Naomi Wattsis in the running to be the most severely underappreciated actress working in Hollywood today.Despite appearing in some acclaimed films towards the beginning of the 21st century, Watts has chosen a career making smaller, intimate projects over appearing for inconsequential roles in franchise or superhero films. While this may not have engendered a massive audience for her work,Watts is often willing to take on challenging risksthat many of her contemporaries may be hesitant about.
It’s true that some of the best entries in Watts’ recent filmography have been on television, as she delivered fantastic performances inTwin Peaks: The ReturnandFeud: Capote vs. The Swans. Nonetheless,Watts has appeared in a number of critically acclaimed dramas, challenging arthouse films, romantic stories, and cult classics.Here are the ten most rewatchable Naomi Watts movies, ranked.
10‘Fair Game’ (2010)
Directed by Doug Liman
Fair Gameis a brilliant political drama that digs deeper into the current culturesurrounding conspiracies and whistleblowersthan most contemporary dramas.Watts plays a high ranking official for the United States government who becomes under fire when her husband (Sean Penn) leaks damning information relating to the nation’s military actions overseas, and the lack of evidence that predicted the invasion. The intense media attention forces the couple to address whether loyalty to their country is more important than their marriage, and whether leaking the truth is worth a potential jail sentence.
Although it deals with weighty topics regarding political discourse,Fair Gameis a great examination of the pressures of marriagethat benefits from the strong chemistry between Watts and Penn. The relevance thatFair Gamehas to recent news events makes it one of Watts’ more rewatchable and timely roles.
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9‘I Heart Huckabees’ (2004)
Directed by David O. Russell
I Heart Huckabeesis certainly the weirdest film that Watts has ever appeared in, but it’s also one of the most oddly entertaining.David O. Russell’s satire of consumerism and capitalism focuses on an eccentric group of characters that hire “existentialist detectives” (Dustin HoffmanandLily Tomlin) to help them solve their internal crises of the heart. AlthoughMark Wahlbergdelivers a scene stealing performanceas a goofy conspiracy theorist, Watts is equally strong as a disaffected corporate drone.
I Heart Huckabeesis so committed to its strangely satirical style that it is very rewatchable,as there’s truly nothing else like it in Watts’ entire filmography. Despite initially being dismissed as being too broad to be a successful comedy,I Heart Huckabeesexamines the issues relating to corporate ownership and obsessions with merchandise in a manner that has made it age very well.
I Heart Huckabees
A husband-and-wife team play detective, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means.
8‘King Kong’ (2005)
Directed by Peter Jackson
King Kongwas arguably the most challenging role that Watts ever accepted,as the character of Ann Darrow played byFay Wrayin the original 1933 classic isone of the most celebrated movie heroesof the “Golden Age of Hollywood.” Watts also had to have believable chemistry withAndy Serkisas the titular ape, a challenging feat considering he was working with groundbreaking motion capture technology. The fact that she succeeded on both fronts shows what a wildly inventive actress Watts is.
King Kongis the rare remake that manages to homage the original classic, whilst still adding enough new elements to the story to justify its existence.It’s over three hours long and by no means a light viewing, butPeter Jackson’s heartfelt epic is the type of utterly sincere, ambitious feats of Hollywood spectacle that the industry desperately needs more of.
A greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.
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7‘The Ring’ (2002)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
The Ringwas another remake of a beloved classic that could have gone disastrously awry if Watts’ performance hadn’t been excellent. Thankfully,Gore Verbinski’s remake ofThe Ringemphasizes the creeping sense of tension and paranoia over any obvious jump scares that would feel more cheap.Despite being rated PG-13,The Ringis far scarier than many films that have more graphic violence and gore.
The Ringis a far more emotional film than it would have been otherwise thanks to the intimate performance by Watts. She succeeds in playing a caring mother who begins to feel the burden of protecting her child from supernatural forces. WhileThe Ringhad many sequels, the original film starring watts is easily the most rewatchable entry in the series. The follow ups lacked the sincere characterization and look of terror that she conveyed in her performance.
A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape that seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.
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6‘While We’re Young’ (2015)
Directed by Noah Baumbach
While We’re Youngis one of the most underrated films in Noah Baumbach’s canon, as it succeeds in casting many well-known actors against type.Watts andBen Stillerstar as an aging couple who become enchanted when they’re much younger neighbors (Adam DriverandAmanda Seyfried) begin encouraging them to be more experimental and erratic. Of course, tensions result in both marriages when both couples realize that “acting your age” is a fairly important edict to abide by.
