Kristen Wiig has proven herself to be one of the most diverse and prolific actresses to grace Hollywood over the past 20 years. Since making her screen debut as a background extra in the 2000 short film Carnata, Wiig has accrued over 100 film and TV credits. In 2005, Wiig's popularity began to blossom after being cast on the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, on which she tallied roughly 140 episodes over the next seven years. Up next, a date with Wonder Woman 1984.
Since departing SNL in 2012, Wiig has focused more on a career as a film actress. That same year, she earned an Oscar nomination for writing the smash hit comedy Bridesmaids. Until she appears in Wonder Woman 1984 later this year, here are Kristen Wiig's 10 Best Movies, According to Rotten Tomatoes.
Whip It (2009) 85%
During the height of her SNL run, Wiig was cast by Drew Barrymore in the rock and rollerskate movie Whip It, based on the Shauna Cross novel of the same name.
Set in Bodeen Texas, Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) is a miserable teenager bored to death by her uneventful surroundings. When the punk-rock loving teen finds a roller derby adjacent to Austin, she channels her frustration and uses the sport as an outlet to express her rage. Wiig plays Maggie Mayhem, a vicious rival skater.
The Skeleton Twins (2014) 87%
SNL and Adventureland alums Wiig and Bill Hader costar as estranged siblings in The Skeleton Twins, an indie drama about middle-age depression and familial reconnection.
Milo and Maggie Dean are twin siblings who have not seen each other in a decade. When both miraculously escape death on the same day, they use the good omen to reunite with each other and reminisce about all the ways in which their lives have been derailed. Old wounds are opened, some are healed, but in the end, their family bond is upheld.
Adventureland (2009) 88%
The chemistry Wiig and Bill Hader demonstrated for years on SNL were capitalized upon by director Greg Mottola in Adventureland, a semi-biographical coming-of-age tale set in 1987 Pittsburgh.
In the summer before college, James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) plans to vacation in Europe. But when his parents reveal their dire financial situation, James is forced to take a summer job at his local theme park, Adventureland. Once employed, James contends with sophomoric hijinks while falling for aloof cool girl Em (Kristen Stewart).
Knocked Up (2007) 90%
Although her screen time is limited to a glorified cameo appearance, Wiig flashes her trademark snark as a corporate assistant in Knocked Up, Judd Apatow's 2007 hit rom-com.
Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is an irresponsible slacker who has a one night stand with a professional news anchor named Alison (Kathryn Heigl). As a result of unprotected sex, Alison becomes pregnant and decides to carry the baby to term. As Ben evolves from an unconcerned wastrel to a prepared father-to-be, Alison begins to change her opinion of him. Wiig plays a news assistant who gives Alison a hard time at every turn.
Bridesmaids (2011) 90%
Wiig not only starred in but co-wrote the massive 2011 hit comedy Bridesmaids, for which she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
The film revolves around a group of female friends celebrating the wedding of Lillian (Maya Rudolph) and the wacky shenanigans that ensue. Annie is Lillian's best friend since childhood, yet is in competition with the stuffy English socialite Helen (Rose Byrne) to be the maid of honor. In addition to critical praise, the film became a runaway hit with more than $288 million in worldwide ticket sales.
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) 91%
Wiig reprised her role as Ruffnut in The Hidden World in 2019, the third entry in the mega-popular How to Train Your Dragon franchise. In addition to its critical and commercial success, the film scored Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Animated Feature of the year.
Plot-wise, the film centers on Hiccup's (Jay Baruchel) daring journey into The Hidden World, a dragon utopia that may be threatened by the tyrannical Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham).
The Martian (2015) 91%
Under the direction of Sir Ridley Scott, Wiig gives one of her most dramatic performances in The Martian, a bonafide sci-fi smash-hit that not only grossed more than $630 million globally but also earned Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture and Actor (Matt Damon).
Also nominated for seven Oscars, The Martian charts the unlikely survival methods and sustainable living habits of Mark Watney (Damon), an astronaut marooned on Mars and thought to be dead. Wiig plays Annie Montrose, the NASA director of media relations concerned with public perception.
The Diary Of A Teenage Girl (2015) 95%
Adapted from the Phoebe Gloeckner novel by first-time writer/director Marielle Heller, The Diary of a Teenage Girl is a coming-of-age rom-com set in 1970s San Francisco.
The story concerns Minnie (Bel Powley), an artsy bohemian teen who begins an illicit affair with her mother Charlotte's (Wiig) boyfriend Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard). Set during an era of sexual liberation and free love, the film was lauded for its authentic portrayal of teenage angst and curious lust.
Her (2013) 95%
In Spike Jonze's Oscar-winning sci-fi romance Her, Wiig voices the role of Sexy Kitten during one of Theodore's (Joaquin Phoenix) early telephonic fantasies. Wiig's character is the one who expresses a desire for Theodore to choke her with a dead cat.
Terrified by the encounter, Theodore begins a relationship with his new operating system named Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). As the two establish a seemingly unbreakable bond, things sour when Samantha is wooed by another human host.
How To Train Your Dragon (2010) 99%
Wiig has lent her voice to several animated franchise characters over her career, but according to Rotten Tomatoes, none are more beloved than How to Train Your Dragon.
Currently ranked #198 on IMDB's Top 250 as well, the first film in the franchise follows the young Viking Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his dreams of becoming a dragon hunter. However, when Hiccup meets and befriends the sweet-natured dragon named Toothless, he redirects his goals to help rather than to harm.