Since she was a little child, Sarah Jessica Parker has been an actress, having made her Broadway debut in The Innocents. After making the move from theater to film, she founded Pretty Matches Prods, a producing business, and won two Primetime Emmys in addition to six Golden Globes for some of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies of her career. Her most well-known performance was in the six seasons of the HBO series Sex and the City as sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw. She also acted as executive producer on the relaunch, And Just Like That..., and two more projects.
Despite being best known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw, Parker has starred in several other films and TV series. She has portrayed a range of characters in many genres, from supporting parts to leading roles, and she has also contributed her voice to documentary narration. While some of her well-known parts, such as the ’80s classic Footloose, the Halloween cult hit Hocus Pocus, and even the Sex and the City movies, didn’t quite make the cut, she has received critical acclaim for several of her more recent roles. Here are the 10 best Sarah Jessica Parker movies, ranked.
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10. Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)
The 1985 romantic comedy Girls Just Want to Have Fun, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Shannen Doherty, and Helen Hunt, tells the story of a group of enthusiastic dancers who decide to compete in a thrilling dance competition in the hopes of winning a highly sought-after place on a prominent TV show in Chicago. Janey and Lynne, played by Parker and Hunt, are good friends who combine their passion of dance to try out for the program in spite of Janey’s strict father’s disapproval.
Parker played Janey in the movie, which was based on the Cyndi Lauper popular song of the same name, culminating in one of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies . Parker had previously collaborated with screenwriter Janis Hirsch on Square Pegs. The actress talked about what drew her to the film, saying, “Janis wasn’t into showing people my age as foolish. Her affection for two closest friends who don’t compete really impressed me.”
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9. Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)
Parker featured in the 1992 film Honeymoon in Vegas with Nicolas Cage and James Caan. An impoverished private investigator loans his fiancée to a con guy for a trip to Hawaii in order to pay off his debts, but she begins to fall for her captor. A theater musical was subsequently created out of it, cementing its position as one of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies.
Even though Honeymoon in Vegas is a predictable and rather ridiculous film, that’s all part of its appeal and enjoyment. Naturally, there are also many allusions to Elvis Presley, including a picture of Bruno Mars while he was still imitating the singer.
8. Failure to Launch (2006)
In the romantic comedy Failure to Launch (2006), Sarah Jessica Parker plays an interventionist who is recruited by a 35-year-old man’s frantic parents to assist him take charge of his life and motivate him to move out of their house and into an apartment of his own. Parker’s Paula has a tried-and-true formula for giving her clients the confidence they need to leave the nest, but when she starts to feel something for her mark, her preparations take a turn for the worse.
Parker co-stars in the endearing romantic comedy with Matthew McConaughey, Zooey Deschanel, and Bradley Cooper, making for one of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies. The film had a mixed reception from critics but went on to become a box office blockbuster and receive an A- CinemaScore from audiences.
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7. The First Wives Club (1996)
The First Wives Club, a 1996 mega hit comedy starring Bette Midler, Diane Keaton, and Goldie Hawn as three divorcées plotting to get revenge on their unfaithful ex-husbands who left them for younger women, is based on the same-titled novel by Olivia Goldsmith. Sarah Jessica Parker, who previously collaborated with the iconic actress/singer on the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus, plays the dim-witted but cunning fiancée of Midler’s deceitful ex.
Hugh Wilson, the director of the comedy, said to Vanity Fair, in commemoration of the film’s 20th anniversary, that he would “go to war with Sarah Jessica Parker.” A gripping story from start to finish, this is one of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies you’d be remiss not to revisit.
6. Ed Wood (1994)
The 1994 biographical dramedy Ed Wood, which chronicles the fascinating life of the cult filmmaker of the same name, follows the eccentric creator’s attempts to break into Hollywood by directing a string of campy, low-budget films with the support of actor Bela Lugosi and a devoted group of people. With Sarah Jessica Parker playing Wood’s partner and actress/songwriter Dolores Fuller and Martin Landau playing Lugosi, Johnny Depp gave a superb portrayal of the multifaceted Wood.
