Jennifer Hudson earned a one-way ticket to stardom after becoming a finalist on the third season of American Idol, but in the years since she's also tried her hand at acting, appearing in several films with various levels of success. For instance, her debut performance in Dreamgirls earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and led to worldwide recognition for her duel singing and acting abilities, but then she appeared in Cats, a musical adaptation that was one of the biggest critical and commercial failures of the decade.
Using Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus as a ranking method, we're going to be looking at the worst and best films of Hudson's career.
Worst: Fragments (2008) - 45%
The 2008 crime film Fragments (also known as Winged Creatures) follows five survivors of a horrific restaurant shooting and how they respond to and cope with the life-changing event during the difficult aftermath, knowing their lives will never be normal again. Hudson plays Kathy, the wife of a man who was one of the survivors and thus begins to try his hand at gambling more often, believing himself to be lucky. Critics gave the film its due amount of praise for the talented cast, although they weren't content with what they perceived as shallowness in the film's other elements, such as plot and characters.
Best: The Secret Life of Bees (2008) - 59%
Produced by Hollywood star Will Smith and based on the novel of the same name, The Secret Life of Bees follows Lily Owens, a teenager living on a South Carolina peach orchard during the 1960s, who cannot find a way to shake the memory of her mother's death. One night, she decides to run away from her abusive father, with the family's housekeeper, Rosaleen (played by Hudson). With an image of the Black Madonna as their lone clue, they travel to a small town hoping to learn more about Lily's mother's past - eventually being offered housing by a group of beekeepers whose jars of honey bear the same mysterious image. While some critics described it as too syrupy to be a convincing drama, the film was, for the most part, praised for its performances and storyline.
Worst: Lullaby (2014) - 30%
The drama film Lullaby looks at the convictions, life experiences, and overall interconnectedness of various family members as they argue over their patriarch's decision to end his life support. Jennifer Hudson has a brief role as a strict nurse who tries to keep things moving as well as possible, and her performance definitely isn't bad. However, what could have been an interesting examination of right-to-die practices and beliefs faltered critically, as many reviews said it spent too much time on angry siblings and tear-baiting while not attempting to avoid a below-average level of production quality and numerous genre tropes and cliches.
Best: Sing (2016) - 72%
Illumination Entertainment knows how to deliver engaging entertainment, be it witty or not, and recruiting some of the most talented performers in the world to play animals who enter a singing competition in their 2016 film Sing might have been one of their best-ever ideas. Hudson appears briefly in the film, as the singing voice of wealthy former operatic performer Nana Noodleman during a flashback to the character's bygone stage career; her performance is impeccable as she delivers perfect, euphonious vocals during a rendition of The Beatles' "Golden Slumbers."
Critics praised the film for its performances, characters, and story; although some said it was too similar to traditional kiddie fare to be very impactful.
Worst: Sandy Wexler (2017) - 27%
Adam Sandler's name isn't exactly the most reliable in Hollywood, especially when it's attached to a comedy. His 2017 celebrity-cameo-filled Netflix film Sandy Wexler follows the titular talent manager (played by Sandler, "making fun of" his real-life manager Sandy Wernick) who discovers a prospect more gifted than any before (Hudson) while at an amusement park. As he falls head over heels in love with her, he also discovers just how difficult it is to manage the career of a starlet.
While some viewers claimed it was well-acted and had a couple of comedic moments, most critics discredited it as standard, unfunny Sandler fare.
Best: Dreamgirls (2006) - 78%
Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, 2006's Dreamgirls follows the three members of a 1960s girl group (Beyoncé, Hudson, and Anika Noni Rose), who quickly rise to international stardom as backup singers for a famous R&B artist - especially once they're forced to headline an act in his place - but their popularity soon leads to backstage drama.
The film was praised for its story, characters, direction, and singing performances, with Hudson winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, showcasing her versatility and proving that she can combine her equal callings of music and acting.
Worst: Cats (2019) - 20%
Andrew Lloyd Webber's famed sing-through stage production Cats has become one of the longest-running Broadway shows of all time, and as Hudson is an accomplished singer, she jumped at the chance to play Grizabella the Glamour Cat, singer of perhaps the musical's most famous number, "Memory" - and overall, she delivers a pretty strong performance.
After the film was released, however, critics were quick to burst its bubble, citing embarrassingly bad choices on the part of the computer graphics team, which alongside a muddled, badly paced storyline led to a disastrous cinematic blunder. Universal had to end the film's For Your Consideration campaign prematurely as a result of the significant backlash, and Cats is predicted to lose them more than $70 million.
Best: Chi-Raq (2015) - 82%
The musical comedy-drama Chi-Raq, loosely based on the classic comedy play Lysistrata, follows a gang war encompassing Chicago's South Side. After a young child is killed by a stray bullet (her mother is played by Hudson, who lost several members of her family to a Chicago gun crime), Lysistrata, a gang leader's lover, makes the decision to go on a sex strike until the violence ends, eventually gaining a large gathering of followers (from both sides) who join her in the nonviolent activism.
Directed by one of Hollywood's greatest visionary craftsmen, Spike Lee, it's been noted by critics as some of his best work for its satire, humor, and artistic qualities.
Worst: Winnie Mandela (2013) - 19%
Hudson landed the titular role in the 2013 drama Winnie Mandela, produced by megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes, which follows the influential anti-apartheid politician from her humble beginnings to her trials as the wife of South African President Nelson Mandela.
Winnie Mandela herself was upset with the film for not consulting her during its production, stating she found it disrespectful that it was made without her involvement. Critics weren't thrilled either, as they saw the film as a gimmicky, watered-down biography of the famed activist.
Best: The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013) - 86%
The 2013 drama film The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete follows the two titular youths, who prove themselves incredibly resourceful after they're both left to fend for themselves during a sweltering New York City summer, building a stunning resilience in the face of an uncertain future.
Mister's somewhat misguided mother, whose arrest leads to the events of the film, is played by Hudson; her performance was praised by numerous outlets. Of course, the film was also a major critical success, with critics praising its character development, witty plotting, and tragicomedy elements.