Scarlett Johansson has had an incredible career where she’s been able to mix indie films with superhero box office success, making her one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood. Here are her best movies, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes score.
10 Isle of Dogs (2018) - 90%
As with any other Wes Anderson film, Isle of Dogs is a one-of-one, as nobody else could’ve done this film. The animated movie is about a young kid, Atari (Koyu Rankin), who goes to Garbage Island to rescue his dog, and the adventure he has there with many other canines. The cast in this film is incredible, with actors like Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, and Johansson lending their voices to the dogs on this island.
The actress plays Nutmeg, and although her character doesn’t have the biggest arc, she gives it a classy, understated personality. This movie was the first time the actress and the director collaborated, and they must have had fun with it, as Johansson has a much bigger role in Anderson’s Asteroid City.
9 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - 90%
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is still considered by many the best MCU film of all time. Be it because of the spy shenanigans that happen, the revelation that Bucky (Sebastian Stan) is back, an incredible Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) car action scene, or the fun that’s seeing Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) on the run; the movie has something for everyone.
Johansson and her Black Widow have one of the most interesting arcs in the film, as she becomes Captain America’s biggest friend and confidant, and accepts that every one of her secrets becomes public if that helps unmask Hydra and the greater good.
8 Captain America: Civil War (2016) - 90%
Captain America: Civil War was a different kind of Captain America film, as most of the Avengers were also on it, and Cap and Iron Man were on the outs, because of their different ideologies about the Sokovia Accords after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Black Widow is one of Captain America’s best friends and, as such, she’s aligned with him in this battle.
Although Johansson doesn’t have the biggest of roles here, she still brings some warmth and empathy to her interactions with her character’s friends, even if in this adventure some of them are foes.
7 Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) - 91%
Although Johansson had already played Black Widow before, Marvel’s The Avengers is the film that changed everything for her and every other actor in it, while also changing forever how blockbusters were made. Johansson might be the only woman in the core Avengers, but she fits perfectly and has some awesome action sequences.
Joss Whedon’s quippy, fun dialogue also helps her character feel like a unique person in these absolutely weird circumstances, and the actress nails every line read, and action sequence to make her Natasha Romanoff the spy you want in your corner in case a group of aliens wants to destroy New York City.
6 Ghost World (2001) - 93%
Ghost World was one of the first roles where Johansson popped out when she was still a teenager. She plays Rebecca, Enid’s (Thora Birch) best friend in the world. Unfortunately, their lives start changing in different ways, and they start drifting apart, as Enid is more and more interested in Seymour (Steve Buscemi).
This is a great movie about women's friendship, and how life is what happens while we make plans, as the idea Rebecca and Enid had at the end of high school doesn’t work as they hoped. This film is an adaptation of Daniel Clawes's comic book of the same name, making it a fun, interesting, unique indie darling.
5 The Jungle Book (2016) - 94%
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The Jungle Book is another movie where the actress lends her great voice to an animated character. The re-imagination of the Disney animated film is one of the best Jon Favreau films and has a great voice acting cast, that includes Bill Murray, Lupita Nyong’o, Christopher Walken, Idris Elba, and Johansson as Kaa, the snake. The actress imbues her character with some playfulness, malice, and scheming, as the snake has always been one of the scene stealers in both this version and the original.
4 Her (2013) - 94%
Her is a strange, unique film where Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with his operating system (voiced by Johansson). The story is really about how this lonely writer overcomes the dissolution of his marriage to Catherine (Rooney Mara) with the help of his IOS, and the movie wouldn’t work without Johansson’s incredible voice acting performance, one that was Oscar-worthy.
About her performance, Johansson told Vanity Fair: “Working with Spike and Joaquin in this incredibly intimate environment, this tiny little booth—they were with me in this dark room for months and months, and we kept coming back and revisiting and re-imagining this story, going to all of these difficult places and heartbreaking moments and heartwarming moments.”
3 Avengers: Endgame (2019) - 94%
Avengers: Endgame was the conclusion of more than 10 years of films, that gave the MCU their best movie, and an incredible ending for the Thanos saga. Johansson’s Black Widow has evolved as much as anyone since her first appearance in Iron Man 2 and has one of the saddest moments in the film when she decides to sacrifice herself for the greater good, ending her participation in the franchise on a sad, but higher note.
Unfortunately, the film doesn’t give her character all the weight of her demise, in the ending scene, but her Black Widow will always be remembered, as Johansson always gave it her all, creating a compelling, fascinating arc to her Russian spy.
2 Marriage Story (2019) - 95%
Marriage Story is about the love story between Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Johansson); the dissolution of their marriage, and how they move forward. Although Driver has the flashier role, it is Johansson’s performance that breaks the audience's heart, as she’s as sad and lost as him, but shows it in a much more subdued way.
This Noah Baumbach film ends on a hopeful note, as once all the hurtful stuff is over, these two characters can have a civilized relationship for the sake of their kid. Johansson earned her first Oscar Nomination in a Leading Role for her performance as Nicole, and it was well deserved, in a great year for her, as she was also nominated in the Supporting Role category for playing Rosie in Jojo Rabbit. Unfortunately, she lost both awards.
1 Lost in Translation (2003) - 95%
Lost in Translation is the movie that made Johansson a star, re-energized Bill Murray’s career, and made Sofia Coppola a director to watch for. The story of a young woman (Johansson) feeling lost in Tokyo while her husband works there, and a faded movie star (Murray), meeting in that unique city, and bonding and establishing companionship, was a surprise hit that got nominated for four Oscars and won one (Best Original Screenplay for Coppola). The movie not only shows how weird Tokyo can be for an outsider, but also how loneliness can create strange partnerships, and both Johansson and Murray are great at showing how lost, confused, sad, and bored they are in their current situations, making Lost in Translation a breakout film for the actress.
About working on the film, the actress told Live About: “Working with Sofia, watching her take this idea and turn it into something that we were making not that long after [she came up with the idea] was inspiring.”
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