The captivating biopic was directed by Tim Burton, who was fascinated by the way the filmmaker “wrote about his films as if he was making Citizen Kane you know, whereas other people perceived them as, like, the worst movies ever.” Burton was a fan of the filmmaker’s work and took a prime role in creating one of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies of her career. Critics praised the remarkable performances of the actors, the director, and the novel screenplay of the Academy Award-winning Ed Wood when it was first released.
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5. The Family Stone (2005)
The 2005 comedy-drama The Family Stone features an all-star cast of legendary Hollywood stars, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, and Claire Danes. It is set during the Christmas season and centers on the hilarious antics of the Stone family as their eldest son brings home his girlfriend with the intention of popping the question during the joyous occasion. Parker plays Everett Stone’s nervous love interest Meredith Morton, who finds herself at odds with his family following a less than cordial welcome. Dermot Mulroney plays Everett Stone.
After finding it difficult to play a part that set her apart from her Sex and the City counterpart, Parker was eager to take on the tough role; she characterized Meredith as “controlling, rigid, and tightly wound.” She just makes things worse when she attempts to talk herself out of uncomfortable situations, making for a stellar performance and one of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies in recent memory. Parker received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in recognition of her outstanding performance.
4. Flight of the Navigator (1986)
In the 1986 film Flight of the Navigator, David, a young boy, is unintentionally rendered comatose close to his house. Eight years have passed when he wakes up, and a NASA scientist has found a UFO nearby. Parker portrays David’s friend Carolyn McAdams, an intern at NASA.
Flight of the Navigator is a quintessential sci-fi family film from the 1980s, similar to E.T. In one of her early movie performances, Parker plays a kind and charming character who supports and sympathizes with David, even going so far as to assist him in getting out of the hospital where he is being confined, making for one of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies despite its retro status.
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3. Hocus Pocus (1993)
Three centuries after being hung for murder in Salem, Massachusetts, on Halloween night, the Sanderson sisters—three wicked witches—are erroneously brought back to life in the cult classic Hocus Pocus from 1993. In the beloved Halloween classic, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy play charmingly diabolical witches who prey on youngsters in order to remain young and immortal, mesmerizing audiences.
Parker has a stunning performance as the charming but naive Sarah Sanderson, who seduces the kids with her voice like a siren to bring them to their inevitable demise. Due to its Halloween screenings, Hocus Pocus received a tepid reception before garnering a fervent cult following, now regarded as one of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies and a Halloween classic.
2. State and Main (2000)
A little New England town serves as the backdrop for a big-budget movie in David Mamet’s comedy State and Main, bringing havoc with it. Parker performs the movie’s principal role; other notable actors in the cast include Patti LuPone, Clark Gregg, Alec Baldwin, Julia Stiles, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and William H. Macy.
Like the imaginary movie they’re creating, State and Main is a satire of the film industry and a meditation on morality and how little or much it takes to give up one’s own. Parker plays a fun actress who unexpectedly refuses to perform a nude scene, making for one of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies and a career highlight. This is only one of the director’s many problems with the in-universe movie, proving a tumultuous and gripping viewing experience.
1. LA Story (1991) – Best Sarah Jessica Parker Movies
In the 1991 film L.A. Story, weatherman Harris is inspired to seek a relationship with a British journalist after receiving messages from an electronic sign outside his home offering advice on how to better his lot in life. Parker portrays SanDeE*, the intriguingly named wannabe spokesmodel that Harris had an affair with. Steve Martin wrote and starred in L.A. Story, which also included several noteworthy celebrity cameos.
A popular term for the endearing and humorous fantasy romance L.A. Story is “love letter to Los Angeles.” Despite the fact that Parker and Harris aren’t meant to be, she excels as the vivacious and carefree SanDeE*, and the movie is regarded as one of the best Sarah Jessica Parker movies and one of Steve Martin’s greatest.
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