Naomi Watts is in the running to be the most severely underappreciated actress working in Hollywood today. Despite appearing in some acclaimed films towards the beginning of the 21st century, Watts has chosen a career making smaller, intimate projects over appearing for inconsequential roles in franchise or superhero films. While this may not have engendered a massive audience for her work, Watts is often willing to take on challenging risks that many of her contemporaries may be hesitant about.
It’s true that some of the best entries in Watts’ recent filmography have been on television, as she delivered fantastic performances in Twin Peaks: The Return and Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. Nonetheless, Watts has appeared in a number of critically acclaimed dramas, challenging arthouse films, romantic stories, and cult classics. Here are the ten most rewatchable Naomi Watts movies, ranked.
10 ‘Fair Game’ (2010)
Directed by Doug Liman
Image via Summit Entertainment
Fair Gameis a brilliant political drama that digs deeper into the current culture surrounding conspiracies and whistleblowers than most contemporary dramas. Watts plays a high ranking official for the United States government who becomes under fire when her husband (Sean Penn) leaks damning information relating to the nation’s military actions overseas, and the lack of evidence that predicted the invasion. The intense media attention forces the couple to address whether loyalty to their country is more important than their marriage, and whether leaking the truth is worth a potential jail sentence.
Although it deals with weighty topics regarding political discourse, Fair Game is a great examination of the pressures of marriage that benefits from the strong chemistry between Watts and Penn. The relevance that Fair Game has to recent news events makes it one of Watts’ more rewatchable and timely roles.
Fair Game
Release Date May 20, 2010
Runtime 108
Main Genre Biography
Writers Jez Butterworth , John Butterworth , Valerie Plame
Tagline Wife. Mother. Spy.
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9 ‘I Heart Huckabees’ (2004)
Directed by David O. Russell
Image via Searchlight Pictures
I Heart Huckabees is certainly the weirdest film that Watts has ever appeared in, but it’s also one of the most oddly entertaining. David O. Russell’s satire of consumerism and capitalism focuses on an eccentric group of characters that hire “existentialist detectives” (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to help them solve their internal crises of the heart. Although Mark Wahlberg delivers a scene stealing performance as a goofy conspiracy theorist, Watts is equally strong as a disaffected corporate drone.
I Heart Huckabees is so committed to its strangely satirical style that it is very rewatchable, as there’s truly nothing else like it in Watts’ entire filmography. Despite initially being dismissed as being too broad to be a successful comedy, I Heart Huckabees examines the issues relating to corporate ownership and obsessions with merchandise in a manner that has made it age very well.
I Heart Huckabees
A husband-and-wife team play detective, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means.
Release Date September 10, 2004
Director David O. Russell
Runtime 105
Main Genre Comedy
Writers David O. Russell , Jeff Baena
Tagline An existential comedy
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8 ‘King Kong’ (2005)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Image via Universal Pictures
King Kongwas arguably the most challenging role that Watts ever accepted, as the character of Ann Darrow played by Fay Wray in the original 1933 classic is one of the most celebrated movie heroes of the “Golden Age of Hollywood.” Watts also had to have believable chemistry with Andy Serkis as the titular ape, a challenging feat considering he was working with groundbreaking motion capture technology. The fact that she succeeded on both fronts shows what a wildly inventive actress Watts is.
King Kong is the rare remake that manages to homage the original classic, whilst still adding enough new elements to the story in order to justify its existence. It’s over three hours long and by no means a light viewing, but Peter Jackson’s heartfelt epic is the type of utterly sincere, ambitious feats of Hollywood spectacle that the industry desperately needs more of.
King Kong
A greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.
Release Date December 14, 2005
Runtime 187 minutes
Writers Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson , Merian C. Cooper , Edgar Wallace
Tagline The eighth wonder of the world.
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7 ‘The Ring’ (2002)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Image via DreamWorks
The Ring was another remake of a beloved classic that could have gone disastrously awry if Watts’ performance hadn’t been excellent. Thankfully, Gore Verbinski’s remake of The Ring emphasizes the creeping sense of tension and paranoia over any obvious jump scares that would feel more cheap. Despite being rated PG-13, The Ring is far scarier than many films that have more graphic violence and gore.
The Ring is a far more emotional film than it would have been otherwise thanks to the intimate performance by Watts. She succeeds in playing a caring mother who begins to feel the burden of protecting her child from supernatural forces. While The Ring had many sequels, the original film starring watts is easily the most rewatchable entry in the series. The follow ups lacked the sincere characterization and look of terror that she conveyed in her performance.
The Ring
A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape that seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.
Release Date October 18, 2002
Runtime 115 minutes
Main Genre Horror
Writers Ehren Kruger , Kôji Suzuki , Hiroshi Takahashi
Studio DreamWorks Pictures
Tagline Before you die, you see The Ring
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Watch on MGM+
6 ‘While We’re Young’ (2015)
Directed by Noah Baumbach
While We’re Young is one of the most underrated films in Noah Baumbach’s canon, as it succeeds in casting many well-known actors against type. Watts and Ben Stiller star as an aging couple who become enchanted when they’re much younger neighbors (Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried) begin encouraging them to be more experimental and erratic. Of course, tensions result in both marriages when both couples realize that “acting your age” is a fairly important edict to abide by.
