Denise Richards isn’t just a throwback name from the 90s, she’s been part of some of the boldest, weirdest, and most memorable films of that era and beyond. From cult classics to campy thrillers, she’s played it all: the seductive teen who’s always ten steps ahead, the Bond girl with a questionable PhD, the space pilot fighting alien bugs, and the pageant queen who’ll literally kill for the crown.
There’s no denying she left a mark through her career. These five movies? They’re the ones that really show what she brought to the screen: chaotic, iconic, and way more layered than they first seem. Here's how to get into Denise Richards' filmography and where to start.
5 Denise Richards movies you should watch
Wild Things (1998)
Wild Things is pure, unapologetic chaos and that's what makes it so cool. Set in sweaty, sun-soaked Florida, the movie kicks off with a scandal: high school counselor Sam Lombardo, played by Matt Dillon, is accused of s*xual assault by two students—Kelly Van Ryan, played by Denise Richards, the rich, smug it-girl, and Suzie Toller, played by Neve Campbell, the moody outsider. But this isn’t your average courtroom drama. The second you think you’ve figured it out, the film pulls the rug out from under you—and then does it again.
Denise Richards gives one of her most memorable performances as Kelly. She’s confident, manipulative, and completely locked into the character. She doesn’t hold back, and it works. She makes Kelly both dangerous and weirdly entertaining to watch.
The movie leans into intimacy, betrayal, and power plays without pretending to be deep or meaningful. It’s campy and over-the-top, but that’s part of the appeal. It knows what it is and doesn’t care if it makes you uncomfortable. It just wants to keep you hooked. And thanks to Richards, it does. Love it or roll your eyes at it, Wild Things sticks with you—and Denise Richards is a big reason why.
Available to watch on: Netflix
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
The World Is Not Enough is every bit the flashy, over-the-top Bond film you’d expect from the late '90s. Pierce Brosnan is back as 007, chasing down a terrorist with a bullet lodged in his brain, a missing nuke, and a tangled plot involving oil pipelines. It’s not the smartest or sharpest Bond film, but it commits to the spectacle—and sometimes that’s enough.
Enter Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones, a nuclear physicist dressed to kill. Her casting got dragged when the film came out and still does, mostly because the idea of Richards defusing bombs in a tank top feels more like fan fiction than a spy thriller. But weirdly, it works. Not because it’s convincing, but because she fits the tone: campy, ridiculous, and totally unbothered by logic.
Denise Richards plays it straight, and in doing so, ends up being one of the most memorable parts of the film. One may criticize the casting, sure, but she gives Bond exactly what that version of the franchise wanted: a beautiful woman with a wild name and just enough attitude to keep things fun.
Available to watch on: Prime Video
Starship Troopers (1997)
Starship Troopers is one of those movies people either totally get or totally miss. On the surface, it looks like a cheesy sci-fi war flick full of explosions and bug guts, but underneath, it’s sharp, darkly funny, and weirdly smart. It follows a bunch of fresh-faced teens who join the military to fight giant alien insects. The vibe is glossy and over-the-top, but it’s all wrapped in a brutal satire of fascism, propaganda, and blind nationalism.
Richards is great in this because she plays Carmen exactly as she is: smart, ambitious, and a little cold. She doesn’t exist to prop up the male lead, and that rubbed some people the wrong way back then. But honestly, it makes her one of the most interesting characters in the film. She’s not here to be likable—she’s here to fly the ship.
The whole movie is drenched in irony. It looks like an action flick, but it’s actually tearing into militarism, propaganda, and blind patriotism. That’s the genius of it. And while it’s packed with explosions and bug guts, it’s also way smarter than it lets on. Denise Richards holds her own in the middle of all that chaos—and that’s saying something.
Available to watch on: Prime Video
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
Drop Dead Gorgeous is a dark comedy that goes straight for the jugular of small-town America, beauty pageants, and pretty much anyone chasing a crown. Set in a fictional town in Minnesota, the film follows the chaos surrounding the Mount Rose American Teen Princess pageant.
Denise Richards plays Rebecca Ann Leeman, the pageant’s golden girl and the daughter of a local queen bee, played to perfection by Kirstie Alley, who will literally stop at nothing to make sure her daughter wins.
It is the kind of movie that felt too weird for its time and only got its due years later. Everything’s wrapped in fake smiles, patriotic songs, and lots of hairspray—but people start dropping like flies, and it becomes very clear that winning this crown is literally a life-or-death situation. Richards is absurdly perfect in the role. And yes, the talent portion where she slow-dances with a life-size crucifix is real.
Available to watch on: Prime Video
Madea's Witness Protection (2012)
Madea’s Witness Protection is one of Tyler Perry’s many Madea movies, and while it’s not the strongest in the franchise, it definitely has its moments—mostly thanks to Madea being Madea.
This time around, she’s stuck with a white-collar Wall Street family hiding out in her home after the patriarch, played by Eugene Levy, gets caught up in a Ponzi scheme gone wrong. Cue the culture clashes, the passive-aggressive bickering, and Madea just absolutely steamrolling every scene she’s in.
Denise Richards plays Kate Needleman, the stressed-out wife of Levy’s character. She’s a rich, polished suburban mom suddenly thrown into Madea’s loud, chaotic world, and while her role is pretty straight, she leans into it with enough sincerity to make the dynamic work. She plays Kate like someone barely holding it together but trying to keep up—and it actually makes her kind of relatable amid the madness.
This isn’t high cinema. It’s broad comedy with a lot of heart and a few good one-liners. But Denise Richards brings just enough self-awareness to her role that she doesn’t get lost in the noise. She lets Madea take the lead, and that’s exactly what the film needs.
Available to watch on: Prime Video
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