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All Michelle Pfeiffer Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer
It was no instant rise to fame for Michelle Pfeiffer, who began her movie career with ’80s teen fluff like The Hollywood Knights and an ill-advised revival of Charlie Chan. Even when she moved up to star status just a year later with Grease 2, it did more harm than good to her career. Both Brian De Palma and Al Pacino resisted auditioning Pfeiffer for Scarface, until they were convinced by producer Martin Bergman. Reason prevailed and she was cast as Tony Montana’s drug-addled girlfriend, and Pfeiffer began to draw national attention thanks to the role.
Pfeiffer’s immediate post-Scarface projects, like Ladyhawke and Sweet Liberty, reveal an actress trying get out of the bimbos-and-trophy-wives pigeonhole, eventually finding both commercial and critical success in 1987’s The Witches of Eastwick. The devilish John Updike adaptation showcased Pfeiffer as an arch comedic performer, able to pull off some strange material, which audiences would see more of in the following year’s Married to the Mob. This kicked off the most rewarding phase of Pfeiffer’s career, resulting in three Oscar nominations (Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys, and Love Field), working with Martin Scorsese (The Age of Innocence), and being crowned a box office queen with her pop culture-defining role as Catwoman in Batman Returns.
Dramas would be her bread and butter (Dangerous Minds, A Thousand Acres, The Deep End of the Ocean, The Story of Us, I Am Sam, White Oleander) up until a hiatus in 2003. She returned in 2007 with three movies: Amy Heckerling’s I Could Never Be Your Woman, cult fantasy favorite Stardust, and the musical Hairspray, which put her together with original Grease alum John Travolta. Her following movies didn’t quite live up to that big re-emergence, including a Batman Returns reunion with Tim Burton on Dark Shadows, and she took another hiatus until 2017. That’s when we got another triple hitter with The Wizard of Lies as Ruth Madoff, Darren Aronofsky’s allegorical freakout mother!, and the opulent Murder on the Orient Express. She drew some of the best reviews of her career in 2018 with Where Is Kyra?, the same year she boarded the MCU as Janet van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp and Quantumania. —Alex Vo
#1
Adjusted Score: 100761%
Critics Consensus: Hairspray is an energetic, wholly entertaining musical romp; a fun Summer movie with plenty of heart. Its contagious songs will make you want to get up and start dancing.
Synopsis: In 1960s Baltimore, dance-loving teen Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) auditions for a spot on "The Corny Collins Show" and wins....
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#2
Adjusted Score: 91915%
Critics Consensus: Buoyed by Jonathan Demme's intuitive direction and Michelle Pfeiffer's irresistible charisma, Married to the Mob is a saucy mix of broad comedy and gangster drama.
Synopsis: Angela de Marco (Michelle Pfeiffer) is fed up with her gangster husband's (Alec Baldwin) line of work and wants no...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 112171%
Critics Consensus: A lighter, brighter superhero movie powered by the effortless charisma of Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, Ant-Man and The Wasp offers a much-needed MCU palate cleanser.
Synopsis: Scott Lang is grappling with the consequences of his choices as both a superhero and a father. Approached by Hope...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 90290%
Critics Consensus: Director Tim Burton's dark, brooding atmosphere, Michael Keaton's work as the tormented hero, and the flawless casting of Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Christopher Walken as, well, Christopher Walken make the sequel better than the first.
Synopsis: The monstrous Penguin (Danny DeVito), who lives in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with wicked shock-headed businessman Max Shreck...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 87087%
Critics Consensus: Director Brian De Palma and star Al Pacino take it to the limit in this stylized, ultra-violent and eminently quotable gangster epic that walks a thin white line between moral drama and celebratory excess.
Synopsis: After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana (Al Pacino) stakes a claim...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 85049%
Critics Consensus: Where Is Kyra? rests on Michelle Pfeiffer's magnetically raw performance -- and lives up to it with a trenchant, hard-hitting story.
Synopsis: A fragile woman is already stressed from a fast-paced world when her mother dies and she must find a means...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 85504%
Critics Consensus: The Prince of Egypt's stunning visuals and first-rate voice cast more than compensate for the fact that it's better crafted than it is emotionally involving.
Synopsis: In this animated retelling of the Book of Exodus, Egyptian Prince Moses (Val Kilmer), upon discovering his roots as a...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 84825%
Critics Consensus: A faithful interpretation that captures the spirit of whimsy, action, and off-kilter humor of Neil Gaiman, Stardust juggles multiple genres and tones to create a fantastical experience.
Synopsis: To win the heart of his beloved (Sienna Miller), a young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) ventures into the realm...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 75049%
Critics Consensus: The Wizard of Lies doesn't really shed much new light on its fact-based story, but thanks to solid direction and a talented cast, it still proves consistently watchable.
