Top 10 Sarah Jessica Parker movies, ranked

Sarah Jessica Parker is one of the 100 most influential people in the world, according to Time Magazine, and has, by all means, lived up to the hype to date. Sarah didn’t just redefine television with her iconic role in “Sex and the City”, but also carved out a legacy as a fashion icon, producer, and savvy entrepreneur. Without the slightest attempt to sideline her other notable achievements as a public persona, it would be a crime not to point out her career as an actress, which in its own realm is quite impressive without a doubt. Despite being best known as a television actress, Sarah Jessica Parker has graced the silver screen on several occasions with her astounding performances. Here’s a list of 10 Sarah Jessica Parker movies, ranked.

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Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)

The 1980s rom-com, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, starred Sarah Jessica Parker in the lead role of Janey Glenn. This happens to be one of her earliest leading roles, and it would be fair to say that she quite literally carried the film. Her performance was pivotal as far as the charm of the film is concerned. Janey Glenn was a sweet, ambitious, catholic girl who had the dream of becoming a dancer on her favourite television show, “Dance TV”.

Parker brought a certain sense of youthful enthusiasm when it came to portraying the character on screen. Her dance sequences were on-beat, lively, and sincere, and they beautifully captured the essence of a teen breaking free from the captivity of rigid parental expectations. Her chemistry with fellow actress Helen Hunt, who happened to play the role of her best friend, was pretty commendable too. Parker’s performance in this movie paved the way for her to be the compelling leading actress she is in the present day.

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The Family Stone (2005)

Starring Sarah Jessica Parker as Meredith Morton, alongside Claire Danes, Dianne Keaton, among others, the movie The Family Stone was released in the year 2005. The plot revolves around the Christmas holiday misadventures experienced by the Stone family in a small New England town. The eldest son of the family, played by Dermot Mulroney, brings his uptight girlfriend, Meredith Monroe, home intending to propose to her with a family heirloom ring. She realises how unwelcome she is at the Stone residence, and rings her sister so she will come to keep her company. This, in turn, gives rise to further complications.

Parker’s performance in this movie stands out because of its sharp contrast with the laid-back, liberal dynamic of the Stone family. She tactfully brought out Meredith’s discomfort, vulnerability, and attempt to fit in despite being clearly out of place. She manages to disguise her insecurity and emotional repression by projecting an icy exterior. Sarah Jessica Parker shifts gears with utmost subtlety as the story progresses. The scenes wherein Meredith tries to connect and fails or when she breaks down at the bar in front of Claire Dane’s character particularly stand out owing to Parker’s impeccable acting skills, especially focusing on her ability to play dramatic roles.

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L.A. Story (1991)

L.A. Story is a satirical romantic comedy film directed by Mick Jackson. The film starred Steve Martin in the lead role. Sarah Jessica Parker wasn’t a part of the lead cast in this film, but despite that, it can easily be placed in the list of her best performances on the big screen. The strength of her performance made it possible for the character to stand out as a memorable one.

Sarah Jessica Parker played the role of SanDeE*, who happens to be a free-spirited woman with certain eccentricities, who briefly dates Martin’s character, Harris K. Telemacher. Sarah’s performance in the film can be best described as adequately over-the-top, and she brilliantly embodies the absurdity of the role. SanDeE* is one of her most comedic characters. The portrayal of this character sheds light on Parker’s ability to be effortlessly hilarious on-screen. The witty script by Steve Martin himself makes it more plausible for this role to be a standout in Sarah’s early career.

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Hocus Pocus (1993)

The plot of the film revolves around three resurrected witches who are actively wreaking havoc on modern-day Salem after getting accidentally summoned by a group of teenagers. The film has been directed by Kenny Ortega and starred Bette Midler as Winfred or Winnie, Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson, the most beautiful but dim-witted sister, and Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson, alongside others. Sarah’s character is ditsy, singsong, and giggles a lot, and Sarah leans into a light and almost childlike demeanour of the character. Sarah uses the art of physical comedy to portray this character. Her language is exaggerated and animated at the same time. She uses these traits to emphasize her character’s quirky nature.

One of the best moments in the film happens to be the time she sings the eerie lullaby “Come Little Children”, performing it with a sense of enchanting and ghostly sweetness that has remained etched in the minds of the audience forever. Sarah Jessica Parker fits perfectly with the rest of the cast, and balances out the over-the-top nature of the film, and becomes a contributing factor towards making this film a cult-classic.

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Ed Wood (1994)

Sarah Jessica Parker plays the role of Dolores Fuller in this film. It is an American biographical comedy-drama directed and produced by Tim Burton. It starred Johnny Depp in the role of the eponymous cult filmmaker. The film reflects the time in Ed Wood’s life when he sought to make the best-known films of his career, and along with that had a relationship with actor Bela Lugosi, played by Martin Landau. The movie perfectly blends comedy with drama and sheds light on Wood’s passion for filmmaking despite his lack of talent for the same. The movie earned a specific kind of critical acclaim owing to its stylized black and white aesthetic, and along with that, it won two Academy Awards. Sarah’s character seems embarrassed by Ed’s antics and eccentric nature, and thus resorts to leaving him. Sarah Jessica Parker in this movie delivers a sharp and humorous performance, which makes her effectively stand out in a cast that has Johnny Depp in the lead role.

