It’s been more than two decades now sinceJennifer Anistonwas onFriendsand became a household name by playing Rachel Green. Her popularity has only grown since then, and she remains one of the best-loved actresses in the biz. She’s been so well-loved that most people took her side against Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie when Brangelina first became a thing. Despiteher personal struggles, she still commands armies of fans around the world and her popularity never seems to stop growing.
She’s worked with some of the biggest names around and usually steals the hearts of audiences no matter who she’s playing. She may be 54 years old now, but her magnetic aura on-screen and the memorable rom-com roles she’s been in over the years have cemented her as the quintessential girl next door. However, with more raunchy roles in recent years,she’s also forged a dual identity as a sex symbol too. Seemingly ageless, the talented and beautiful actress has won the admiration of Hollywood and audiences alike to become a very bankable star.
Far from just being a comedic or rom-com actress, she’s taken on some diverse roles over the years and shown her range with films likeDerailedandCakeunder her belt too. Here are her top movies according to their critical ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.
20Management - 47%
A film as quirky as Aniston’s co-star Steve Zahn is known to be,Management,was a great little rom-com that starred the pair. It was a sweet and somewhat off-beat tale that saw a man named Mike fall for a woman named Sue. Mike tries the direct approach and sort of throws himself at her, which initially irritates her.
Related:The Best Jennifer Aniston Movies, Ranked
She stays tolerant of him out of wanting to just be polite but ends up having a fling with him. Despite her not wanting to take things any further, Mike still pursues her. He eventually traces her back home, but complications arise when her ex comes back into the picture. When Sue gets back with her ex, she later realizes that Mike was a great guy. However, things may be too late for them by this point.
19Picture Perfect - 47%
InPicture Perfect, Aniston plays Kate, a woman working for an ad agency in New York. She’s passed over for a promotion because her boss feels she’s not stable enough. One of Kate’s friends starts a rumor that she’s engaged to a man she took a picture with once. This gets her the promotion, but things get sticky later. Her boss wants to meet the man she’s supposedly engaged to, which places her in quite a pickle. The ensuing comedy delves into some sweet and romantic subplots that made thisanother great rom-comfor Aniston
18Bruce Almighty - 48%
The hilariousBruce Almightypaired Aniston with comedy legend, Jim Carrey. The pair were great together, and the film was a commercial hit, asCarrey’s films often are. Playing his wife, Aniston must contend with the fact that her husband’s constant complaining and ingratitude leads God (Morgan Freeman) to endow him with divine powers, so he can see how complicated it can be to keep things in balance when you have to look out for all of humanity.
A sidesplitting film, Carrey was at his hysterical best, while the film’s standout comedic scene featuring Steve Carell earned his character the lead in the spin-off sequel,Evan Almighty.Aniston was great as a supporting actress and gave the film some great dramatic depth when her husband starts to realize just how much he’s been neglecting what’s truly important to him while he’s been off chasing the life he thought he needed to be happy.
17We’re the Millers - 48%
In another hilarious comedy,We’re the Millerssaw Aniston playing a grumpy and desperate stripper who has to grudgingly help her pot-dealing neighbor. When her neighbor (Jason Sudeikis) is forced to smuggle a huge amount of marijuana across the Mexican border, he enlists her to play his wife, so they can pretend to be an innocuous family on vacation to avoid customs taking a closer look at their RV.
They also drag in two youngsters, portrayed by Will Poulter and Emma Roberts, to play their kids. With the odd bunch thrust together, what follows is some crazy adventures as they all initially fight but inadvertently grow closer through it all. The film was very popular with audiences and is now known for some iconic scenes such as Poulter singingWaterfallsin a high-pitched voice. As another highlight, Aniston, then 44 years old,got pulses racingwhen she performed an unexpected strip tease scene that showed she was still more toned than most actresses half her age were.
16Cake - 49%
In what was one of Aniston’s best roles that wasn’t a comedy or a romance,Cakesaw her take on a very dark role. The film was a drama that delved into some seriously gritty themes as she played the survivor of an accident that killed her son. As if this wasn’t heavy enough, the film saw Aniston struggle with depression, become addicted to prescription pills, and gamble with her own life.
Suicidal tendencies, overdoses, and her emotional suffering made this one layered role, with Aniston showing excellent acting depth as she nailed the role. A great film,Cake isdefinitely not one for fans of Aniston’s who like to see her playing fun and happy characters.
15Dream for an Insomniac - 50%
The first of Aniston’s films to crack a 50% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes,Dream for an Insomniacwas another drama from her. However, this time, she only played a supporting role. The film revolved around a woman named Frankie who was played by Ione Skye. Frankie dreams of meeting a man with blue eyes because of her family’s café named after Frank Sinatra.
The film is initially inblack and whiteand then switches to color when she meets the man of her dreams. We then see that he does indeed have blue eyes, but the story then runs into some romantic complications. Aniston plays Frankie’s friend, Allison, who has some funny moments as she runs a subplot by pretending to be Frankie’s cousin’s girlfriend since his family won’t approve of the fact that he’s gay.
14The Switch - 53%
Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman are well known fortheir friendship off-screen. Their ease with each other also made for some great chemistry on-screen too since the pair have acted together on multiple occasions now. In one of the most successful of their films,The Switchsaw them play friends who end up bound together by a drunken act with lifelong consequences.
In the film, Aniston plays a 30-something woman who wants a baby but feels it may take too long to find the right man. Her best friend, played by Bateman, is against the idea. When she decides to do it anyway, in a drunken rebellion against her decision, and due to his nursing feelings for her, Bateman switches her “sample” with his own donation. His action inadvertently makes him the father of her baby and has some dire ramifications for their friendship.
13The Object of my Affection - 53%
Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd both know each other from their time onFriends.However, before Rudd joined the cast as Phoebe’s boyfriend, he and Aniston had already worked together on a romantic film named,The Object of My Affection.
Aniston played a social worker named Nina in the film. While lamenting the fact that her sister always tries to set her up, she meets a man named George at a party. Since George is gay, she feels comfortable with him and later even invites him to be her roommate. However, complications arise when she starts to develop romantic feelings for him. This is only worsened by the fact that George admitted he did once have a girlfriend.
12Rock Star - 53%
The third of her movies to earn a 53% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes,Rock Starpaired Aniston with Mark Wahlberg. The film was a musical drama with some comedic elements as well. It saw Wahlberg as a heavy metal lover who later manages to forge a career for himself as a rock star.
Aniston plays his girlfriend who has to decide on whether she still wants to be in the relationship when his new-found fame takes him on the road and comes with all the trappings of the infamousrock star lifestyle. A great film, much of the supporting cast were played by actual band members from iconic rock acts like Led Zeppelin.
11Wanderlust - 59%
In the second film that Aniston starred in with Paul Rudd, this time the pair played an urban married couple named George and Linda inWanderlust. When their respective career ventures don’t pan out, the pair are forced to take a road trip to live with relatives in Atlanta. Along the way, they stumble across a hippie commune and spend some time living with them.
While George isn’t as easily convinced, Linda soon takes to the alternative lifestyle and begins enjoying their way of life. Of course, that lifestyle is anything but conventional so a lot of comedic moments ensue, such as the pair becoming the target of another couple who want to have an open relationship with them. A funny and enjoyable film,Wanderlustsaw the pair work well together in a way that critics enjoyed more than audiences seemed to.
