15 Best Anne Hathaway Movies – Ranked

The hardest-working actress in 2026 has to be Anne Hathaway. With a whopping five films on the calendar, including Christopher Nolan’s Greek epic The Odyssey, the actress has proven herself to be one of the most in-demand actresses today. From Oscar-winning movie musicals to psychological thrillers and celebrated romantic classics, Hathaway’s career encapsulates a bygone era where movie stars were unafraid to traverse different genres and step outside their comfort zone. As she prepares for yet another promo run (two down, three to go – hang in there, Annie!), there’s no better time to reflect on some of the best Anne Hathaway performances to date.

15 The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is often lauded as the pinnacle of Batman adaptations, so much so that it’s become the standard against which every subsequent superhero movie has since been compared. There are many undeniable merits to his trilogy, but his Catwoman simply isn’t one of them. As is the case with most female characters in a Nolan script, Selina Kyle (played by an animated Anne Hathaway) fits neatly into an easy archetype. She’s a classic femme fatale who feigns a skittish demeanour around the wealthy guests of Wayne Manor, but when she slips into her Catwoman persona and starts speaking in clichéd one liners, it feels almost cartoonish.

The character inevitably fades into her assigned role as the love interest – losing the grit that had initially made her interesting – but Hathaway injects as much depth as she can into Selina, despite how thinly written she may be. In her defence, she doesn’t give the silliest performance in this movie – that spot is reserved exclusively for Tom Hardy’s Bane. Hathaway’s Catwoman might pale in comparison to every other iteration of the character, but you have to admit that Anne Hathaway as an action star is a rather compelling concept. 

14 Becoming Jane (2007)

When it comes to archetypal movie roles, the biopic is one that almost every actor has to tick off the list at some point in their career. Becoming Jane was Hathaway’s attempt at the genre. Based on the early life of Jane Austen, the film explores Austen’s brief courtship with lawyer Thomas Lefroy (James McAvoy), who was believed to be the inspiration behind Pride and Prejudice’s Mr Darcy.

Biopics of beloved writers usually go one of two ways: they’re either celebrated as nuanced portrayals of an enigmatic public figure (as is the case with Frances O’Connor’s Emily [2022]), or lost to the annals of biopic history, never to be remembered (like Dome Karukoski’s Tolkien [2019]). Becoming Jane leans more towards the latter, but Hathaway’s waif-like appearance is incredibly suited to a film that places its climactic moments in the greenery of the Irish countryside. Her accent work in this film is proof that she is actually capable of carrying a believable English accent, despite what her performance in One Day (2011) might have us believe.

13 Interstellar (2014)

Let the record show that I am actually a Nolan admirer, despite what this ranking might suggest. I expect heat for ranking this film so low – and it feels sacrilegious to be doing so – but I stand by my belief that Interstellar is one of Nolan’s best films, but one of Hathaway’s most forgettable roles.

She gives a reliably moving performance (it is Anne Hathaway, after all) as NASA scientist Dr Amelia Brand, but it’s a performance that is simply overshadowed by the heartbreaking image of Matthew McConnaughey’s Cooper sobbing for the time lost with his daughter. When I think of Interstellar, I don’t immediately picture Brand debating the merits of love or the intricacies of space colonisation, but it isn’t Hathaway’s fault that her jargon-heavy scenes are eclipsed by the more emotional beats of the film. Forgive me.

12 Mother Mary (2026)

Paws up, little monsters. In Mother Mary, a film about the intense relationship between pop star Mother Mary (Hathaway) and her costume designer Sam (Michaela Coel), Hathaway delivers one of her most intriguing performances yet. As the titular musician, the actor prances her way through Gaga-esque choreography and skilfully embodies the role of a broken performer drowning under the weight of her (literal and metaphorical) demons.

The film is very much a two-hander, and Hathaway and Coel volley lines back and forth with expert quickness, but their chemistry isn’t enough to paper over the cracks of this film. Mother Mary folds under the weight of all that it wants to be – a psychological thriller, a ghost story, an implied romance – but you have to give Hathaway props for the sheer dedication she clearly put into this role. She pours years of theatrical experience and a lifelong appreciation for musicianship into this character, and during the film’s concert sequences, you get the sense that she may be living out a childhood dream. One ticket for Mother Mary at Hyde Park, please!

