For years, Anne Hathaway has stepped into a wide range of roles and genres, proving her talent while working with some of the best directors and actors in the business. In 2013, Hathaway won her first Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Fantine in Tom Hooper’s musical/drama Les Misérables. From Disney’s The Princess Diaries (for which a threequel is in the works) to Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar and the fan-favorite The Devil Wears Prada, here are Anne Hathaway’s best movies, ranked.
Updated, July 2022: To keep the article fresh and relevant by adding more information and entries, this article has been updated by Rafa Boladeras.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
11 The Intern
RatPac-Dune Entertainment
Ben (Robert De Niro) becomes a 70-year-old intern for an online fashion website founded by Jules Ostin (Hathaway), a workaholic, trying to get better at managing her work-life balance. The Intern was a low-stakes fun movie by one of our favorite directors, Nancy Meyers. The chemistry between De Niro and Hathaway as a kind of father-daughter relationship holds up the film, while talking about ageism in the workplace, the complicated life of women who try to have it all, and how, with some intergenerational help, everything is possible.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
10 Colossal
Neon
Gloria (Hathaway) is an unemployed drunken mess who has been forced to move back home. After some nights at the bar, she discovers a psychic connection with a kaiju that has appeared in Seoul, as it does what she does, including her inebriated, uncoordinated moves, while destroying the city. Nacho Vigalondo is a unique director with a very distinct point of view, who’s also an expert in mixing genres, and Colossal is no different. He uses kaiju to talk about addiction and toxic masculinity, and makes literal metaphors that when someone is drunk and sad, they can be complete monsters. Hathaway plays the role with absolute dedication; you can see how broken she is at the start; how startled she is at her new “powers”, and how she becomes the hero of her own story, once her childhood friend, Oscar (Jason Sudeikis), tries to use her for his own interests.
9 The Princess Diaries
Walt Disney Pictures
Anne Hathaway’s role in the 2001 Disney comedy/romance The Princess Diaries was an important moment in her career as it is responsible for propelling the actress into stardom. It was her first lead role in a movie and was her performance and chemistry with Julie Andrews (as her grandmother) that made the movie sing. Hathaway’s portrayal of Mia Thermopolis, already showed she would become a star: she’s awkward and shy at first, showing a believable evolution as her character experiences the good and bad of being a real Princess. Audiences wanted more of her story, and it earned a sequel: The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Now, twenty years later, we’re eagerly awaiting news about the rumored The Princess Diaries 3.
8 Ocean’s Eight
Warner Bros. Pictures
Ocean’s Eight follows some of the most intelligent and talented con artists, as they’re attempting to pull off one of the largest heists of their lives: steal a $150 million necklace at the Met Gala. This film is one of the best women’s heist movies, and has Hathaway playing Daphne Kluger, an actress being used, without her knowledge, to get the necklace. Hathaway had a blast playing this part as she’s electric and over-the-top as the insecure, not-as-dumb-as-it-seems actress, stealing every scene she’s in. And in a killer cast that includes Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Helen Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson Awkwafina, and Mindy Kaling, that’s no small feat.
7 The Dark Knight Rises
Christopher Nolan’s highly beloved and acclaimed Batman trilogy ended with The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, creating a new model for franchise filmmaking that’s still going. Hathaway played the infamous Catwoman, a confident and powerful entity in her own right, who toes the line between friend and foe, right and wrong, hero and criminal. Her performance balances perfectly this dichotomy making us understand the motive behind each action in the most physical and stunt-driven performance of her career. As always, Hathaway committed to the task with gusto, making this comic character a real and believable person.
6 The Devil Wears Prada
20th Century Fox
Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt star in David Frankel’s comedy/drama, The Devil Wears Prada. Hathaway plays a college graduate, Andy, who, when looking for a writing job, stumbles upon an executive assistant position for Miranda Priestly (Streep), the notoriously difficult, and harsh editor of Runway Magazine. Knowing very little about fashion, Andy struggles to thrive in an environment where she is forced to work under the top person in the fashion industry, Miranda. The chemistry between Hathaway and Streep makes this movie one for the ages. The director, David Frankel, told Entertainment Weekly that Streep met Hathaway and said: “Yeah, this girl’s great, and I think we’ll work well together.”, and the rest is history. Hathaway gives a nervous, grounded, and sincere performance as the Ying to Streep’s Yang in this two-hander that shows all the outrageous demands of being number one in the fashion industry.
5 Les Misérables
Working Title Films
This film is arguably the most important movie of Anne Hathaway’s career as it won the actress her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2013 for her portrayal of Fantine. Tom Hooper’s musical/drama Les Misérables tells the story of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) and the prosecution he receives by policeman Javert (Russell Crowe). Hathaway plays Fatine, the struggling factory worker turned sex worker. Her performance is incredible, she not only sings but, while doing it, also shows us all the fragility and desperation of Fatine, creating a character that still haunts us.
4 Dark Waters
Focus Features
This Todd Haynes drama/thriller tells the true story of defense attorney Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) and his environmental lawsuit against a huge chemical company. In Dark Waters, Hathaway plays Sarah, Bilott’s wife, showing us how the lawsuit and all the pressure, and money problems, that comes with it are affecting their marriage. Ruffalo and Hathaway gave amazing performances, and many argued that the two were snubbed at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes of that year.
3 Interstellar
Another Anne Hathaway and Christopher Nolan collaboration on the list is Interstellar. This futuristic sci-fi adventure film follows a NASA physicist who’s attempting to save mankind and transport humans off Earth. In his attempt to pull off this mission, he must first send a team across the galaxy and through the wormhole to choose the human race’s next home. This film has stunning visual effects, overall sound, and an incredible score by Hans Zimmer, but the performances by Mathew McConaughey, Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain are what stay with us.
Hathaway plays NASA scientist and astronaut Dr. Amelia Brand in a strong performance that shows all the qualities of a leader on this kind of mission, assured, smart, but still emotional, raw, and deep. She shows us how this kind of experience would make even the best prepared, feel the burden of history, of longing for loved ones, but that’s the price to pay to help save humanity. And she nails every aspect of that performance.
2 Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain, directed by Ang Lee, is the love story between a cowboy played by Jake Gyllenhaal and a ranch hand played by Heath Ledger, who fall in love while working on a ranch in Wyoming. Although the two eventually get married to other people, who in the film are portrayed by Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway, their love affair with one another lasts for nearly twenty years. Brokeback Mountain is still a groundbreaking LGBTQ+ movie that should have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Although her role is small, Hathaway shows how life with an in-the-closet husband is not the easiest, even if that’s not her fault, making us feel for her, even if we want the two male cowboys to pursue their love. Hathaway told Out that she knew she read the script; she knew she had to be Laureen. “ It’s not dissimilar to the feeling of meeting someone that will become very important to you on some soul level. It had that same magnetic pull that I feel for certain very important people.”
1 Rachel Getting Married
Sony Pictures Classics
Coming in at number one on the list of the best Anne Hathaway movies is Rachel Getting Married. Directed by Jonathan Demme and released in 2008, Rachel Getting Married follows a recovering drug-abuser, Kym, who was recently released from rehab to attend her sister’s wedding. Family drama and years of built-up tension become the main focal point of this film.
Hathaway shines and gives one of the best performances of her career, even earning herself her first Academy Award nomination in the category of Best Actress. Hathaway’s performance as Rachel is raw, tragic, realistic, painful, sad, dark, and unlikable, but also lighthearted at times. In the end, it’s also hopeful. It’s a tour de force performance that still is Hathaway’s best, in a movie that breaks our hearts with every watch.
