
(Photo by Orion/ courtesy Everett Collection)
All Jodie Foster Movies Ranked
1974 drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is already one hell of a way to jump-start a pre-teen acting career for Jodie Foster, yet it would be her second collaboration with director Martin Scorsese that made her an international star. 1976’s Taxi Driver was a shocking game-changer in a decade full of them, with Foster’s casting as a 12-year-old prostitute eliciting awe and dread from audiences, not to mention an eventual Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. As a new unlikely industry “It” girl, Foster quickly began to fill her resume with roles equally precocious (Freaky Friday, Bugsy Malone) and dark (The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane) following Taxi Driver.
Foster continued to hone her craft through the ’80s and into the ’90s, receiving a Best Actress Oscar for 1988’s The Accused, and moving on to even bigger Oscar night wins for 1992’s The Silence of the Lambs. 1995’s Nell would be Foster’s last Oscar nom to date, but the Golden Globes have been more receptive: She’s been nominated since for 1997’s Contact, 2007’s The Brave One, 2011’s Carnage, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2013, and finally won another acting Globe with 2021’s The Mauritanian.
More of Foster’s highlights during these decades include David Fincher’s Panic Room, Spike Lee’s Inside Man, and her own directorial-and-starring efforts like Money Monster. And now we take a look at all Jodie Foster movies ranked by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo
95%
Critics Consensus: Director Jonathan Demme's smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study and all-out horror, and benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.
Synopsis: Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Directed By: Jonathan Demme
92%
Critics Consensus: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore finds Martin Scorsese wielding a somewhat gentler palette than usual, with generally absorbing results.
Synopsis: After her husband dies, Alice (Ellen Burstyn) and her son, Tommy, leave their small New Mexico town for California, where Alice hopes to make it... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Green Bush, Diane Ladd
Directed By: Martin Scorsese
89%
Critics Consensus: A must-see film for movie lovers, this Martin Scorsese masterpiece is as hard-hitting as it is compelling, with Robert De Niro at his best.
Synopsis: Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel
Directed By: Martin Scorsese
88%
Critics Consensus: Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan charm in Mark Waters' nicely pitched -- and Disney's second -- remake of the 1976 hit.
Synopsis: Single mother Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her teenage daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) couldn't be more different, and it is driving them both insane.... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Harold Gould
Directed By: Mark Waters
86%
Critics Consensus: Spike Lee's energetic and clever bank-heist thriller is a smart genre film that is not only rewarding on its own terms, but manages to subvert its pulpy trappings with wit and skill.
Synopsis: A tough detective matches wits with a bank robber, while an enigmatic woman has her own agenda.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe
Directed By: Spike Lee
86%
Critics Consensus: Nyad is an uplifting sports biopic strictly on the merits of its story, but it's the outstanding performances from Annette Bening and Jodie Foster that really keep this picture afloat.
Synopsis: A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, NYAD recounts a riveting chapter in the life of world-class athlete... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans, Garland Scott
Directed By: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
79%
Critics Consensus: A well-crafted and visually arresting drama with a touch of whimsy.
Synopsis: Mathilde (Audrey Tautou) is told that her fiancé (Gaspard Ulliel) has been killed in World War I. She refuses to believe this, however, and begins... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Jean-Pierre Becker, Dominique Bettenfeld
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
76%
Critics Consensus: The inter-cutting of animation by Spawn's creator, Todd McFarlane, doesn't always work, but the performances by the young actors capture the pains of growing up well.
Synopsis: Francis Doyle (Emile Hirsch) and Tim Sullivan (Kieran Culkin), and their closest friends, are fighting the stultifying repression of their parish school. Foremost among the... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Kieran Culkin, Jena Malone, Emile Hirsch, Vincent D'Onofrio
Directed By: Peter Care
76%
Critics Consensus: Elevated by David Fincher's directorial talent and Jodie Foster's performance, Panic Room is a well-crafted, above-average thriller.
Synopsis: Trapped in their New York brownstone's panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman (Jodie... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto
Directed By: David Fincher
75%
Critics Consensus: The Mauritanian takes a frustratingly generic approach to a real-life story that might have been inspirational in other hands, but Tahar Rahim's performance elevates the uneven material.
Synopsis: Directed by Kevin Macdonald and based on the NY Times best-selling memoir "Guantánamo Diary" by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, this is the inspiring true story of... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch
Directed By: Kevin Macdonald
93%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Out drinking one night after a fight with her boyfriend, three men brutally rape Sarah Tobias in a bar while people watch and cheer. District... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Kelly McGillis, Jodie Foster, Bernie Coulson, Leo Rossi
Directed By: Jonathan Kaplan
93%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Quiet, withdrawn 13-year-old Rynn Jacobs (Jodie Foster) lives peacefully in her home in a New England beach town. Whenever the prying landlady (Alexis Smith) inquires... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith, Scott Jacoby
Directed By: Nicolas Gessner
79%
Critics Consensus: Delightfully bizarre, Bugsy Malone harnesses immense charm from its cast of child actors playing wise guys with precocious pluck.
Synopsis: Fat Sam (John Cassisi), Bugsy (Scott Baio) and Tallulah (Jodie Foster) are kids playing adults in Roaring '20s New York.
Starring: Scott Baio, Jodie Foster, John Cassisi, Florrie Dugger
Directed By: Alan Parker
78%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This unusual film follows the unhinged Heinz (John Turturro), a rapist who has been released from prison, as he attempts to court Linda (Jodie Foster),... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins, John Turturro, Todd Graff
Directed By: Tony Bill
71%
Critics Consensus: It isn't as compelling on the screen as it was on the stage, but Carnage makes up for its flaws with Polanski's smooth direction and assured performances from Winslet and Foster.