While We’re Young is a fun examination of the differences in generations that benefits from the excellent chemistry from its entire ensemble; Watts and Stiller are particularly believable as a couple who are desperately trying to rekindle the passion of their youth. Despite having little impact on its initial release, While We’re Young is one of the more underrated gems of Watts’ filmography.
Watch on Max
5 ‘Eastern Promises’ (2007)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Image via Focus Features
While it is easily one of the darkest gangster movies ever made, and a haunting portrayal of toxic masculinity, Eastern Promisesbenefits from the feminist perspective that Watts brings to the narrative. David Cronenberg’s 2007 masterpiece stars Watts as a kind-hearted nurse who begins to care for the child of a teenage prostitute who was pronounced dead; it’s only after looking into the girl’s journal that she realizes that there is a connection to the local Russian mafia family. Viggo Mortensen may have earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in the film, but Watts added a sense of sensitivity that was just as worthy of recognition.
Although the film is best known for its climactic fight scene, many of the best scenes in Eastern Promises are the quieter moments of Watts reacting to the violence that surrounds her. It was important for a film that dealt with such terrifying concepts to remember that all violence had a cost.
Eastern Promises
Release Date September 14, 2007
Cast Josef Altin , Mina E. Mina , Aleksander Mikic , Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse , Lalita Ahmed , Badi Uzzaman
Runtime 100
Main Genre Crime
Writers Steven Knight
Tagline Every sin leaves a mark.
Website
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4 ‘The Impossible’ (2012)
Directed by J.A. Bayone
Image via Warner Bros.
The Impossibleis one of the most harrowing disaster films in recent memory, yet also serves as a powerful tribute to family bonding. Based on haunting real events, J.A. Bayona’s modern masterpiece stars Watts and Ewan McGregor as a couple who are caught up in a disastrous tsunami during their Christmas vacation in Thailand. After being separated, the couple are forced to search for their children as the survivors struggle to reach shelter.
Watts perfectly conveys the pain and horror that a mother feels when her children are placed in harrowing situations. Although many of these scenes are physically laborious, it’s Watts’ emotional intimacy that makes the entire story so powerful. Her performance earned her a well deserved Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and served as a heartfelt tribute to the real victims that lost their lives in the devastating disaster.
The Impossible
The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Release Date January 4, 2013
Runtime 114 minutes
Main Genre Drama
Writers Sergio G. Sánchez , María Belón
Tagline Nothing is more powerful than the human spirit.
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3 ‘21 Grams’ (2003)
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Image via Focus Features
21 Grams is a harrowing drama about the power of forgiveness, the strength of the human spirit, and the reality of mortality. The powerful story from brilliant writer/director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu stars Watts as a caring wife whose husband (Sean Penn) is dying. Her perspective is challenged when they meet a former alcoholic (Benicio del Toro) who was involved in a devastating car crash several years earlier.
While told out of order in order to create mystery surrounding how the different stories were actually related, 21 Grams succeeds in making the viewer invested in every character, with Watts doing some of the most challenging work of her career. It’s a film that contains a powerful message about mental health, and is worth rewatching because of how much insight the story contains. Watts’ performance earned her yet another well deserved Academy Award nomination.
21 Grams
Release Date September 6, 2003
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu
Runtime 124
Main Genre Crime
Writers Guillermo Arriaga
Tagline They say we all lose 21 grams at the exact moment of death… everyone. The weight of a stack of nickels. The weight of a chocolate bar. The weight of a hummingbird…
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2 ‘Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’ (2014)
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures
One of the few genuine comedy films to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a brilliant satire of Hollywood excess that also speaks to universal truths about the lengths that artists go to in order to ensure that their work has value. Watts has a critical supporting role as an actress who joins the cast of a new play from the former Hollywood star Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton), who is attempting to revive his career after being typecast for his role in the Birdman superhero films.
Despite only appearing in the film in a limited capacity, Watts does a great job at showing the exhilaration and horror that actors face when giving emotional stage performances. A film that is as ambitious as Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) wouldn’t be nearly as successful and rewatchable as it is if not for the strength of its entire ensemble.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.
Release Date November 14, 2014
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu
Runtime 119 minutes
Main Genre Comedy
Writers Alejandro González Iñárritu , Nicolás Giacobone , Alexander Dinelaris , Armando Bo
Studio Fox Searchlight Pictures
Tagline Or…The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
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1 ‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001)
Directed by David Lynch
Image via Universal Studios
Mulholland Drive is one of the defining masterpieces of David Lynch’s career, but the film’s success hinges on Watts’ amazing lead performance. The haunting surrealist film stars Watts as an ambitious actress who ventures to Hollywood in order to achieve her dream of being a movie star; her views on the industry are suddenly challenged when she begins experiencing nightmares and witnessing supernatural creatures. It serves as a clever satire of how different the world of filmmaking is from the sunny outlook that the industry likes to present.
Mulholland Drive is a film that is so packed with hidden details that fans have watched it multiple times in order to determine what it really means; like all Lynch films, its purposefully unclear in the best ways. However, Watts’ empathetic performance ensures that the experience of watching Mulholland Drive is just as emotionally stimulating as it is mind-boggling.
Mulholland Drive
After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
Release Date June 6, 2001
Director David Lynch
Runtime 147 minutes
Main Genre Crime
Writers David Lynch
Studio Universal Pictures
Tagline A love story in the city of dreams
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