10 Most Underrated Julianne Moore Movies, Ranked

Often acclaimed as one of the most talented actresses of her generation, Julianne Moore has been a staple of independent filmmaking and blockbuster cinema for decades. While she began her career with a series of television roles, her sustained collaborations with director Todd Haynes and Paul Thomas Anderson secured her a rightful place among the industry’s most in-demand actresses. Moore is a unique talent in that she does not need to be the main star to give a memorable performance; in fact, some of her best work comes in films that she only briefly appears in.

Moore’s career is certainly not lacking in accolades, as the drama Still Alice won her the the 2015 Academy Award for Best Actress, which she had long since deserved. Nonetheless, Moore has appeared in so many acclaimed classics that some of her best work has been either unnoticed or forgotten. These are Moore's most underrated movies, brilliant gems that prove her overwhelming talent despite receiving little to no attention from audiences.

10 ‘Benny & Joon’ (1993)

Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik

Benny & Joon served as an early showcase for Moore’s talents as a romantic lead. The film centers on the idiosyncratic performer Sam (Johnny Depp), who models himself after Buster Keaton. Sam’s life in a small town changes when he falls in love with the local diner’s waitress, Ruthie (Moore).

Moore effectively matches the film's overt and wild comedic approach with a more restrained performance, resulting in many great moments of comedic banter. Although it may be easy to dismiss as far too whimsical for its own good, Benny & Joon is insightful and witty in the sincere way it depicts small-town life. While far less emotionally devastating than the work she would eventually do with Haynes and Anderson, Benny & Joon certainly proved Moore could make “slice of life” stories emotionally engaging.

Benny & Joon

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9 ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ (1997)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Given that Jurassic Park became the highest-grossing film of all time upon its initial release, expectations for Steven Spielberg’s second dinosaur installment were sky-high. Although it may not retain the same magic as the original classic, The Lost World: Jurassic Parkis a rip-roaring adventure film that successfully introduces a set of new characters.

The emotional resonance and expertly crafted action sequences that Spielberg pulled off in The Lost World: Jurassic Park are far superior to the sanitized, cynical direction that the later Jurassic World franchise ended up going. Among the standouts is Moore’s performance as Dr. Sarah Harding, a love interest to Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm. Considering that Moore successfully captured the wonderment and intelligence that made Harding a great character, it's disappointing that she has never returned for other Jurassic Park sequels.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

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8 ‘Psycho’ (1998)

Directed by Gus Van Sant

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is widely considered one of the most influential films of his career, essentially kickstarting the modern “slasher movie” craze that led to franchises like Halloween and Friday the 13th. While Psycho inspired several interesting sequels, director Gus Van Sant chose to remake Hitchcock’s film shot-for-shot. Moore appears as Lila Crane, the character originally played by Vera Miles.

While not her most acclaimed performance, Psycho did help initiate Moore’s career as a scream queen.

While a commercial and critical failure, Psycho is an interesting cinematic experiment that allowed Moore to add more depth to Crane compared to the first film. While not her most acclaimed performance, it did help initiate Moore’s career as a scream queen, as she would star in many other horror films in the subsequent decades. Considering how many Disney films have employed a similar shot-for-shot approach to their remakes, Van Sant’s reimagining of Psycho is perhaps deserving of more credit.

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7 ‘Being Flynn’ (2012)

Directed by Paul Weitz

Equally inspirational in its themes and bleak in its outlook. Being Flynn is an exceptional study on the challenges that come with being a writer. Set in modern-day New York City, the film centers on aspiring author Nick (Paul Dano) as he reconnects with his alcoholic father, Jonathan (Robert De Niro), who claims to be a “master storyteller.” Nick is embittered towards Jonathan due to him leaving his mother, Jody (Moore), when he was a child.

While De Niro and Dano’s chemistry is terrific, Moore adds an emotional context to the film that explores the origin of the frictional familial relationship. It’s another instance in which Moore transcends a typically expositional role and makes the film more powerful as a result. The ultimately heartwarming bond that emerges between Nick and Jonathan wouldn’t be nearly as moving if it wasn’t for the underrated performance by Moore.

Being Flynn

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6 ‘Maggie’s Plan’ (2016)

Directed by Rebecca Miller

A touching throwback to the classical era of romantic comedies, Maggie’s Plan is a light-hearted romp that features an empowering message about female leadership. The film centers on the university outreach director Maggie Hardin (Greta Gerwig), who attempts to rekindle the relationship between a pretentious author (Ethan Hawke) and his wife (Moore) after she accidentally causes a split in their marriage.