Synopsis: When some roughhousing between two 11-year-old boys named Zachary and Ethan erupts into real violence, Ethan loses two teeth. Zachary's parents, Alan and Nancy Cowen... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly
Directed By: Roman Polanski
71%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Based on the novel by John Irving, this unusual comedic drama follows the exploits of the eccentric hotel-operating Berry family. While there are many strange... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Beau Bridges, Rob Lowe, Paul McCrane
Directed By: Tony Richardson
69%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Fred Tate is a 7-year-old with a genius IQ. Single mother Dede worries Fred might have an easier time fitting in around other child prodigies.... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Dianne Wiest, Adam Hann-Byrd, Harry Connick Jr.
Directed By: Jodie Foster
67%
Critics Consensus: It isn't terribly deep, but it's witty and undeniably charming, and the cast is obviously having fun.
Synopsis: This film update of the Maverick TV series finds the title cardsharp (Mel Gibson) hoping to join a poker contest with an impressive payoff. In... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene
Directed By: Richard Donner
64%
Critics Consensus: After the heady sci-fi thrills of District 9, Elysium is a bit of a comedown for director Neill Blomkamp, but on its own terms, it delivers just often enough to satisfy.
Synopsis: In 2154, the wealthy live in comfort and luxury aboard a space station, while the poor have a hardscrabble existence on the overpopulated and ruined...
Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga
Directed By: Neill Blomkamp
73%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In the late 1970s, four teenage girls from San Fernando Valley, Calif., deal with the rampant dysfunction in their lives. Deirdre (Kandice Stroh) pursues one... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Cherie Currie, Scott Baio, Sally Kellerman
Directed By: Adrian Lyne
62%
Critics Consensus: Jodie Foster's visual instincts and Mel Gibson's all-in performance sell this earnest, straightforward movie.
Synopsis: Walter Black (Mel Gibson), the head of a failing toy company, is deeply depressed. His marriage to Meredith (Jodie Foster) is broken and his oldest... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence
Directed By: Jodie Foster
63%
Critics Consensus: Sommersby stumbles as a consistently compelling mystery, but typically solid work from Jodie Foster and Richard Gere fuels an engaging romance.
Synopsis: A man returns to his home town after a lengthy absence spent fighting in the US Civil War. Although his apparent character transformation arouses his... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Richard Gere, Jodie Foster, Bill Pullman, James Earl Jones
Directed By: Jon Amiel
59%
Critics Consensus: Money Monster's strong cast and solidly written story ride a timely wave of socioeconomic anger that's powerful enough to overcome an occasionally muddled approach to its worthy themes.
Synopsis: Lee Gates is a Wall Street guru who picks hot stocks as host of the television show "Money Monster." Suddenly, during a live broadcast, disgruntled... View Full Synopsis
Starring: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O'Connell, Dominic West
Directed By: Jodie Foster
57%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Frankie (Gary Busey) and Patch (Robbie Robertson) are partners in a traveling carnival who scam customers into wasting money on their dunk-tank act. At one... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Gary Busey, Jodie Foster, Robbie Robertson, Meg Foster
Directed By: Robert Kaylor
57%
Critics Consensus: Hotel Artemis has a few flashes of wit and an intriguing cast, but mostly it's just a serviceable chunk of slightly futuristic violence -- which might be all its audience is looking for.
Synopsis: As rioting rocks Los Angeles in the year 2028, disgruntled thieves make their way to Hotel Artemis -- a 13-story, members-only hospital for criminals. It's... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum
Directed By: Drew Pearce
51%
Critics Consensus: Despite good intentions, Nim's Island flounders under an implausible storyline, simplistic stock characters, and distracting product placement.
Synopsis: Life is an adventure for a courageous youngster named Nim, who lives on an exotic island with her marine-biologist father and a menagerie of animal... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler, Michael Carman
Directed By: Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin
54%
Critics Consensus: Shadows and Fog recreates the chiaroscuro aesthetic of German Expressionism, but Woody Allen's rambling screenplay retreads the director's neurotic obsessions with derivative results.
Synopsis: A serial strangler is on the loose, and a mob of neighborhood vigilantes is on the hunt. When several neighbors wake up the skittish Max... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, Madonna
Directed By: Woody Allen
43%
Critics Consensus: Magnetic by between Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard can't quite compensate for The Brave One's problematic and unconvincing eye-for-an-eye moral.
Synopsis: New York radio host Erica Bain endures a brutal attack that leaves her badly injured and her beloved fiancé dead. The tragedy haunts her, and... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Nicky Katt, Naveen Andrews
Directed By: Neil Jordan
40%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: While fixing a flat tire, artist Anne Benton (Jodie Foster) sees a mob killing. She reports the murder to the local police, but they are... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Jodie Foster, Dean Stockwell, Vincent Price
Directed By: Dennis Hopper
36%
Critics Consensus: The actors are all on key here, but as the movie progress, tension deflates as the far-fetched plot kicks in.
Synopsis: A widow becomes frantic when her six-year-old daughter disappears on an airplane traveling from Berlin to New York.
Starring: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Erika Christensen, Sean Bean
Directed By: Robert Schwentke
20%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Failed baseball player Billy Wyatt (Mark Harmon) learns that his childhood sweetheart, Katie (Jodie Foster), has killed herself. The exuberant but troubled Katie, with her... View Full Synopsis
Starring: Mark Harmon, Jodie Foster, Blair Brown, Jonathan Silverman
Directed By: Steven Kampmann, William Porter
17%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A sky diver (Ellen Barkin) wakes up in the middle of nowhere in Spain and dreamily recalls how she got there.
Starring: Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne, Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen
Directed By: Mary Lambert




