Susan Sarandon’s 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes

Susan Sarandon is not only one of the finest actresses to ever grace the silver screen, but she’s also appeared in some of the most well-received movies of all time. The stunning, ageless beauty made her screen debut in 1970 and has amassed over 160 big and small screen credits over the past 50 years. She has earned five Oscar nominations over her career and one win for her stellar work in the 1995 prison drama Dead Man Walking.

Sarandon can currently be seen in Jesus Rolls, John Turturro’s Big Lebowski spinoff. With another handful of projects in pre-production, now’s as good a time as any to check out Susan Sarandon’s 10 best movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes!

10 Lorenzo’s Oil (1992) 92%

George Miller’s deeply affecting drama Lorenzo’s Oil pairs Sarandon with Nick Nolte in the inspiring tale of two parents’ dogged effort to save their son from a rare disease.

At age seven, Lorenzo Odone (Noah Banks) begins suffering mysterious symptoms including sudden blackouts and memory loss. When he is diagnosed with ALD, a rare brain degenerating disease, doctors are left without a line of recourse. Lorenzo’s parents reject their lack of knowledge, begin educating themselves, and set off to find a cure on their own.

9 Little Women (1994) 92%

It would have been pretty cool if Greta Gerwig cast Sarandon as Mrs. March in the 2019 adaptation of Little Women. It would have meant Sarandon reprised the same role 25 years apart. Alas, Laura Dern did a wonderful job in the newest iteration.

In the 1994 adaptation of the famed Louisa May Alcott story, Sarandon plays Marmee March, the matriarch who oversees her four disparate daughters during the American Civil War. The film earned three Oscar nods, including Best Leading Actress (Winona Ryder), Music, and Costume (the 2019 version won in this category).

8 Enchanted (2008) 93%

Sarandon’s only film of the aughts to make her career Top 10, according to RT, is the pleasant PG-rated musical family fairytale Enchanted.

Amy Adams stars as Giselle, a blithe young woman set to be married in a magical land called Andalasia. But when the wicked Queen Narissa (Sarandon) banishes Giselle to New York City, she inadvertently falls in love with a dashing lawyer named Prince Edward (James Marsden). However, when a happy ending seems far-fetched, Giselle must re-examine all options.

7 Dead Man Walking (1995) 95%

Under the swift direction of her significant other at the time, Tim Robbins, Sarandon turned in the performance of a lifetime as Sister Helen Prejean, a goodhearted nun who penetrates the icy heart of a convicted killer, Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn).

Sarandon earned Oscar gold for her work in the film as someone who easily overlooks the evil in humanity in order to plumb the inherent goodness. As she touches the soul and spirit of the death row inmate, she leaves a lasting impression like no other could imagine.

6 The Celluloid Closet (1996) 96%

Long before it was accepted, much less fashionable, the so-called taboo topic of Hollywood homosexuality was explored in detail via the 1996 doc The Celluloid Closet. For her part, Sarandon serves as the film’s interviewee!

Alongside Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, Lily Tomlin, Tony Curtis, Shirley Maclaine, and more, Sarandon helps shed light on the widespread homosexual discrimination in Hollywood and how the industry has evolved over the decades.

5 Bob Roberts (1992) 97%

Tim Robbins’s directorial debut, Bob Roberts, continues to be a highly underrated movie despite its near-unanimous critical plaudits. Given the current political climate in America, now’s as good a time as any to check the film out!

Robbins plays Bob Roberts in the quasi-documentary film, a staunchly conservative folk singer mounting a campaign to become a U.S. Senator. Fusing archival footage from real political figures and pundits, as well as original folk songs written by Robbins, the movie offers a glimpse into the machinations of political life.

4 Bull Durham (1989) 97%

Ron Shelton is responsible for some of the all-time best sports movies ever made. Tin Cup, Blue Chips, White Men Can’t Jump, and Bull Durham are just a few prime examples of such!

On the set of Bull Durham, Sarandon met and fell in love with Tim Robbins. The chemistry between the two is palpable, as Sarandon plays Annie Savoy, a super-sexy and knowledgable baseball fan who takes a liking to both a minor-league catcher (Robbins) and his pitcher teammate (Kevin Costner).

3 The Player (1992) 98%

In Robert Altman’s scathingly uproarious satire of Hollywood’s cutthroat industry-standard, Sarandon pokes fun at her own image by playing a version of herself.

The film tracks hotshot movie exec Griffin Mill (Sarandon’s longtime partner, Tim Robbins), who becomes increasingly paranoid when a writer sends him death-threats after rejecting their screenplay. As Griffin figures out who the writer in question is, he encounters a slew of real-life actors, film directors, writers, execs, etc.

2 Survivors Guide To Prison (2018) 100%

In the powerful must-see documentary about the corrupt and severely broken American prison industrial complex, Sarandon narrates the film with unmatched vocal authority. This is Sister Helen Prejean we’re talking about, lest you forget!

Without a single dissenting voice among critics, the film chronicles the grueling day-to-day routine necessary to survive the modern-day prison system in America. Sarandon joins other celebs such as Danny Trejo, Danny Glover, Patricia Arquette, Cynthia Nixon, and several others to get the message across.

1 Atlantic City (1980) 100%

Sarandon has rarely been sultrier or more salacious than in Louis Malle’s Atlantic City, a unanimously praised tale of the decaying American dream.

Sarandon plays Sally, a cocktail waitress and aspiring croupier with dreams of dealing cards in Monte Carlo. While in Atlantic City, she becomes involved with Lou Pascal (Burt Lancaster), a fading mafia man and number racketeer still clinging to a life of luxury, gambling, and excitement. As the two broken souls converge, they find solace in each other as their dreams slowly fall by the wayside. One of the last great turns by Lancaster and one of the first great turns by Sarandon!