Synopsis: In 2008, stockbroker, investment adviser and financier Bernie Madoff made headlines around the world when he was arrested for perpetrating...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 99144%
Critics Consensus: Its story is nothing special, but The Fabulous Baker Boys glows beneath luminous performances from its perfectly cast stars.
Synopsis: Frank and Jack Baker are brothers who have performed together in a small but successful piano act for years. However,...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 96411%
Critics Consensus: Stylish, seductive, and clever, Stephen Frears' adaptation is a wickedly entertaining exploration of sexual politics.
Synopsis: The Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) and the Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich) display the petty jealousies and jaded insouciance...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 76920%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A professor (Alan Alda) tries to stop a film crew from making a teen comedy out of his book about...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 70882%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: While visiting Moscow, British publisher Barley Blair (Sean Connery) learns of a manuscript detailing the Soviet Union's nuclear missile capabilities....
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#14
Adjusted Score: 73247%
Critics Consensus: Strong performances by the lead actresses make White Oleander a compelling female melodrama.
Synopsis: "White Oleander" chronicles the life of Astrid (Alison Lohman), a young teenager who journeys through a series of foster homes...
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#15
Adjusted Score: 71489%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When Johnny (Al Pacino) is released from prison following a forgery charge, he quickly lands a job as a short-order...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 89105%
Critics Consensus: There's no denying that mother! is the thought-provoking product of a singularly ambitious artistic vision, though it may be too unwieldy for mainstream tastes.
Synopsis: A young woman spends her days renovating the Victorian mansion that she lives in with her husband in the countryside....
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#17
Adjusted Score: 70515%
Critics Consensus: Faultless production and shining performances display the Bard's talent propitiously.
Synopsis: This version of the renowned comedic play finds the world of humans intersecting with the realm of magic. The lovely...
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#18
Adjusted Score: 75708%
Critics Consensus: While devotees of John Updike's novel may want to put a hex on George Miller's cartoonish and effects-laden adaptation, Jack Nicholson lends enough decadent devilry to make this high-concept comedy sizzle.
Synopsis: Three small-town friends, Alexandra (Cher), Jane (Susan Sarandon) and Sukie (Michelle Pfeiffer), each having lost the man in their lives,...
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#19
Adjusted Score: 69178%
Critics Consensus: There are pacing problems, but Ladyhawke has an undeniable romantic sweep that's stronger than most fantasy epics of its ilk.
Synopsis: Upon breaking out of a dungeon, youthful thief Phillipe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) befriends Capt. Navarre (Rutger Hauer), a man with...
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#20
Adjusted Score: 35835%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Mother Nature (Saoirse Ronan) loves to cause mischief, and she steps in to help two love-starved souls find happiness. She...
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#21
Adjusted Score: 65991%
Critics Consensus: Wolf misses the jugular after showing flashes of killer instinct early on, but engaging stars and deft direction make this a unique horror-romance worth watching.
Synopsis: After being bitten by a wolf in rural Vermont, aging book editor Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) finds himself full of...
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#22
Adjusted Score: 76649%
Critics Consensus: Stylish production and an all-star ensemble keep this Murder on the Orient Express from running off the rails, even if it never quite builds up to its classic predecessor's illustrious head of steam.
Synopsis: A lavish trip through Europe quickly unfolds into a race against time to solve a murder aboard a train. When...
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#23
Adjusted Score: 58131%
Critics Consensus: Though calculated and melodramatic, People Like Us benefits from a pair of solid leads and its rare screenplay that caters to adult filmgoers.
Synopsis: On the day his latest deal collapses, fast-talking-salesman Sam (Chris Pine) receives the news that his father has died. Reluctantly,...
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#24
Adjusted Score: 54881%
Critics Consensus: With a throwback 1930s vibe, this screwball romantic comedy is perfect for One Fine Day of folding laundry.
Synopsis: Melanie Parker (Michelle Pfeiffer) is an architect who needs to give a very important presentation. Jack Taylor (George Clooney) is...
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#25
Adjusted Score: 56263%
Critics Consensus: A too-short script and a romance lacking in heat detracts from an otherwise haughty charmer.
Synopsis: When retired courtesan Charlotte (Kathy Bates) asks her former colleague, Lea (Michelle Pfeiffer) to instruct her son, Chéri (Rupert Friend),...
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#26
Adjusted Score: 55410%
Critics Consensus: Tequila Sunrise unites three of its decade's most in-demand stars for a slickly packaged crime drama that looks great without ever going anywhere particularly interesting.
Synopsis: In a seaside California town, best friends Mac (Mel Gibson) and Nick (Kurt Russell) are on opposite sides of the...
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#27
Adjusted Score: 69734%
Critics Consensus: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania mostly lacks the spark of fun that elevated earlier adventures, but Jonathan Majors' Kang is a thrilling villain poised to alter the course of the MCU.
