After her polarizing role in The Godfather Part III when she was a child, Sofia Coppola has made a name for herself as a director, just like her father. Though Francis Ford Coppola’s movies are three-hour-long crime epics, Sofia Coppola’s movies are more meditative and soaked in romance and existential dread.
She’s also one of the most stylish filmmakers of the 2000s too, and her films are so visually stunning with most of them taking place in sun-drenched and metropolitan cities. Some of her films are polarizing, but her entire filmography is glistening with style and full of career best performances from incredible actors.
8 A Very Murray Christmas (2015) - 5.5
A Very Murray Christmas is a strange entity, as it’s labeled as a movie, but it’s 56 short minutes and features famous actors portraying themselves, but other just as famous actors playing characters. It’s very much a variety show of a movie, whether it’s Miley Cyrus performing duets with Murray or cameos that come out of nowhere.
But it’s something entertaining enough to just have on over the holiday season thanks to its vast amount of special guests and songs that are good enough to hum along to. And despite not being plot-driven, out of all the great characters Bill Murray has played over the past 40 years, even when playing himself he’s a joy to watch.
7 The Bling Ring (2013) - 5.6
About a real-life teenage gang who stole from a-list actors and supermodels, The Bling Ring was criticized for being morally ambiguous and approaching the source material in a shallow way.
However, the movie is considered to be underrated by some, with fans calling it a sharp comedy that comments on society’s current obsession of famous people. And on top of that, it’s one of the most beautiful looking movies of the past ten years, as The Bling Ring is padded out with cool, sun-drenched shots of Los Angeles.
6 Somewhere (2010) - 6.3
In what has seemingly become Sofia Coppola’s MO, Somewhere is another movie that follows the life of a bored but wealthy middle-aged man. Though the movie seems like it’s complaining about privilege to some viewers, as Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) lives inside the Chateau Mormont, it feels like something of a companion piece to Coppola’s other movie, Lost in Translation. Both movies tackle existential dread, but as Somewhere focuses more on Johnny’s relationship with his daughter than his romantic relationships, it puts an interesting spin on the formula. And it features an incredible performance from Dorff.
5 The Beguiled (2017) - 6.3
Reuniting with her Marie Antoinette star, Kirsten Dunst, The Beguiled is an adaption of the novel of the same name. The movie is about a wounded Union army deserter that finds refuge at an all-girls school, and it was praised for updating the material for a modern audience.
But it was also the subject of criticism from audiences for whitewashing, as an important Black character was removed from the adaption, and the main character, who is biracial in the novel, was portrayed by a white woman. However, though it isn’t rated high amongst IMDb users and even fans of the director probably haven’t seen it, Coppola won Best Director at Cannes Film Festival for the movie.
4 On The Rocks (2020) - 6.5
On The Rocks was set to be the big reunion, as it properly reunited Bill Murray with his Lost In Translation director, excluding Netflix Christmas specials, that is. And the result was fairly surprising to fans of the director, as her trademark meditative style was sidelined for a more laugh-out-loud romcom-like affair.
Ironically, the new approach helped it become one of her most well reviewed movies in her career. And being more of a popcorn flick and way more digestible than some of her other movies, it’s one of her most well-liked films amongst general audiences too.
3 Marie Antoinette (2006) - 6.5
Marie Antoinette is a hyper-stylized historical movie and it portrays historical events in an almost pop video-like style. It’s Coppola’s most post-modern movie too, as it features a contemporary soundtrack and Converse trainers can even be found in Marie Antoinette’s wardrobe, despite being set just before the French Revolution. The movie takes some major liberties and it might not be the most historically accurate period drama ever made, but it’s impossible not to be swept up in the film’s lavish visuals.
2 The Virgin Suicides (1999) - 7.2
As Sofia Coppola’s directorial debut, The Virgin Suicides established the director’s style in many different ways. From using contemporary electronic music, to the visual style, to even the beginning of the director and Kirsten Dunst’s working relationship, the movie is the most vivid brush stroke in Coppola’s filmography and many think it’s her best movie. And as the movie is about a group of adolescent sisters, it started the trend of Coppola detailing teenage emotions, loneliness, and generally being undervalued as a female.
1 Lost In Translation (2003) - 7.7
Lost In Translation is the crown jewel in Coppola’s filmography and many will argue that its score is still criminally low. With the movie, Coppola perfected her unique and unusual way of portraying romance, along with the way she depicts alienation. And above all else, the ambiguity of the ending has had fans arguing since its release, as what Bob whispered in Charlotte’s ear in the final scene has been up for debate for years.
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