Michelle Williams’ 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes

Ever since making her big-screen debut in the 1994 family film Lassie, Michelle Williams has grown up to become one of the finest actresses of her generation. Four years later, Williams was cast in the hit TV show Dawson’s Creek and has never looked back since.

The four-time Oscar nominee and two-time Golden Globe winner came of age in Hollywood working with such acclaimed directors as Ang Lee, Martin Scorsese, Todd Haynes, Charlie Kaufman, Sam Raimi, and many more. Most recently, Williams earned a Golden Globe for her work as Gwen Verdon in the FX series Fosse/Verdon. With Venom 2 due this October, here are Michelle Williams’ 10 Best Movies, According to Rotten Tomatoes!

10 I’m Not There (2007) 77%

Williams was afforded a second chance to work alongside her real-life significant other at the time, Heath Ledger, in Todd Haynes’ experimental biopic I’m Not There. Six weeks after the film was released, Ledger, unfortunately, passed away.

Said biopic charts the life, music, and immeasurable cultural impact singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has had on America over the course of five decades or so. Several different actors play Dylan in the film, including Ledger, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, and many others. Williams plays one of Dylan’s many love-interests, Coco Rivington.

9 Take This Waltz (2012) 79%

Sarah Polley’s deftly directed and sharply observed rom-com Take This Waltz pairs Williams with the unlikely Seth Rogen. Until Margot (Williams) wisens up and falls for hunky artist Daniel (Luke Kirby) across the street, the film could have served as a prequel to Long Shot!

Margot and Lou are dissatisfied with their marriage. When Margot shares a cab ride with dashing stranger Daniel, she finds herself drawn to him romantically. Can Margot stay faithful or will she follow her heart and forge a new path forward? Watch and find out!

8 My Week With Marilyn (2011) 83%

In arguably the role of her lifetime, Williams portrays the iconic sex-bomb Marilyn Monroe in the narrowly-focused biopic My Week With Marilyn.

Rather than a sweeping cradle to grave biography, director Simon Curtis wisely concentrates on a specific time in Monroe’s life. Based on Colin Clark’s memoir, the assistant of Sir Laurence Olivier, the film charts the tumultuous interactions of Monroe and Olivier while on the set of the 1957 film The Prince and The Showgirl. For her performance, Williams earned an Oscar nod for Best Leading Actress.

7 Wendy And Lucy (2008) 85%

Williams has worked with indie auteur Kelly Reichardt thrice so far in her career, and all three films rank among Williams’ Top 10, per RT. We can certainly expect them to work together in the future!

Their first collaboration is Wendy and Lucy, a deeply affecting and fascinating character study of a young woman and her lovable pet pooch. Williams plays Wendy, an Oregonian falling on harsh times during one misfortunate summer. With no one to turn to, Wendy’s dog Lucy provides all the solace Wendy can ask for.

6 Meek’s Cutoff (2011) 86%

In their second time working together, Williams and Reichardt retained the setting of Oregon to tell a wildly disparate story than Wendy and Lucy.

In Meek’s Cutoff, Williams plays Emily Tetherow, a hardscrabble settler in 1845 Oregon desperate to pass safely over the Cascade Mountains. With her kin and two other families in tow, the settlers turn to Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood) who claims to know a shortcut through the rocky terrain. When the parties become lost, a harrowing quest for survival ensues.

5 Blue Valentine (2010) 87%

In one of the most heart-shattering tales of soured love ever filmed, Williams stars opposite Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine, a movie she also executive-produced.

Williams also earned the second Oscar nomination of her career for her role as Cindy in the film, a woman who meets and falls for Dean (Gosling), a handsome house painter. We witness their lovey-dovey courting process, honeymoon period fade, marriage fail, and a brutal breakup end a complicated romance.

4 Brokeback Mountain (2005) 87%

“Jack Twist? Jack Nasty!” Who can forget such a hateful line reading Williams spouts when discovering her hubby’s extramarital affair with a fellow cowboy, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger), in the Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain?

Ang Lee’s heart-crushing tale of unrequited love among two Wyoming ranch-hands in 1963 is simply beyond reproach. Ledger gives one of the all-time greatest performances as a man who cannot verbally express the raging desires he harbors within. Williams plays his ever-estranged wife, Alma, with equal credibility.

3 Lassie (1994) 88%

Believe it or not, but Williams’ very first feature film credit still ranks among the top-three highest rated films of career, so says RT. Yup, that’s the kind of clout Lassie has among film circles!

In the loose remake of the 1943 film Lassie Come Home, the drama springs from the Turner family’s decision to relocate from the city to rural Virginia. With everyone in the family struggling to adjust, they are suddenly blessed by the presence of Lassie, a nomadic collie they take in as one of their own.

2 Certain Women (2016) 91%

Each and every time Williams works with writer/director Kelly Reichardt, their film increases in ratings. For their third collaboration, Certain Women, the film ranks as Williams’ second-highest of her career to date, according to Rotten Tomatoes!

This time out, Reichardt weaves together three disparates tales concerning the lives of everyday women in small-town Montana. Williams joins Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart, each of whom star in their own short vignette.

1 The Station Agent (2003) 94%

In Tom McCarthy’s widely-praised, peculiar indie outing The Station Agent, Williams plays Emily as part of the stellar award-winning supporting ensemble.

The film introduced the world to Peter Dinklage, who plays a severely depressed man with dwarfism contemplating suicide after the death of his only friend. When Finbar (Dinklage) relocates to rural Jersey to be alone, he cannot escape the friendly advances of a goofy hot-dog pusher (Bobby Cannavale) and a woman with extreme personal baggage (Patricia Clarkson). Williams and her costars were nominated for a SAG Award for Most Oustanding Cast!