Miley Cyrus’s 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Roles, Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes

Thanks to her glittery role on the Disney hit Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus quickly became a celebrated actress and pop superstar, both as the fictional Hannah and the real-life Miley. While none of Cyrus’s other roles are as beloved or memorable as the teen who lived a double life, her assorted (if not always acclaimed) filmography is still worth a perusal.

Fittingly enough, Cyrus’s roles often involve her spirited musicality, and she has repeatedly played a fictionalized and scripted version of herself. Here are five of Miley’s best and five of her worst roles, ranked according to the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer.

10 Best: The Night Before (68%)

Indeed, Cyrus masters her post-Hannah Montana self in this 2015 holiday comedy, which also stars Anthony Mackie, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Gordon-Levitt’s character Ethan approaches Cyrus at a holiday event and explains that his girlfriend Diana (Caplan) is a fan. After Cyrus learns that Ethan is in love with Diana, she helps him propose with a lively duet of “Wrecking Ball.”

In one cringe-worthy part of their encounter, Cyrus tells Ethan to stop calling her “Miley Cyrus.” When Ethan asks what he should say instead, she offers this deadpan reply: “Hannah.” She jokes, but plenty of fans would probably be happy to oblige.

9 Worst: Hannah Montana: The Movie (44%)

Miley Stewart must reckon with the consequences of fame in this 2009 film, which dives into the negative effects of her life as Hannah Montana (including an obsession with shoes that leads to a contentious encounter with Tyra Banks). Miley’s adventures on a farm re-route her in reality, leading to a climactic moment that completely alters the course of her “double life.”

Although it certainly didn’t win any Academy Awards, the movie stays faithful to the television show’s magic and includes some pivotal moments in the world of Hannah Montana, among them is Miley’s decision to reveal her true identity to the world.

8 Best: Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best Of Both Worlds Concert Tour (73%)

Miley Cyrus dons her blonde wig for the masses in this 2008 concert film, which follows both Miley and “Hannah” as they perform for a massive stadium audience. Along with performances of hits like “Rock Star” and “Nobody’s Perfect” (both of which she sings as Hannah Montana), the film depicts footage with Cyrus in character.

7 Worst: The Last Song (21%)

Although The Last Song is one of several poorly-received romantic movies in Miley Cyrus’s filmography, it did introduce her fans to the emotional ballad “When I Look at You.” The film co-stars Liam Hemsworth as Cyrus’s love interest and Greg Kinnear as her dad, whom she begrudgingly visits for the summer after declining to enroll in Juilliard for her piano expertise.

The romantic plot between Ronnie (Cyrus) and Will (Hemsworth) is much less compelling than the film’s exploration of a fraught father-daughter relationship. Although its narrative isn’t terribly original, Cyrus’s angsty role constitutes a divergence from her more upbeat portrayal of Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana.

6 Best: Big Fish (75%)

Prior to her debut as Hannah Montana, Cyrus played the eight-year-old Ruthie in this gleeful and heartwrenching Tim Burton fantasy. Including a sturdy cast of Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, and Danny DeVito, the film revolves around Edward (Finney in his senior years, McGregor in his youth) and the far-fetched stories he recounts to his son as an elderly man.

Cyrus’s role is quite brief, and it’s almost difficult to believe that she began starring in Hannah Montana just three years later! Despite her minor appearance, Cyrus makes the most of her dialogue While walking in the dark to spy on a witch, Ruthie authoritatively tells her cursing friends, “You shouldn’t swear, there’s ladies present.”

5 Worst: LOL (17%)

In one of her first post-Hannah Montana roles, Cyrus portrays a love-stricken and somewhat rebellious teenager named Lola – not too far removed from Hannah, except that Lola is definitely not a pop star, and the film is less concerned with music and more concerned with the cultural effects of technology on teen life.

LOL might be a cheese-fest, but it’s worth a watch if you want to see one snobby Ashley Greene (Ashley), and a caring but strict Demi Moore (Anne).

4 Best: Black Mirror (83%)

Cyrus portrays conflicted pop star Ashley O in the anthology’s series three episode “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” which provides incisive commentary on the nature of celebrity life and commodification.

When viewers meet Ashley O, she is a saccharine pop star who dons a pastel purple wig — and then sings more meaningful music in the comfort of her home. When her managers hatch a mischievous plan to put Ashley out of commission, the episode’s Black Mirror antics commence, involving a sentient toy and revenge against the mainstream music industry that encourages Ashley to release generic music.

3 Worst: Sex And The City 2 (16%)

Cyrus’s role in this 2010 sequel is memorable but minor, so she can’t exactly be blamed for the poorly-written movie’s equally poor reception. Like the unabashedly obnoxious series, Sex and the City 2 revolves around besties Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha, who visit Abu Dhabi on a trip that becomes much more stressful than the ideal vacation.

Cyrus provides a brief cameo, as herself, when she and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) accidentally wear the same dress to a film premiere. Offering an olive branch in this tense situation, Miley grabs Samantha to take cutesy photos together for the photographers.

2 Best: Bolt (89%)

This animated flick stars John Travolta as a warmhearted canine actor named Bolt and Miley Cyrus as his human owner Penny, with whom Bolt stars in his own series. The barking lead bolts from the television set when he thinks that Penny has actually been kidnapped, even though this event only occurs on the pair’s scripted show.

The drama only escalates as Bolt partners with an eccentric hamster on his mission to find Penny, while Penny herself worries about the safety of her proactive dog.

1 Worst: So Undercover (6%)

À la Hannah Montana, Cyrus goes undercover yet again in this 2012 comedy, in which she portrays an undercover F.B.I. agent who infiltrates a university sorority.

While Cyrus isn’t terribly convincing as an undercover agent, the film provides a copious amount of pink outfits and is, perhaps, redeemable when viewed as a satire of Greek life.

About The Author

Kat Kirkman
(14 Articles Published)

Kat is an English major at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. As a lifelong television and film enthusiast, she’s a fan of innovative visuals and morally ambiguous characters (preferably, both at the same time!).

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