Olivia Wilde’s Best Movies, Ranked By IMDb Score

Olivia Wilde has made a big name for herself in the film industry, having made her way up as an actor before taking the leap into the director’s chair. Her directorial credits include Booksmart and Don’t Worry Darling, but her acting career still deserves praise for how diverse it is in the roles she’s had.

A look at Wilde’s credits on IMDb shows the films that audiences have connected with the most, varying in genres including horror-comedy, drama, action thrillers, and science fiction. With so many movies to check out, it’s best to look at Olivia Wilde’s movies that have received the highest average ratings.

10 In Time (2011) – 6.7

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Among the movies with a time-based premise, this one takes an interesting spin on things. It stars Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried in main roles, featuring a world where people don’t age after adulthood, and live based on time that acts as currency. 

Olivia Wilde appears as the mother to Timberlake’s character, driving home the fact that nobody grows in this film. Wilde has a relatively small but significant role as her character’s demise puts everything into motion as the protagonist decides to revolt against the class-based system.

9 Tron: Legacy (2010) – 6.8

Stream On Disney+

Before she was a sought-after female director creating highly anticipated movies, Olivia Wilde got her big-screen break with Tron: Legacy. She stars as Quorra, an algorithm within the virtual reality known as the Grid, where the main character enters to search for his long-lost father.

Tron: Legacy was lauded for its breathtaking visuals and thematic appeal, with Wilde receiving praise for her staying power onscreen. Her dynamic with Garrett Hedlund is notable for the way they complete each other’s characterizations, although it’s the action and effects that viewers will take to the most.

8 Life Itself (2018) – 6.9

Stream On Amazon Prime Video

In an unexpected twist, Life Itself received a critical lashing but was met with positive audience reception. The story is about two sets of families whose lives are intertwined after a fatal crash. The accident puts their children on the path toward meeting each other in the future and getting married.

Olivia Wilde plays the role of the mother, Abby, opposite Oscar Isaac as her spouse, Will. She receives quite a bit of screentime as Abby even with the character’s doomed fate. The purpose of connecting viewers to her is to drive home the idea that life’s too short and a twist of fate can seal the futures for many people involved.

7 People Like Us (2012) – 7.0

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Starring Chris Pine in the main role as Sam Harper, People Like Us is about Sam’s discovery of a sister he’d never known existed, whose son is left an inheritance by Sam’s father. Olivia Wilde appears as Hannah, Sam’s girlfriend, who’s shocked by her boyfriend’s initial attempt to claim the inheritance for himself.

Wilde’s character is important to the story for the way she steers the protagonist toward doing what’s right. The actress wasn’t proven in the indie film department at the time, and People Like Us was one of the movies that established her skills as a performer who didn’t need to rely on big-budget effects.

6 The Words (2012) – 7.0

Stream On Pluto TV

The Words is a romantic mystery that depicts the events happening in a novel, written by an author with an ambiguous past. Olivia Wilde appears as an admirer of the writer who pressures him into revealing the whole story. Along the way, she begins to feel an attraction toward the writer.

The film can be confusing for the way it shifts between the novel’s story and what’s happening in actuality. However, there’s enough intrigue over where it’s all supposed to be going to hold viewers’ interest. Wilde acts as the audience surrogate since she’s the one to whom the framing device is set for.

5 Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) – 7.2

Stream On ITunes

While there’s significant debate over whether Afterlife is the best Ghostbusters film or not, most will agree that seeing Olivia Wilde show up was unexpected. She plays the main villain, Gozer, who escapes confinement to wreak havoc and has to be stopped by the heroes.

Wilde’s appearance wasn’t announced beforehand, making it a real surprise when she appears as the bad guy. She only stepped in to physically portray the character, who’s voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo. Her arrival kicks things into overdrive, ushering in the climax for this supernatural comedy that reunites the original Ghostbusters.

4 The Next Three Days (2010) – 7.3

Stream On HBO Max

Olivia Wilde has a minor role in The Next Three Days, which primarily focuses on the characters played by Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks. The story is about a college professor whose wife is wrongfully convicted – he decides to break her out of prison by learning about weaknesses in its fortifications.

Wilde’s character appears as part of a subplot where her character, Nicole, takes a liking to the protagonist. While the actress might not be onscreen much, the film is worth a watch for its thrilling style of pace, and Russell Crowe remains in fine form throughout.

3 Richard Jewell (2019) – 7.5

Stream On Spectrum On Demand

Based on the true story of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing, Richard Jewell is about the investigation behind the event. As in real life, Jewell is accused of causing the bombing despite being the one to save lives by discovering the bomb to evacuate people in time.

Olivia Wilde appears as Kathy Scruggs, one of the ruthless journalists who essentially frames Jewell as the man behind the disaster. The actress notably plays a role against type, as Scruggs can be considered the antagonist in this story. Richard Jewell received praise from both critics and audiences for dealing with the real-life subject matter.

2 Her (2013) – 8.0

Stream On Kanopy

Considered the best movie directed by Spike Jonze, this sci-fi romantic drama focuses on Joaquin Phoenix’s Theodore, a man stricken with loneliness. Theodore gets a virtual assistant named Samantha, who has such complex feelings and emotions that Theodore falls in love with her.

Olivia Wilde has a small part as a blind date whom Theodore goes out with after he meets Samantha. Her role is memorable for the way it depicts Theodore’s conflict with being with a real woman and having feelings for an A.I. Wilde shows quite some range in this minor role, going from a pleasant date to unleashing her annoyance when Theodore turns her down.

1 Rush (2013) – 8.1

Stream On Netflix

This biographical sports film centers on competitors Niki Lauda and James Hunt, whose lives are detailed during their obsession to win. Olivia Wilde plays Suzy Miller, whose turbulent romance with Hunt, and subsequent elopement with another man, forms part of the conflict in Hunt’s story arc.

Wilde’s role is based on the real-life Suzy Miller, who married Hunt in a matter of weeks and left him for actor Richard Burton due to Hunt’s infidelities. Rush remains the best-received movie in the actress’ list of credits, and viewers also appear to feel the same way, given its rating.

About The Author

Saim Cheeda
(1344 Articles Published)

Saim Cheeda is an entertainment writer covering all of Film, TV, Gaming and Books. He’s been a writer for Valnet since 2017, contributing 500+ articles for The Gamer, The Things, Game Rant, Comic Book Resources and Screen Rant. Apart from freelance writing, Saim is a lifestyle blogger, co-owning the blog 3 States Apart.

http://3statesapart.com

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