While We’re Youngis a fun examination of the differences in generationsthat benefits from the excellent chemistry from its entire ensemble; Watts and Stiller are particularly believable as a couple who are desperately trying to rekindle the passion of their youth.Despite having little impact on its initial release,While We’re Youngis one of the more underrated gems of Watts’ filmography.
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5‘Eastern Promises’ (2007)
Directed by David Cronenberg
While it is easily one of the darkest gangster movies ever made, and a haunting portrayal of toxic masculinity,Eastern Promisesbenefits from the feminist perspective that Watts brings to the narrative. David Cronenberg’s2007 masterpiece stars Watts as a kind-hearted nurse who begins to care for the child of a teenage prostitute who was pronounced dead; it’s only after looking into the girl’s journal that she realizes that there is a connection to the local Russian mafia family.Viggo Mortensenmay have earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in the film, but Watts added a sense of sensitivity that was just as worthy of recognition.
Although the film is best knownfor its climactic fight scene,many of the best scenes inEastern Promisesare the quieter moments of Watts reacting to the violence that surrounds her.It was important for a film that dealt with such terrifying concepts to remember that all violence had a cost.
Eastern Promises
4‘The Impossible’ (2012)
Directed by J.A. Bayone
The Impossibleis one of themost harrowing disaster filmsin recent memory,yet also serves as a powerful tribute to family bonding. Based on haunting real events,J.A. Bayona’s modern masterpiece stars Watts andEwan McGregoras a couple who are caught up in a disastrous tsunami during their Christmas vacation in Thailand. After being separated, the couple are forced to search for their children as the survivors struggle to reach shelter.
Watts perfectly conveys the pain and horror that a mother feels when her children are placed in harrowing situations. Although many of these scenes are physically laborious, it’s Watts’ emotional intimacy that makes the entire story so powerful. Her performance earned her a well deserved Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and served as a heartfelt tribute to the real victims that lost their lives in the devastating disaster.
The Impossible
The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
3‘21 Grams’ (2003)
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
21 Gramsis a harrowing drama about the power of forgiveness, the strength of the human spirit, and the reality of mortality.The powerful story from brilliant writer/directorAlejandro Gonzales Inarritustars Watts as a caring wife whose husband (Sean Penn) is dying. Her perspective is challenged when they meet a former alcoholic (Benicio del Toro) who was involved in a devastating car crash several years earlier.
While told out of order to create mystery surrounding how the different stories were actually related,21 Gramssucceeds in making the viewer invested in every character, with Watts doing some of the most challenging work of her career.It’s a film that contains apowerful message about mental health, and is worth rewatching because of how much insight the story contains. Watts’ performance earned her yet another well deserved Academy Award nomination.
In 21 Grams, the lives of a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and an ex-con collide following a tragic accident. The non-linear narrative explores themes of loss, redemption, and interconnectedness, gradually revealing how their fates intertwine amid personal struggles and emotional turmoil.
2‘Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’ (2014)
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
One of thefew genuine comedy films to win the Academy Award for Best Picture,Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)is a brilliant satire of Hollywood excess that also speaks to universal truths about the lengths that artists go to in order to ensure that their work has value.Watts has a critical supporting role as an actress who joins the cast of a new play from the former Hollywood star Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton), who is attempting to revive his career after being typecast for his role in theBirdmansuperhero films.
Despite only appearing in the film in a limited capacity,Watts does a great job at showing the exhilaration and horror that actors face when giving emotional stage performances.A film that is as ambitious asBirdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)wouldn’t be nearly as successful and rewatchable as it is if not for the strength of its entire ensemble.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.
1‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001)
Directed by David Lynch
Mulholland Driveis one of the defining masterpieces of David Lynch’s career, but the film’s success hinges on Watts’ amazing lead performance.The haunting surrealist film stars Watts as an ambitious actress who ventures to Hollywood to achieve her dream of being a movie star; her views on the industry are suddenly challenged when she beginsexperiencing nightmares and witnessing supernatural creatures.It serves as a clever satire of how different the world of filmmaking is from the sunny outlook that the industry likes to present.
Mulholland Driveis a film that is so packed with hidden details that fans have watched it multiple times in order to determine what it really means; like all Lynch films, its purposefully unclear in the best ways. However, Watts’ empathetic performance ensures that the experience of watchingMulholland Driveis just as emotionally stimulating as it is mind-boggling.
Mulholland Drive
After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
