Olivia Wilde has crafted a longstanding career in entertainment, evolving from early roles as Alex on The O.C. and Remy on House into a mainstream actress, producer, and director. Wilde has alternated throughout her career between big-budget roles and small indie films, racking up an impressive list of credits on some of the top films of the past decade. Most recently, Wilde won the coveted Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for her work directing Booksmart in 2019, proving she's got the dimensionality to be a star both in front of and behind the camera.
Here are Olivia Wilde's best movies, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes scores.
People Like Us (53%)
Cast alongside A-listers like Elizabeth Banks, Chris Pine, and Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde's People Like Us was a melodramatic based-on-true-events drama that followed a salesman forced to return home after learning his father has passed away. While settling his father's estate, he learns he has an estranged sister, and thus takes on a journey to rediscover his family and the sibling he never knew. There was some messy exploration of family that felt realistic and human, but the film ultimately failed to offer the audience much in the way of a significant, moving plot.
Still, fans of its A-list cast, relatable themes, and sentimental drama will enjoy People Like Us.
Alpha Dog (54%)
Exploring hedonistic drug-dealing teenagers in Los Angeles, Alpha Dog's edge and sensationalism worked in-so-far as the audience forgave some imaginative stretches of its true-story source material. Wilde played a secondary role alongside a loaded cast that included Bruce Willis, Justin Timberlake, Emile Hirsch, and Sharon Stone. Part true-crime story, part coming-of-age tale, part exploration of toxic masculinity and the senseless murder that resulted because of it, Alpha Dogs was gritty and thematically engaging.
Directed by Nick Cassavetes, the film resonated with a younger generation exposed to the world of drugs, partying, and teenage recklessness.
Fix (56%)
An eccentric Los Angeles roadie film shot documentary-style through its main characters, Fix was stylized and energetic but ultimately lacking in substance. Wilde handed in a solid performance as documentarian Milo's girlfriend, Bella, but is one of the only truly likable characters in a sea of narcissists and addicts. Though Fix chose aesthetic over narrative drive too many times, it was worth applauding for its rough-around-the-edges approach and colorful exploration of its Los Angeles backdrop.
For a viewer looking for a film more experimental and atmospheric in nature, Fix is an innovative spin on the mockumentary genre.
Richard Jewell (76%)
Based on the real-life events of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing, Richard Jewell followed a security guard of the same name who became a hero and then a top suspect after finding the bomb and reporting it, saving lives. As Richard was vilified by the American public and the FBI, he relied on his anti-establishment attorney to clear his name. With a star-studded cast that included Kathy Bates, Sam Rockwell, and Jon Hamm, Richard Jewell worked as a timely, authentic film with a moral compass.
Although Wilde took some heat for her controversial portrayal of Kathy Scruggs, she stood by her work depicting Kathy as a strong, independent woman in a 1990's journalistic industry dominated by men.
Drinking Buddies (83%)
Known for its mumblecore style - the film had no script and the dialogue was entirely improvised - Joe Swanberg successfully created lighting-in-a-bottle in large part thanks to a terrific cast that included A-listers Anna Kendrick and Olivia Wilde, as well as New Girl's Jake Johnson and Ron Livingston. Drinking Buddies is a slice-of-life comedy centered around Kate (Wilde) and Luke (Johnson), two coworkers at a Chicago brewery who flirt and are probably meant to be together, except both are in relationships.
Charming and refreshingly plausible, Drinking Buddies was a beer-soaked rom-com oozing with authenticity - even Wilde herself commented that the cast was drunk during most of the shooting process.
Rush (88%)
Set in the brutally competitive world of Formula One racing, Rush explored the 1976 iconic rivalry between James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). It's a sharp and furiously entertaining alpha-male motorsports drama helmed by two-time Academy Award-winner Ron Howard, where the risks in the battle for dominance are sometimes life and death. Wilde successfully plays Hunt's supermodel wife, who eventually becomes his ex-wife after a complicated and tumultuous relationship.
It's an effective narrative bolstered by some rip-roaring racing sequences and solid acting.
A Vigilante (92%)
In one of the most intense, fearless performances of her career, Olivia Wilde plays a domestic abuse survivor turned vigilante who makes it her mission to free fellow abused women from their tormentors through whatever - often violent - means necessary. It's a brutal, raging indie revenge-thriller that packs a serious punch. A Vigilante succeeds because of Wilde, who shines in the role as a nuanced female anti-hero and proves she's a versatile actress in the process.
A departure from some of her lighter work, A Vigilante is a must-see for anyone looking for a statement thriller with an important message to share.
Her (95%)
Spike Jonze's visually breathtaking pastel science-fiction drama about what it means to be human and in love in the digital age took audiences on an emotional roller coaster. Quirky and profound, Joaquin Phoenix turned in a terrific performance as Theodore Twombly, a man who develops a romantic relationship with his computer's advanced operating system Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). Olivia Wilde's role as Theodore's blind date was small but punchy, illuminating the struggles of finding connections in the real world.
Her was met with universal acclaim and was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay, which it won.
Meadowland (96%)
Olivia Wilde is haunting and visceral in her portrayal of a mother going through the stages of grief after her son disappears, struggling to hold it together as she and her husband, Phil (a spot-on Luke Wilson) diverge on healing methods. Meadowland premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to strong reviews as the debut feature from cinematographer-turned-director director Reed Morano. It's achingly sad and cruelly avoids any real moment of catharsis for the audience, but perhaps that's the point.
In this indie, Wilde creates a feeling of dread that's undeniably powerful, even if Meadowland's darkness makes it far from an 'easy' watch.
Booksmart (97%)
Though she never stepped foot in front of the camera, Olivia Wilde's first venture into directing quickly became a critical darling and one of the best high school comedies of the decade. Electric, witty, and wildly authentic, Booksmart follows two straight-edge best friends who, on the eve of graduation, realize they haven't fully lived out their high school experience and set out to party as hard as possible. The female and queer points of view subverted the genre stereotypes of Superbad, and the film managed to be both a wildly funny and emotionally resonant tale of teen friendship and discovery.
Not only did Booksmart firmly put leads Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein (coming off a fantastic performance in Lady Bird) on the map, but it cemented Wilde's ability to foster chemistry between actors and pull out remarkably nuanced performances. The cherry on top was breakout star Billie Lourd as wild-child Gigi. Bonus points for a pitch-perfect soundtrack.