11 Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Tim Burton’s gloomy take on Alice in Wonderland is an abysmal interpretation that drains the heart out of Lewis Carroll’s delightful story, but the image of Anne Hathaway as a Miss Havisham-esque White Queen is so striking that it’s almost enough to save this picture. Hathaway, who described her White Queen as a ‘punk-rock vegan pacifist’, plays the character with a quiet kind of madness. She doesn’t walk, but glides with her hands suspended mid-air like a fairy, and speaks with the airy quality of a princess.

There’s a comedic darkness simmering beneath the surface of this carefully constructed façade, and Hathaway tap dances on the line between precious and psychotic with great skill. Her performance is suitably kooky for a Tim Burton adaptation, and it is, in my mind, the only enjoyable aspect of what is an otherwise drab affair. Burn the rest of this film, but keep the image of Hathaway dressed in all-white and painted in gothic make-up – she’s never looked cooler.

10 Eileen (2023)

Based on the 2015 Otessa Moshfegh novel, Eileen chronicles the relationship between two women working at a juvenile detention facility in 1960s Massachusetts. Secretary Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) becomes infatuated with the glamorous new psychologist, Rebecca Saint John (Hathaway), and as the two navigate a complex case of patricide, they slowly grow closer to one another.

Rebecca Saint John feels more like the idea of a character, and Hathaway’s muddled transatlantic accent can be quite distracting, but it’s a credit to her abilities as an actor that she can make this role as mesmerising as she does. When she walks into a room, we are as transfixed as Eileen is, a feeling that is emphasised by camera work that feels drawn to Hathaway’s every move. Rebecca may be a paper-thin character, but Hathaway’s performance of her is magnetic nonetheless. 

9 Colossal (2016)

In Colossal, Hathaway plays unemployed writer Gloria who returns to her hometown after hitting rock bottom. Unbeknown to Gloria, her cycle of destruction has manifested as a giant Godzilla-like creature that wreaks havoc in Seoul, leaving death and destruction in its wake.

Colossal is a film that flips quite jarringly from sci-fi comedy to serious drama, and doesn’t know whether it wants to be a meditation on self-destruction or a commentary on the overbearing toxicity of patriarchal masculinity, but at the heart of it is a truly earnest performance from Hathaway as a recovering alcoholic. When she isn’t doing a poor impression of a drunk party girl, Hathaway plays Gloria’s anxieties with such honesty that it’s impossible not to sympathise with her. It’s helpful that she’s acting opposite a believably sinister Jason Sudeikis as childhood friend Oscar, but even when Sudeikis’ performance veers into caricature, Hathaway remains sincere.

8 Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Gritty dramas have never really been Hathaway’s forte, but Rachel Getting Married includes a performance so raw and so nuanced that it’s almost always referenced among her greatest roles. The film follows Kym Buchman (Hathaway), an addict who is released from rehab in order to attend her sister’s wedding.

As she adjusts to being a part of a major family event again, Kym bristles against expectation and unresolved resentments, culminating in a series of dramatic confrontations with various members of her family. Being dragged into the lives of such selfish characters is a decidedly unpleasant experience, and it’s made even worse by the suffocating shooting style of this film, but Hathaway imbues the brash and impulsive Kym with enough empathy that you end up rooting for her. 

7 Brokeback Mountain (2005)

You’d be forgiven for forgetting that Anne Hathaway is even in Ang Lee’s devastating adaptation of Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain. Truthfully, this story about two closeted cowboys in 1960s Wyoming isn’t about her character at all. Hathaway plays Lureen Newsome, a rodeo rider who quite literally gallops onto the screen and captures the attention of cowboy Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal). The two marry and start a family while Jack carries out a secret affair with Ennis del Mar (Heath Ledger).

As the tragic love story between Jack and Ennis takes centre stage, Lureen is relegated to the periphery, but Hathaway’s portrayal of the embittered wife is excellent if only brief. The way she delivers news of (spoiler alert) Jack’s death with a steady voice and a terrifying sense of calm is downright chilling. This is a performance often forgotten in favour of the more memorable male leads, but it’s still noteworthy in its own right. Points deducted for those Poundland Dolly Parton wigs. 