Synopsis: Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and...
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#28
Adjusted Score: 51841%
Critics Consensus: Robert Zemeckis is unable to salvage an uncompelling and unoriginal film.
Synopsis: It had been a year since Dr. Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford) betrayed his beautiful wife Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer). But with...
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#29
Adjusted Score: 49088%
Critics Consensus: Competent, but not magical.
Synopsis: The adventurous sailor (Brad Pitt) and a beautiful stowaway (Catherine Zeta-Jones) have 10 days to save a prince from execution....
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#30
Adjusted Score: 43057%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After Beth Cappadora's (Michelle Pfeiffer) youngest son, Ben, vanishes in Chicago, she slowly descends into a deep depression, affecting her...
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#31
Adjusted Score: 41648%
Critics Consensus: Despite its two stellar leads, Into the Night finds director John Landis indulging in far too many gimmicks in lieu of a well-rounded story.
Synopsis: Ed Okin (Jeff Goldblum) leads a joyless existence. He hates his job as an aerospace engineer. To make matters worse,...
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#32
Adjusted Score: 39533%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A Dallas housewife is so obsessed with the Kennedys that she travels from her home town to Washington DC for...
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#33
Adjusted Score: 52531%
Critics Consensus: While it's far from cursed, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil too rarely supports its impressive cast and visuals with enough magical storytelling to justify its existence.
Synopsis: Maleficent travels to a grand old castle to celebrate young Aurora's upcoming wedding to Prince Phillip. While there, she meets...
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#34
Adjusted Score: 41061%
Critics Consensus: Not only does the manipulative I Am Sam oversimplify a complex issue, it drowns it in treacle.
Synopsis: "I Am Sam" is the compelling story of Sam Dawson (Sean Penn), a mentally-challenged father raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota...
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#35
Adjusted Score: 47550%
Critics Consensus: The visuals are top notch but Tim Burton never finds a consistent rhythm, mixing campy jokes and gothic spookiness with less success than other Johnny Depp collaborations.
Synopsis: In 18th-century Maine, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) presides over the town of Collinsport. A rich and powerful playboy, Barnabas seals...
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#36
Adjusted Score: 38859%
Critics Consensus: Grease 2 is undeniably stocked with solid songs and well-choreographed dance sequences, but there's no getting around the fact that it's a blatant retread of its far more entertaining predecessor.
Synopsis: Stephanie Zinone (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the leader of Rydell High School's Pink Ladies, a gang of girls who are counterparts...
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#37
Adjusted Score: 36710%
Critics Consensus: Rife with stereotypes that undermine its good intentions, Dangerous Minds is too blind to see that the ones it hurts are the audience.
Synopsis: Former Marine Louanne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer) lands a gig teaching in a pilot program for bright but underachieving teens at...
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#38
Adjusted Score: 22434%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The retired detective (Peter Ustinov) and his clumsy grandson (Richard Hatch) probe murders in San Francisco's Chinatown....
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#39
Adjusted Score: 33954%
Critics Consensus: Up Close & Personal wastes its superstar leads and compelling fact-inspired story on a treacly romance bereft of onscreen chemistry.
Synopsis: Warren Justice (Robert Redford), a producer for a Miami news program, watches an audition tape from a young Nevada woman...
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#40
Adjusted Score: 32995%
Critics Consensus: Luc Besson's The Family suffers from an overly familiar setup and a number of jarring tonal shifts.
Synopsis: After ratting out his Mafia cohorts, Giovanni Manzioni (Robert De Niro) and his family enter the Witness Protection Program and...
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#41
Adjusted Score: 31858%
Critics Consensus: A lack of chemistry between Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer fatally undermines the dull and predictable Story of Us.
Synopsis: After 15 years of marriage, Katie (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her husband, Ben (Bruce Willis), have grown apart. While they keep...
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#42
Adjusted Score: 26929%
Critics Consensus: A Thousand Acres makes disappointingly sudsy stuff out of the source material, but benefits from solid performances by a strong cast.
Synopsis: A patriarch (Jason Robards) deeds his farm to two (Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange) of his three daughters in a modern...
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#43
Adjusted Score: 15239%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Two years ago, David Lewis' (Peter Gallagher) wife, Gillian (Michelle Pfeiffer), fell from their sailboat and died, and since then...
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#44
Adjusted Score: 11502%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: It's Halloween night, 1965, and members of the Hollywood Knights -- a drag-racing club -- have just been informed that...
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#45
Adjusted Score: 12264%
Critics Consensus: Shallow, sappy, and dull, New Year's Eve assembles a star-studded cast for no discernible purpose.
Synopsis: Intertwining stories promise love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and more for a number of New Yorkers on the celebrated night....
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