(Photo by Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection)
All Jessica Chastain Movies Ranked
How many times now have we seen the fanfare of an “And Introducing…” in the credits of a movie, only to never hear of that person ever again? If you can’t think of any examples, that’s exactly the point.
But not so for Jessica Chastain. She would not fall casualty to this Madden cover curse of star billing, after her “And Introducing…” leading debut of 2008’s Jolene. The movie only got 48%, so it didn’t set the world on fire, but Chastain came back two years later with Stolen…which got 0%. Improbably, this only set the stage for a wild 5-movie Certified Fresh streak that would launch her career, featuring Coriolanus, The Tree of Life, The Help, The Debt, and Take Shelter.
Almost hard to believe Chastain has only been active on-screen for just over a decade, but she’s capitalized on her early Certified Fresh windfall. The Help got her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nom, and the next year she upgraded to competing in the Best Actress field for Zero Dark Thirty, which would go on to win Best Picture. Interstellar and The Martian made her synonymous with deep space hijinks (as if Tree of Life didn’t already), while Miss Sloane and Molly’s Game exhibits her style of high-level intensity.
And now Chastain is in the sequel to the highest-grossing horror movie ever, It Chapter Two, as grown-up Bev. As she’s chased on-screen by all manner of murder clowns and transformative terrors, we’re ranking all Jessica Chastain’s best movies (and her worst — hi, Dark Phoenix!) by Tomatometer!
#28
Critics Consensus: With plot points Stolen from countless superior films, this would-be thriller squanders a solid cast on overly serious and suspense-free storytelling.
Synopsis: Mad Men star Jon Hamm headlines this unusual low-budget mystery-thriller, as Detective Tom Adkins, a man haunted relentlessly by the...
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#27
Adjusted Score: 4.623%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Jessica Chastain, and Zach Braff star in this dramatic and inventive look at the life and...
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#26
Adjusted Score: 27.282%
Critics Consensus: The Huntsman: Winter's War is visually arresting and boasts a stellar cast, but neither are enough to recommend this entirely unnecessary sequel.
Synopsis: Freya the Ice Queen (Emily Blunt) brings her sister Ravenna (Charlize Theron) back to life, and the powerful evil siblings...
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#25
Adjusted Score: 38.447%
Critics Consensus: Dark Phoenix ends an era of the X-Men franchise by taking a second stab at adapting a classic comics arc -- with deeply disappointing results.
Synopsis: In DARK PHOENIX, the X-MEN face their most formidable and powerful foe: one of their own, Jean Grey. During a...
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#24
Adjusted Score: 37.646%
Critics Consensus: Texas Killing Fields is a competent boilerplate crime thriller, brewing up characters and plots used in better films.
Synopsis: Inspired by the string of real-life unsolved murders in a small Texan town, this tense and haunting thriller follows a...
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#23
Adjusted Score: 42.941%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Author E.L. Doctorow's acclaimed short story Jolene: A Life gets the big screen treatment in Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont's...
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#22
Adjusted Score: 53.762%
Critics Consensus: Woman Walks Ahead gets some extra mileage out of watchable work from Jessica Chastain and Michael Greyeyes, but uneven pacing and two-dimensional characters undermine their efforts.
Synopsis: Based on true events, WOMAN WALKS AHEAD tells the story of Catherine Weldon (Jessica Chastain), a widowed artist from New...
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#21
Adjusted Score: 53.377%
Critics Consensus: Miss Julie definitely gives Jessica Chastain and Colin Farrell room to shine, but neglects to leave them a solid enough setting to augment their efforts.
Synopsis: Miss Julie depicts a fierce battle between a man and a woman, a struggle for power and dominance enacted through...
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#20
Adjusted Score: 70.16%
Critics Consensus: The Zookeeper's Wife has noble intentions, but is ultimately unable to bring its fact-based story to life with quite as much impact as it deserves.
Synopsis: The real-life story of one working wife and mother who became a hero to hundreds during World War II. In...
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#19
Adjusted Score: 69.181%
Critics Consensus: If you're into old-school scares over cheap gore, you'll be able to get over Mama's confusing script and contrived plot devices.
Synopsis: Guillermo del Toro presents Mama, a supernatural thriller that tells the haunting tale of two little girls who disappeared into...
