Meg Ryan has had a long history in Hollywood. While the actress is perhaps best known for her prominence in Iconix rom-com films of the ’90s and 2000s, she has taken on roles in a variety of genres from drama to sci-fi. Because of this, we thought it was time to look back at her best films to date. Rather than picking our own favorites, however, we’re turning to Rotten Tomatoes to stack up Ryan’s highest-rated hits.
The entertainment review aggregation website has assigned every one of Ryan’s films a Tomatometer rating. This percentage is based on the negative and positive reviews of critics, and it’s what we’ll be using to line up her greatest movies. It’s time to celebrate Meg Ryan’s lasting legacy; Here are her highest-rated movies of all time, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Flesh And Bone (68%)
Kicking things off is this 1993 neo-noir drama about a man who is haunted by his father’s brutal murder of a family that happened while he was still a child.
Though he is later taken by the charming Kay Davies, he soon learns that she is a survivor of the killings, however, and must figure out how to handle the past. While Dennis Quaid starred in the leading role, Meg Ryan played Kay. Critics found the story to be engrossing.
You’ve Got Mail (69%)
In 1998, Meg Ryan starred alongside Tom Hanks in this iconic rom-com about a couple, Joe and Kathleen, who engage in an online romance after meeting in an online chat room. The plot twist? While the pair falls quickly for each other on the internet under the aliases “Shopgirl” and “NY152,” the real-life Joe and Kathleen fail to get along, being that they operate competing bookstores.
The charming story and in combination with the believable performance of the leads has cemented You’ve Got Mail as a classic in its genre.
Restoration (70%)
Based on the novel by Rose Tremain, Restoration tells of a 17th-century physician named Robert who marries King Charles II’s mistress, Celia, in order to keep her around the castle. Though Robert agrees, he soon starts to fall for the mistress, and not long after, he finds himself enchanted by a different woman named Katherine.
Rober Downey Jr. starred as Robert, Sam Neill took on King Charles II, Polly Walker played Celia, and last but not least, Ryan rounded out the cast by portraying Katharine.
When A Man Loves A Woman (71%)
This 1994 romantic drama has Meg Ryan starring as Alice Green, a school counselor and mother who struggles with alcoholism. Though Alice decides to fix her problems by heading into rehab, she soon returns home only to realize that her relationship with her husband Michael (Andy Garcia) is wearing far thinner than she expected.
Though the ending of the film received mixed reviews, critics couldn’t help but appreciate the story as a whole. Ryan’s acting, in particular, was applauded by critics.
Promised Land (73%)
This 1987 drama film has a failed college basketball player, Hancock, becoming a police officer in his hometown while his cheerleader girlfriend continues to succeed in college. Meanwhile, the academic Danny also returns home with his lover, Bev. It’s not long before the couples’ lives become intertwined; Unfortunately, danger hangs on the horizon.
While Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Gedrick play Danny and Hancock respectively, Meg Ryan took on the role of Bev.
Sleepless In Seattle (74%)
Before Ryan and Tom Hanks were co-starring in You’ve Got Mail, they were playing lovers in the 1993 romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle.
The film tells of a man named Sam who picks up his life and moves to Seattle after the passing of his wife. Though he hopes this will help him move on, his son Jonah has other ideas and decides to call into a radio program asking for help. Soon after reporter Annie Reed hears of Joe’s need for a new wife, she decides to test fate by requesting they meet at the top of the Empire State Building.
Innerspace (82%)
In the late ’80s, before Ryan starred alongside Dennis Quaid in Flesh and Bone, the pair appeared together in this sci-fi comedy. Innerspace tells of a man, Lt. Tuck Pendleton, who gets shrunk down and put inside the body of a hypochondriac.
Though his colleagues hope that restoring him to his original size will be easy, a long line of issues challenges this plan. Ryan plays the estranged girlfriend of Tuck, Lydia.
Courage Under Fire (85%)
This 1996 war film had Meg Ryan summoning her serious side. Courage Under Fire tells of a lieutenant who, after the Gulf War in 1991, is forced to figure out what led to the death of Army Captain Karen Walden.
Though he hears various stories from the captain’s crew, he starts to realize that something is missing from the accounts. While Denzel Washington starred as Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling, Ryan co-starred as Walden.
Anastasia (85%)
Ryan didn’t limit herself to live-action performances, and in 1997, this paid off when she voiced the titular character in the musical historical fantasy, Anastasia.
Based on the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, a young girl escapes the wrath of the wizard Rasputin by sneaking out of the palace during an ambush. However, after hitting her head, she forgets who she is and grows up away from royalty. Her fate falls back into her hands, however, after two men make plans to present her in Paris as the true Anastasia, unaware of her actual past.
When Harry Met Sally (90%)
Topping off the list as Meg Ryan’s highest-rated movie of all time is When Harry Met Sally. This 1989 romcom stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan as a pair of friends that continue to run into each other over and over again in New York City throughout the course of over a decade.
Though the two try to keep their relationship platonic, their true feelings can’t stay hidden forever. Mixing humor, touching moments, and real themes helped turn this film into far more than an average rom-com.