Gerwig may be at the height of her comedic powers, but Moore’s more nuanced performance holds her own in this idiosyncratic comedy of errors. Although the notion of a fractured love triangle is not a new one, Maggie’s Plan is refreshingly modern in its depiction of non-traditional relationships. Unfortunately, the film failed to make a splash at the independent box office, as Moore, Hawke, and Gerwig help elevate the film’s already humorous dialogue into something even more profound.

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5 ‘Sharper’ (2023)

Directed by Benjamin Caron

A sleek and twisty thriller told through a nonlinear narrative structure, Sharper is a refreshing throwback to classic con artist films. Moore stars as Madeline, an illustrious con artist who defrauds her wealthy boyfriend. Richard Hobbes (John Lithgow), while working alongside her partner, Max (Sebastian Stan), who falsely claims to be her son. Although the film avoids revealing Madeline’s intentionality until its final act, Moore ensures that there is consistency in her characterization.

Sharper is among the many streaming films that have been sadly overlooked, as Apple TV+ wasn't the ideal place to debut a film that clearly had the potential for a successful theatrical run. While it may have one twist too many, Moore adds a wonderful sense of self-seriousness that helps Sharper avoid becoming a parody of the genre. It hopefully won’t be Moore’s last collaboration with filmmaker Benjamin Caron.

Sharper

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4 ‘A Single Man’ (2009)

Directed by Tom Ford

While he would receive wider recognition as a great filmmaker thanks to the success of his 2016 crime thriller Nocturnal Animals, fashion designer Tom Ford released a stunning romantic drama with his directorial debut, A Single Man. The film is set within a day in the life of the lonely college professor George Falconer (Colin Firth) in the aftermath of the death of his lover (Matthew Goode). Moore appears as Goerge’s close friend, Charley, who helps him cope with his overwhelming feelings of grief.

While Firth received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in the film, Moore’s role in A Single Man didn’t receive the attention it deserved. It’s a warm, affectionate performance that embodies what good friendship looks like. It’s deeply unfortunate that Moore was not awarded an Oscar nomination for her exceptional work, which effortlessly complements Firth's delicate, sensitive performance.

A Single Man

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3 ‘Maps to the Stars’ (2015)

Directed by David Cronenberg

While he certainly has an aptitude for startling his audience with graphic moments, Maps to the Starsmay be the most wild and upsetting film of David Cronenberg’s entire career. A pitch-black satire of Hollywood film productions and celebrity families, Maps to the Stars centers on the aging actress Havana Segrand (Moore) as she attempts to star in a remake of a film that her mother had appeared in.

Maps to the Stars wouldn’t have held together if it wasn't for the idiosyncratic tone that Moore sets with her performance.

Equally tragic and hilarious, Moore’s performance certainly ranks among her bravest. Although it features strong work from John Cusack and Robert Pattinson, Maps to the Stars wouldn’t have held together if it wasn't for the idiosyncratic tone that Moore sets with her performance. Finding the right mix of being authentic and satirical may have been a challenge, but the Oscar winner transforms Havana into an utterly unlikable character who is nonetheless impossible to look away from.

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2 ‘Wonderstruck’ (2017)

Directed by Todd Haynes

Moore shares a special relationship with Todd Haynes, which started with the thriller Safe and continues to this day. One of their most intriguing efforts is the thoroughly underrated children’s fantasy film Wonderstruck. Inspired by the popular novel of the same name by Brian Selznick, Wonderstruck follows two coming-of-age stories set fifty years apart. Moore has a critical role as the actress Lillian Mayhew, who is heralded as an idol by the young girl Rose (Millicent Simmons).

Moore’s performance becomes more critical when Rose begins to suspect that Lillian might be her mother. Moore does a terrific job playing the embodiment of Hollywood’s Golden Age of movie stars, adding depth to a character that could have easily been stereotyped. Considering how profound the film’s commentary on existentialism and artistic creation is, it's unfortunate that Wonderstruck tends to get overlooked when considering the extent of Moore and Haynes’ creative partnership.

Wonderstruck

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1 ‘Gloria Bell’ (2019)

Directed by Sebastian Lelio

Essentially a remake of director Sebastian Lelio’s 2013 Chilean film Gloria, Gloria Bell is a refreshingly positive depiction of middle-aged romantic relationships. Moore stars in the titular role of a mother whose relationship with the divorcee Arnold (John Turturro) causes some emotional distress for her son (Michael Cera). While it was a performance that earned Moore a Satellite Award nomination, her bracingly funny work was sadly overlooked for Academy Award recognition.

Moore does a great job of showing her character’s desire for independence and how easily it can be for women to become boxed in by the gender stereotypes of society. It’s a painstakingly honest performance that isn’t afraid to get a little eccentric, showing bravery on Moore’s part that other performers may not have been capable of. Gloria Bell seamlessly blends its comedic and dramatic sensibilities, and it's a shame it never found the audience it deserved.

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