6 The Idea of You (2024)

When Anne Hathaway was cast in The Idea of You, Michael Showalter’s adaptation of the Robinne Lee romance novel, the response online was one of overwhelming confusion. Dedicated Hathaway fans couldn’t believe that an actor of her calibre, an Oscar-winning actor no less, would stoop so low as to agree to a film that sounded like an adaptation of a Harry Styles fan fiction ripped straight from Wattpad.

But to me, it made complete sense. Hathaway’s career is stacked with a litany of phenomenal performances in rom-coms and comedy dramas – from wide-eyed ingénue Mia in The Princess Diaries to bridezilla Emma in Bride Wars (2009), the actor has always thrived in the genre. Her performance as divorced mum Solène in The Idea of You showcases an actor who is more comfortable than ever in the field. 

In the film, Hathaway plays 40-year-old single mother and gallery owner Solène who embarks on a heated love affair with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), a boybander whose image once lived on the posters in her daughter’s bedroom. I’ll admit that this film might be little more than a better version of the Nicole Kidman/Zac Efron movie with a very similar premise, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining.

Sometimes you need a frivolous romance to lose yourself in, and The Idea of You is precisely that. Hathaway clearly has a penchant for the subgenre, given that she’s set to star in the next Colleen Hoover adaptation, Verity, later this year. My expectations are low for that one, but at the end of the day, no matter how quotidian a film might be, I’m always grateful to have Anne Hathaway gracing my screen. 

5 Les Misérables (2012)

I know what you’re thinking, a list of Anne Hathaway’s best performances that doesn’t rank Les Misérables in the top spot is simply absurd. But as impressive as Hathaway’s performance might have been, it didn’t come as a surprise. In the lead-up to the film’s release, director Tom Hooper amped up the anticipation surrounding Hathaway’s turn as the iconic Fantine by showcasing footage of the star performing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ at CinemaCon.

As a young mother in 1832 Paris, who is abandoned by the father of her child and forced into prostitution, Fantine marked the most intense role Hathaway had taken thus far in her career, and despite only making up a fraction of the film’s screentime, her performance was presented as the centrepiece of this behemoth of a movie. 

The film boasted an impressive cast, including Hugh Jackman as escaped prisoner Jean Valjean and Eddie Redmayne as OG champagne socialist Marius Pontmercy, but it was Hathaway’s Fantine that stole the show. Her rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ will surely go down as one of the most iconic performances in movie-musical history – that the vocals were filmed live and in one take make it even more extraordinary.

It took just five minutes for her to secure the Oscar (and BAFTA and Golden Globe and SAG Award) for Best Actress that year, and light a fire in a generation of burgeoning theatre kids. I can only apologise to the secondary-school teachers who were subjected to a classroom full of teenagers drenched in Hollister body spray cosplaying as French revolutionaries in their music lessons.

4 Ocean’s 8 (2018)

In Gary Ross’ all-female spinoff of the Ocean’s trilogy, we’re spoilt for choice with comedic female performances. Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett do their best impressions of the Clooney-Pitt duo of the earlier films, but it’s Hathaway who turns in the most entertaining performance of the film, largely due to her playing against type as the mean girl.

Her performance as vain starlet Daphne Kluger felt like a bit of a tongue-in-cheek moment. In the early 2010s, Hathaway received so much vitriolic abuse online that the phenomenon was given a title – ‘Hathahate’. In an age-old story of misogyny, the actress was unfairly maligned as two-faced by trolls online who had no discernible reason to hate her besides her being a woman in the public eye.

As Kluger, Hathaway toyed with this public image and played what was essentially a caricature of her perceived self – all smiles for the camera, but a conceited mean girl behind the scenes. It was brilliant! The character is one of the more playful roles in Hathaway’s oeuvre, and you can practically see how much fun she’s having when she’s playing the diva. Ocean’s 8 loses points for the dreaded James Corden cameo that plagued most blockbusters of the 2010s, but gains points for the sheer joy of watching Hathaway flex her comedic muscles in the wake of a misogynistic hate-campaign. 

3 The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

After a career start that saw Hathaway take on a plethora of PG-friendly roles (we’re going to pretend the slur-laden 2005 film Havoc doesn’t exist), The Devil Wears Prada served as her adult coming-of-age. The film, based on the Lauren Weisberger novel that was in turn inspired by the author’s experience as assistant to Vogue editor Anna Wintour, follows aspiring journalist Andy Sachs (Hathaway), who somehow lands the coveted job of assistant to tyrannical fashion-magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).