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#18
Adjusted Score: 79.354%
Critics Consensus: It: Chapter Two proves bigger doesn't always mean scarier for horror sequels, but a fine cast and faithful approach to the source material keep this follow-up afloat.
Synopsis: Evil resurfaces in Derry as director Andy Muschietti reunites the Losers Club in a return to where it all began...
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#17
Adjusted Score: 68.05%
Critics Consensus: Led by strong performances from Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is a hauntingly original rumination on love and loss.
Synopsis: With his unique vision, writer/director Ned Benson ambitiously captures a complete picture of a relationship in the beautifully relatable portrait...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 74.111%
Critics Consensus: Grim, bloody, and utterly flawed, Lawless doesn't quite achieve the epic status it strains for, but it's too beautifully filmed and powerfully acted to dismiss.
Synopsis: Lawless is the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers: bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream...
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#15
Adjusted Score: 87.07%
Critics Consensus: Interstellar represents more of the thrilling, thought-provoking, and visually resplendent filmmaking moviegoers have come to expect from writer-director Christopher Nolan, even if its intellectual reach somewhat exceeds its grasp.
Synopsis: With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team of explorers undertakes the most important mission in human...
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#14
Adjusted Score: 82.767%
Critics Consensus: Crimson Peak offers an engaging -- albeit somewhat slight -- diversion driven by a delightfully creepy atmosphere and director Guillermo del Toro's brilliant knack for unforgettable visuals.
Synopsis: When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 83.16%
Critics Consensus: Though it fails to fully engage with its racial themes, The Help rises on the strength of its cast -- particularly Viola Davis, whose performance is powerful enough to carry the film on its own.
Synopsis: The Help stars Emma Stone as Skeeter, Viola Davis as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny-three very different, extraordinary women...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 83.213%
Critics Consensus: Miss Sloane sits squarely on the shoulders of Jessica Chastain's performance -- and she responds with awards-worthy work that single-handedly elevates the film.
Synopsis: In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 82.621%
Critics Consensus: Its time-shifting narrative creates distracting casting problems, but ultimately, The Debt is a smart, well-acted entry in a genre that could use more like it.
Synopsis: The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stephan (Tom...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 82.558%
Critics Consensus: Dazzlingly colorful and frenetic, Madagascar 3 is silly enough for young kids, but boasts enough surprising smarts to engage parents along the way.
Synopsis: Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe are still fighting to get home to...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 51.908%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Pacino takes us on a journey as he unravels and re-interprets Oscar Wilde's once banned and most controversial work SALOME,...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 94.863%
Critics Consensus: Powered by an intriguing story and a pair of outstanding performances from Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba, Molly's Game marks a solid debut for writer-director Aaron Sorkin.
Synopsis: MOLLY'S GAME is based on the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 94.271%
Critics Consensus: Terrence Malick's singularly deliberate style may prove unrewarding for some, but for patient viewers, Tree of Life is an emotional as well as visual treat.
Synopsis: From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line,...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 97.566%
Critics Consensus: Gritty, gripping, and weighted with thought-provoking heft, A Most Violent Year represents another strong entry in writer-director J.C. Chandor's impressive filmography.
Synopsis: Set during the winter of 1981 -- statistically one of the most crime-ridden of New York City's history -- A...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 105.999%
Critics Consensus: Smart, thrilling, and surprisingly funny, The Martian offers a faithful adaptation of the bestselling book that brings out the best in leading man Matt Damon and director Ridley Scott.
Synopsis: During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 96.547%
Critics Consensus: Visceral and visually striking, Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus proves Shakespeare can still be both electrifying and relevant in a modern context.
Synopsis: Caius Martius 'Coriolanus' (Ralph Fiennes), a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 96.905%
Critics Consensus: Michael Shannon gives a powerhouse performance and the purposefully subtle filmmaking creates a perfect blend of drama, terror, and dread.
Synopsis: Curtis LaForche lives in a small Ohio town with his wife Samantha and six-year-old daughter Hannah, who is deaf. Money...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 102.934%
Critics Consensus: Gripping, suspenseful, and brilliantly crafted, Zero Dark Thirty dramatizes the hunt for Osama bin Laden with intelligence and an eye for detail.
Synopsis: For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to...
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#1
Adjusted Score: 21.628%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A retelling of the biblical story of Salome....
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