Jamie Lee Curtis is currently wowing audiences in A24's Everything Everywhere All At Once, a multiversal drama that explores the purpose of existence and the weight of everyday decision-making. She plays one of the film's most complex and memorable characters, an IRS tax inspector named Deidre.
In celebration of Curtis' highly successful and acclaimed career, Ranker has put together a list of the ten best movies that she's been involved in over the years. Her resume is an extremely impressive one, filled with both cult classics and huge commercial successes.
My Girl (1991)
My Girl tells the charming story of a hypochondriac named Veda, whose father begins a controversial relationship with a makeup artist named Shelley, which threatens to tear their connection apart. It's a typical coming-of-age journey, brought to life by a thoughtful script and plenty of charismatic performances.
Curtis stars alongside Anna Chlumsky, Macauley Kulkin, and Dan Akroyd in this tender drama, all of whom embody their characters perfectly and play off each other's strengths in a constantly entertaining way. It's one of the biggest hidden gems in Curtis' filmography.
Death Of A Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story (1981)
Jamie Lee Curtis plays the titular Dorothy Stratton in Death of a Centerfold, a biographical drama that explores Stratton's relationship with her husband and manager Paul Snider, who eventually killed her. It's an extremely intense and suspenseful film, with Curtis' lead performance doing much of the heavy lifting.
Plenty of people believe Death of a Centerfold to be one of the best Hollywood biopics out there, and it's certainly one of the most influential. Perhaps even one of the first in the genre, Death of a Centerfold was an innovative film that still holds up extremely well today.
Freaky Friday (2003)
Freaky Friday was one of the defining teen movies of a generation, with Jamie Lee Curtis' iconic performance going down in history as an incredibly entertaining example of how to do teen comedy just right. The film follows mother and daughter Tess and Anna, who find themselves trapped in each other's bodies and forced to live in each other's lives.
Freaky Friday is itself a remake of the original 1976 movie of the same name - one that brought this inventive and hilarious premise to a new generation. Curtis herself likely watched the original when she was closer in age to the daughter, so playing the mother in a remake would have been a fascinating experience.
Trading Places (1983)
Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd star in the lead roles on John Landis' Trading Places, which is considered one of the best '80s comedies ever made. The story follows two millionaire brothers, who conspire to switch the fortunes of a wealthy investor and a street con artist.
Not only is Trading Places a great holiday movie, but it also doubles as a scathing social commentary and a hilarious dark comedy on top of that. Everything about the film is the complete embodiment of 1980's humor, which gives it a great nostalgic charm.
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Starring and written by John Cleese, A Fish Called Wanda sees Jamie Lee Curtis in the titular role as a con artist who finds herself caught up in a deadly game of deceit that's spoiled only by one thing - her unexpected infatuation for a stuffy lawyer.
A Fish Called Wanda is widely considered to be one of the funniest movies to come out of the 1980s, and a lot of its comedy surprisingly holds up really well today. John Cleese offers one of his greatest comedic performances, and Jamie Lee Curtis plays off his unique style really well.
Halloween II (1981)
Although it isn't quite as widely admired as its predecessor, there are still many who consider Halloween II to be one of the best horror sequels of all time. It builds upon the existing story very effectively, developing the lore of Michael Myers in a thrilling way.
It doesn't quite have the same level of suspense and intensity, and that can probably be put down to John Carpenter's absence from the director's chair. Rick Rosenthal does a good job of creating an effective slasher, but it's just missing that slice of magic that made the original so iconic.
Perfect (1985)
Jamie Lee Curtis stars opposite John Travolta in this romantic drama, telling the story of a traveling reporter who falls in love with a young fitness instructor and begins to question the morality and utility of his own work as a result. It's a touching story of love, despite its fairly conventional narrative.
Curtis and Travolta make a great romantic pair, and their scenes together are constantly fun to watch. Their characters' relationship is admittedly a very interesting and complex one, and their unique dynamic makes this fairly formulaic film worth watching.
Christmas With The Kranks (2004)
As far as Christmas movies go, Christmas With The Kranks is easily one of the most famous and iconic of them all. Jamie Lee Curtis stars opposite Tim Allen and Dan Akroyd in this hilarious story of family, festivities, and parenthood - which is still one of the most popular holiday movies of all time.
It might not have the pure spectacle of something like Elf or The Polar Express, but Christmas With The Kranks has a touching family dynamic at its heart that makes it much more compelling and wholesome than many other festive movies.
Halloween (1978)
There's a reason that Halloween is still considered one of the best horror movies of all time, and it's primarily due to the perfect simplicity of its story. John Carpenter crafted something overwhelmingly simple in its concept, despite its technical and creative technicalities in execution.
The Halloween franchise is full of memorable and scary scenes, but none of them even rival the pure terror that Carpenter managed to inject into this original installment. Every single frame feels deliberately chosen to draw out as much tension and apprehension as possible - which is exactly what makes a slasher work.
True Lies (1994)
Directed by James Cameron, True Lies is a fantastic action/comedy that centers around the life of secret agent Harry Tasker, who is forced to save both the world and his own marriage when he learns that his wife has been having a secret extramarital affair.
Although it's Arnold Schwarzenegger that completely steals the show as the protagonist Harry Tasker, Jamie Lee Curtis also turns in a great performance as his troubled wife. The pair fit perfectly together into his unique story, which James Cameron brings to life with his skilled direction and some bold storytelling decisions.