Michelle Pfeiffer is one of the most radiant screen beauties of all time. The actress is has been nominated for three Oscars over the course of her decorated career, as well as seven Golden Globe nominations, winning one for her role in The Fabulous Baker Boys in 1989.
Pfeiffer has also worked with some of the best directors in the industry, including Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, Jonathan Demme, Mike Nichols, Tim Burton, John Landis, Stephen Frears, Robert Zemeckis, and many more. As she currently lights up the big-screen in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, let’s take a look at Michelle Pfeiffer’s 10 Best Movies According to Rotten Tomatoes!
Batman Returns (79%)
In her first time working with Tim Burton, Pfeiffer proved to be the perfect match for Michael Keaton as Batman. Or should we say, purrrfect?
As Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, Pfeiffer got to showcase the wide range of her acting talent. She begins the film as a homely loner who feeds every cat in her hood, only to become a sexy siren in skin-tight patent leather who fights crime in Gotham City. Batman Returns was nominated for two Oscars, including Best Makeup and Visual Effects.
The Prince Of Egypt (80%)
In one of her few animated voice-over roles, Pfeiffer brought to life the character of Tzipporah in the 1998 release of The Prince of Egypt.
The story centers on two brothers, the royal-blooded Ramses (Ralph Fiennes) and the orphan Moses (Val Kilmer), who are driven apart when the former becomes a dictator and the latter becomes a chosen leader of his clan. When the two are forced to reconcile one final time, a world-altering event takes place that will forever change Egypt.
Where Is Kyra? (81%)
Pfeiffer drew tremendous acclaim for her searing performance as a wayward soul in the 2017 film Where is Kyra? Have you seen it?
Probably not, considering the film only grossed a paltry $59,000 worldwide. Still, the movie about a troubled woman who loses her job and barely gets by on her sick mother’s fixed income features one of Pfeiffer’s best performances to date. As the days pass, Kyra spirals downward into a path of self-destruction and perilous situations that leave her utterly lost in the end. Pfeiffer earned a Gotham Award for her work in the film.
Scarface (81%)
It’s hard to believe Pfeiffer went straight from singing her heart out in Grease 2 to chopping it up with Al Pacino in Scarface just one year later. Talk about overnight success!
With a fantastic script by Oliver Stone, skillful and stylish direction by Brian De Palma, and a tour-de-force performance by Pacino, Scarface is universally lauded as one of the best gangster movies ever assembled. Pfeiffer plays Tony Montana’s icy blonde wife, Elvira, whom he steals from his drug-dealing boss, Frank.
The Age Of Innocence (83%)
In perhaps her most formidable A-list role to date, Pfeiffer starred opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in Martin Scorsese’s romantic period film The Age of Innocence.
Based on the Edith Wharton novel, Pfeiffer plays Ellen Olenska, a ravishing woman who has a forbidden love affair with a dashing lawyer, Newland Archer, who happens to be engaged to marry Ellen’s cousin. Pfieffer earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. The film also won an Oscar for Best Costume Design.
Ant-Man And The Wasp (88%)
Throwing her hat in the MCU ring proved a wise decision for Pfeiffer, who’s supporting role in Ant-Man and the Wasp was extremely well-received.
Although she assumes an ancillary role as Janet Van Dyne/Wasp, Hank Pym’s wife, Pfeiffer adds a quality adds to the comic-book tableau in a way that reminds us of her work as Catwoman decades prior. Janet Van Dyne proves to be the catalyst for Ant-Man returning to the quantum realm so that her life can be spared after being previously thought dead. The real question is, if there is an Ant-Man and The Wasp sequel, will Janet be brought back?
Married To The Mob (89%)
Although she’s worked with De Niro and Pacino multiple times in her career, it was Jonathan Demme who married Pfeiffer to the mob. Go figure!
In one of her most complex leading roles, Pfeiffer plays Angela de Marco, widow of the recently deceased mafioso, Cucumber Frank (Alec Baldwin). As Angela desperately tries to sever ties with the criminal underworld, a series of shady characters from Frank’s past drag her back into the lifestyle. Her only way out is through an FBI agent who’s fallen in love with her while staking out her apartment.
Hairspray (91%)
In the 2008 adaptation of hit Broadway musical Hairspray, Pfeiffer reminded the whole world of her innate singing ability. Cool Rider, anyone?
The film follows a local talent named Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky), who incites racial awareness after appearing on a TV show in 1962 Baltimore. Pfeiffer plays Velma Von Tussle, the wicked mother of Tracy’s evil dance rival, Amber (Brittany Snow). The film was nominated for three Golden Globes, and the cast was nominated for a SAG Award.
Dangerous Liaisons (93%)
Few period films are as lewd and lascivious as Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liaisons, and Michelle Pfeiffer is arguably the chief reason why!
The film finds a coy widow (Glenn Close) and her duplicitous former flame (John Malkovich) making a bet over who can seduce and corrupt a recently wedded young woman (Uma Thurman). While the man accepts the challenge, he really wants to seduce Pfeiffer’s character instead. Pfieffer earned the first Oscar nomination of her career for her performance. The film went on to win three total Academy Awards.
The Fabulous Baker Boys (96%)
There’s little surprise that the highest-rated Michelle Pfeiffer movie (according to RT anyway) showcases the entire range of her performative talent. Fabulous indeed!
The film revolves around two traveling lounge musicians, played by real-life siblings Beau and Jeff Bridges. With business down, the boys decide to hire a duet singer in the form of Susie Diamond (Pfeiffer), a sexy, seductive, charming, witty, take-no-guff chanteuse who teaches the boys more than they could have imagined while on the road. For her performance, Pfeiffer earned the second Oscar nomination of her career and won a Golden Globe.