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The First Wives Club (1996)

This 1996 film, directed by Hugh Wilson, is based on the 1992 novel by the same name, written by Olivia Goldsmith, and stars Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, and Bette Midler. Better Midler’s character, Brenda Morelli-Cushman, is a single mother who helped set her husband Morty on his feet financially, before he left her for his younger employee Shelly Stewart, played by Sarah Jessica Parker. Shelly happens to be dim-witted but somehow manipulative. Shelly instinctively believes in the idea of having a place in high society and thinks that it can be obtained with money, and eventually gets exploited for her social-climbing nature by the protagonists for their revenge.

While cast as one of the leads, Parker still adds a comedic edge to the film by aptly portraying Shelly as delightfully shallow. Despite sharing the screen with stalwarts like Midler, Parker brings her special skills to the table and stands out well enough to be remembered by the audience for ages.

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Mars Attacks! (1996)

Mars Attack! is a 1996 American science fiction black comedy film that stars Jack Nicholson in a dual role, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, among others. The film was directed by Tim Burton and followed a chaotic alien invasion of the Earth by Martians with grotesque green heads, laser guns, and a delightfully wicked sense of humour.

In this film, Sarah Jessica Parker plays the role of Nathalie Lake, a stylish and ambitious TV show host, who was involved with a press secretary played by Michael J.Fox. She ends up becoming the first to interact with the Martians.

Her performance in the film is quite campy and glamorous; she fully embraces the over-the-top tone of the same. Parker brings out the superficial nature of the character despite the sheer elegance with which she carries herself. She plays the part where her head gets transplanted onto her pet chihuahua’s body perfectly. Parker understands the delicate balance between sincerity and parody, which is reflected in her portrayal of the character, and this makes it stand out in a cast full of larger-than-life performers.

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State and Main (2000)

An American comedy film written and directed by David Mamet, starring William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alec Baldwin, and Julia Stiles, among others. After getting banished from New Hampshire owing to the leading man’s penchant for underage girls, a troubled film production moves on to a new location. The film that the production house is trying to make depends on the presence of a genuine mill, and that happens to be something that the new town the production has moved on to seems to be in possession of. Sarah Jessica Parker plays the character of Claire Wellesley, who is the leading lady of the film being made. Claire refuses to do her contracted nude scene unless she gets paid an additional $800,000. Sarah Jessica Parker, as usual, gives a standout performance in the movie. Parker fully commits to the role and delivers an extremely hilarious self-absorbed performance that indeed highlights the absurdities of Hollywood contracts and star demands. This film is one of Sarah’s best comedic performances and yet again makes her stand out in a cast full of seasoned veteran actors.

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Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)

Honeymoon Vegas, the 1992 American romantic comedy, was written and directed by Andrew Bergman and starred James Caan, Nicholas Cage, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The film revolved around a broke private investigator named Jack Singer, played by Nicholas Cage, who swore to his mother on her deathbed that he would never marry, although his girlfriend Betsy Nolan, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, had other plans for their future. So, to deal with that, Jack proposes a quick Las Vegas marriage, with the couple checking into Bally’s Casino Resort. Betsy gets noticed by a wealthy professional gambler named Tommy Korman, played by James Caan, who finds a striking resemblance between Betsy and his late wife Donna. He arranges a rigged poker game and loans Jack $65,000 after getting dealt a straight flush, only for him to lose to the gambler’s higher straight flush. Tommy offers to forget about the debt instead of getting to spend the weekend with Betsey, who eventually falls for her captor.

The film was later turned into a stage musical. Although funny yet somewhat predictable, Sarah Jessica Parker delivers a charming, warm, and refreshingly grounded performance in Honeymoon Vegas. Her performance feels natural, and she holds her own even in the most absurd scenes.

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Sex and the City (2008)

Sex and the City, the 2008 film which got marketed as Sex and the City: The Movie, is a romantic comedy film written and directed by Michael Patrick King. The film stars Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones, Kristin Davis as Charlotte York Goldenblatt, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes, among others. A few years after the events of the television series, Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big are shown to be in a committed relationship and are preparing to move in together. They manage to find an expensive penthouse in New York City, and Mr. Big readily agrees to purchase it. Carrie is concerned about the fact that she lacks any legal rights if they get separated and considers selling the apartment to contribute financially. After this, Big proposes to Carrie, to which she agrees. The film follows how their lives become complicated after that

Parker delivers a performance that is deeply emotional, nuanced, and more mature than her portrayal of Carrie Bradshaw in the original HBO series. Sarah effortlessly transitions between Carrie’s witty, fashion-forward persona and a more vulnerable woman facing heartbreak, self-doubt, and reconciliation. Her performance in Sex and the City (2008) is a layered portrayal of love, pain, friendship, and personal growth.