Although she became a household name in the late 90s and early noughties, Jennifer Connelly began her acting career in 1982 at the wee age of 12. After one television episode and a Duran Duran music video, Connelly began her film career by working with the legendary Italian maestro Sergio Leone in the gangster epic Once Upon A Time in America.
Seventeen years later, Connelly earned an Academy Award for her stellar performance in A Beautiful Mind. In terms of more recent work, 2020 is poised to be a big year for Connelly. She's set to appear in Top Gun: Maverick this December, as well as the TNT Snowpiercer series debuting on May 17th, 2020. To prepare us for the latter, here are Jennifer Connelly's 10 best movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes!
House Of Sand And Fog (2003) 74%
Based on the popular novel by Andre Dubus III, Connelly goes toe-to-toe with fellow Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley in the taxing emotional drama House of Sand and Fog.
The domestic drama revolves around Kathy (Connelly), a fragile woman who suddenly loses her beautiful beach home to an auction. The new Iranian resident, Behrani (Kingsley), is forced to deal with Kathy and her friend Lester's (Ron Eldard) desperate attempts to get her house back. While sympathetic to her plight, Behrani has too much to lose by handing the house over.
A Beautiful Mind (2001) 74%
While many believe her co-star Russell Crowe was robbed of his second consecutive Oscar award (Gladiator) for A Beautiful Mind, very few quibbled about Connelly earning the golden statuette for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
The Ron Howard film charts the brilliant mathematic mind of John Nash (Crowe), who, despite working on top-secret cryptography, deteriorates mentally from an asocial condition doctors can't quite contain. The highs and lows of Nash's life lead to an eventual Nobel Prize. Connelly plays John's wife, Alicia, who helps her husband endure the ups and downs.
Dark City (1998) 76%
Alex Proyas' stellar sci-fi outing Dark City boasts the same RT score as it does IMDB rating (7.6/10), cementing its status as one of the best science-fiction films of the past two decades. Connelly undoubtedly played a part in that assessment!
When John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) suddenly awakens in a dank and dark hotel room, he quickly learns he's wanted for a skein of grisly murders. Murdoch happens upon a dystopian underworld where time stops at the discretion of deformed doctor Schrebe (Kiefer Sutherland). Connelly plays Murdoch's wife, Emma, who's safety John doggedly attempts to ensure.
Phenomena (1985) 78%
In just her second feature film, Connelly got to work with Italian splatter-master Dario Argento in the supremely underrated cult-classic creature-feature Phenomena.
Connelly stars in the film as Jennifer Corvino, a teenage girl with the extrasensory ability to communicate with insects. When she's transferred to a Swiss boarding school, Jennifer uses her supernatural skills to help solve a rash of gruesome murders. However, Jennifer's troubles with sleepwalking may implicate her in said murders.
Requiem For A Dream (2000) 79%
While co-star Ellen Burstyn deserved all the plaudits in the world for her heartbreaking turn in Requiem For a Dream, there's no denying the horrific depths Connelly was forced to go to as the drug-addled Marion Silver. Yikes!
So luridly degrading are Marion's actions to score drugs by the end of the film, that we can hardly mention them here. Suffice it to say, director Darren Aronofsky demanded a lot from Connelly to aptly depict the insatiable cravings of a dope-addicted soul.
Little Children (2006) 80%
If you though prostituting your body for drugs was unsettling, then Connelly sure topped the sordid subject matter with Little Children, a movie, in part, about a registered sex-offender fresh out of jail.
The Todd Field film weaves several suburban narratives together into one sweeping mosaic. Connelly plays Kathy Adams, a steely documentary filmmaker who is trapped in a staid marriage with the immature Brad (Patrick Wilson). The film was nominated for three Golden Globes and as many Oscars.
Pollock (2000) 81%
Prior to sharing the screen with Ed Harris in A Beautiful Mind the following year, Connelly worked with him as actor/director in the painterly biopic, Pollock.
Indeed, the life and career of American abstract expressionist, Jackson Pollock, is examined in great detail in the 2000 film directed by Harris. Pollock's impoverished upbringing leads to his dependence on alcohol as he begins to find his footing as an artist. Connelly portrays real-life artist Ruth Kligman, who became romantically involved with Pollock during his career.
Once Upon A Time In America (1984) 86%
It's astounding to think Connelly got to work with all-time cinematic great, Sergio Leone, in her very first feature film. How'd you like to share the screen with De Niro, Pesci, and James Woods your very first time out at the ripe young age of fourteen? Unthinkable!
And yet, that's precisely how Connelly film career began. She plays Young Deborah in the film, the older version of which is credited to Elizabeth McGovern. The three and a half hour gangster epic charts the rise and fall of Jewish NY gangster Noodles (De Niro) and his henchmen before, during, and after American prohibition.
Only The Brave (2017) 87%
The star-studded machismo of true-story Only The Brave features the firefighting likes of Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges, Miles Teller, Taylor Kitsch, James Badge Dale, and more, who together comprise the Granite Mountain Hotshots. That said, it's Connelly's role as Mrs. Marsh that may be the bravest of all!
Brolin stars as Eric Marsh, a Fire Captain who recruits the "hotshots" in order to battle a massive Yarnell Hill fire in 2013 Arizona. Eric's wife, Amanda (Connelly), is forced to sit back and watch her hubby risk his life every day so he can play the hero.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) 92%
Oddly enough, Connelly's two highest-rated films, according to RT, both came out in 2017. Seriously though, how many knew that, in addition to portraying Karen, Connelly also lent her voice to a role in Spider-Man: Homecoming?
Oh, but it's true. Connelly not only played the role of Karen, but she also voiced the character of Suit Lady in the film. Story-wise, Peter Parker returns to his old stomping ground in Queens, New York, where he spends time with aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and budding girlfriend Michelle (Zendaya).