and meaty roles for Anne please!

    2. The Princess Diaries (2001) – Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, Princess of Genovia

    Buena Vista Pictures / Via hellogiggles.com

    Technically Anne starred in a single season of a TV show called Get Real (with Jesse Eisenberg, later her costar in Rio) first, but for all intents and purposes, she was born into the American consciousness as Princess Mia. As the dorky, uncoordinated high school student, informed by Julie Andrews' character that she is, in fact, heir to the Genovian throne, Anne charmed her way into America’s heart. The foot pop. “Coning” Lana. Her soaking wet acceptance speech. Anne shines in every single scene. Every critic who contributed to this 47% Rotten Tomatoes score should be forced to retake high school debate.

    1. Rachel Getting Married (2008) – Kym Buchman

    Sony Pictures

    Anne Hathaway delivers her best performance to date in this underappreciated indie drama. Starring as a woman released temporarily from drug rehab to attend her sister's wedding, Anne earned her first Oscar nomination as the black sheep of a liberal New England family. Her character's rehearsal dinner toast-turned stand-up routine-turned apology carries a stingingly realistic level of cringe, and her frequent breakdowns and bitter jabs let Anne show off her range of talents. If you are a fan of Anne, this is a must-see, and its currently streaming on Netflix, so get to it people!