Andy starts off as a frumpily dressed novice who can’t tell the difference between cerulean and cornflower blue (the horror) and scoffs at the shallow minutiae of the fashion world. After a schooling in office politics from co-worker Nigel (Stanley Tucci) and a makeover, Andy takes to her assisting duties like a duck to water, but struggles against the cutthroat nature of the industry she has unwittingly enmeshed herself within.

It’s Hathaway’s chemistry with her co-stars that has cemented this film as a mid-2000s classic. Andy’s back-and-forth with Tucci’s Nigel and fellow assistant Emily (Emily Blunt) showcases Hathaway’s comedic talents, and her interactions with a formidable Meryl Streep as Priestly prove just how capable she is of holding her own against an acting legend.

The Devil Wears Prada is a film that I watched quite young and thus shaped my vision of adulthood. It was Hathaway’s well-balanced performance of a sensitive, metropolitan woman working in journalism that appealed to me back then, and 20 years later, in a media landscape that treats female audiences as mindless moviegoers who don’t require emotional depth or complexity in the stories they’re marketed, I long for a character like hers to crop up more often. The goalposts may have shifted slightly since 2006, but Andy Sachs is still on my moodboard. 

2 The Princess Diaries (2001)

As far as debut roles go, Hathaway came out swinging with The Princess Diaries. She embodies the absolute torture of adolescence perfectly as Mia Thermopolis, a 15-year-old schoolgirl who discovers that she is actually a princess with claim to a foreign throne. This role gave Hathaway the opportunity to showcase one of her many talents: physical comedy. Mia is lanky and awkward, tripping over her own feet and stomping around in Doc Martens with hair frizzier than Monica Geller’s vacation locks in Friends.

Like with Andy in The Devil Wears Prada, Mia’s coming-of-age is marked by a physical transformation – in a montage that accidentally worsened the insecurities of an entire generation of self-conscious teens, Mia’s hair is straightened, her eyebrows plucked and a sheen of lipgloss placed delicately across her lips to create the image of a refined princess. Hathaway still retains Mia’s bumbling demeanour but, with a mega-watt smile and chic new hairdo, it’s hard not to hold herself with more confidence post glow-up. 

By the time we get to the film’s sequel three years later, we’re all in on Hathaway as the charming Princess of Genovia, and it’s all thanks to her natural charisma on screen. Under the careful direction of Garry Marshall, Hathaway bloomed from unknown teen star to certified silver-screen royalty – that she was only 17 when she was cast in this role makes it all the more remarkable. From the very beginning, Hathaway set the tone for her career and established herself as a promising comic actor, and an undeniably captivating movie star.

1 Love & Other Drugs (2011)

Edward Zwick’s romantic comedy about a pharmaceutical salesman tasked with promoting Zoloft and Viagra probably isn’t everyone’s top choice for best Anne Hathaway performances, but there’s a certain charm to this film that I simply can’t deny. Set in 1990s Pittsburgh, the film reunites Hathaway, who plays 26-year-old Parkinson’s patient and self-proclaimed ‘drug slut’ Maggie Murdock, with her Brokeback Mountain co-star Jake Gyllenhaal as the womanising Jamie Randall.

Gyllenhaal and Hathaway make for an affable rom-com duo. Their chemistry is undeniable and the more grown-up setting of what is usually a rather infantilised genre is appreciated, but it’s Hathaway’s portrayal of a woman navigating chronic pain on a daily basis that deserves praise. 

Depictions of chronic pain on screen are rarely ever handled with care. The performances are usually ham-fisted, the storylines mawkish and borderline condescending. But Love & Other Drugs is a pleasant outlier. Maggie is shown struggling to open pill bottles and use everyday objects like scissors. She smokes weed, presumably to numb the pain, and keeps people at a distance. As someone who suffers from bouts of chronic pain, Maggie has a cynicism towards personal relationships and the world at large that is terribly relatable.

Hathaway’s performance doesn’t feel like a costume: her pain feels lived in, her frustration believable. She doesn’t play Maggie as a maudlin pity-case or a spectacle to be ogled, but as a woman like any other, attempting to find her feet when presented with an unknowable future. Love & Other Drugs is perhaps better remembered for its lengthy sex montages, but Hathaway’s pitch-perfect portrayal of a woman navigating chronic pain makes this her best performance yet.

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