Top 10 Sandra Bullock Performances

#7: Jean Cabot “Crash” (2004)

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At the time of this film’s release, Sandra was mostly recognized for her roles in lively and upbeat romantic comedies. She turned heads in a big way with her breakout role in this intense drama about racial tension, by playing Jean Cabot, a woman living in fear due to her pre-conceived notions about people of colour. Not just fearful of African-Americans, she is prejudiced towards several minority groups. Adding more layers to a character that already has Bullock dealing with controversial material, Jean is a much more troubled woman than she appears on the surface. Her fear and anger can be rooted in the loneliness she feels as a district attorney’s trophy wife. Bullock rocked the role to its core, and provided a character whose frustrations felt very, very real.

Sandra Bullock strikes us as a friendly and approachable woman in real life, so it’s all the more shocking that she was able to pull off the exact opposite while playing the moody and mean businesswoman Margaret Tate. Here, Bullock truly created a queen ‘B’ monster as literally every insult, snarky comeback and furrowed brow is pulled off so effortlessly that you’ll find yourself believing that executive editor-in-chief is the nastiest woman to have every lived. She naturally turns a new leaf and (spoiler alert!) ends up with Ryan Reynolds’ character, Andrew Paxton, in the end. But what’s really impressive is how the actress was able to gradually break down Tate’s attitude over the course of the film and build her back up as a brand new woman.

A more reserved and shy character in comparison to some of the other characters Bullock’s taken on, Lucy Moderatz is a lonely fare token collector with a massive crush on a commuter she sees ride the train each and everyday. Their paths eventually do cross, but not in the way Lucy imagined. After saving the handsome stranger when he falls onto the train tracks, he goes into a coma and Lucy begins to live a lie after she lets his family believe they are engaged to be married. Sandra portrays Lucy as someone experiencing extreme embarrassment as a result of her lie, but who is able to simultaneously play things cool so as not to blow her own cover. The result is a performance that has just the right combo of screwball goofiness and endearing warmth. [Alright, and maybe a bit of creepiness as well…]

A relatively unknown actress prior to this film, it’s her performance in “Speed” – not “Demolition Man” that really put Bullock on the map thanks to the actress’ charming and very human portrayal of innocent bystander Annie Porter. When you’re on a bus rigged to explode if it slows down too much, we’d categorize that as a bad case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, Annie proves herself to be a very brave individual - with gusto to spare – as she helps SWAT officer Jack Traven (played by Keanu Reeves) - ensure the safety of everyone onboard. The character could have just been a standard sidekick role, but Sandra Bullock bucked the trend with a marvelous mix of wit and vulnerability. While this made Annie far from invincible, she was still a bonafide badass as well.

#3: Dr. Ryan Stone “Gravity” (2013)

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While the movie itself was already an awesome tour-de force of thrilling set pieces and astonishing special effects, Sandra Bullock’s acting chops were literally out of this world. Essentially carrying entire the show, Bullock plays up Dr. Stone as an astronaut under an unbelievable amount of stress because of the nerve-wracking reality that she’s in danger for every second that she is in outer space. Alone for a large portion of the movie, Bullock couldn’t rely on an abundance of dialogue to build character, so she conveyed the on-edge intensity Dr. Stone feels through facial expressions, body language and blood curdling screams of terror. In short, she left us absolutely breathless.

A role that combines the best of Bullock’s romantic, comedic and dramatic acting skills, Gracie Hart is a tomboy-turned-undercover-beauty pageant contestant who is tough, intelligent, funny and bursting at the seams with charm. Having to play both an ass-kicking agent and stunning ‘girly girl’ at the same time is no small feat, but Bullock manages to play all her cards at exactly the right time, knowing how to pace the character depending on the context of the scene. She can be crude and crass, or harmless and sweet at a moment’s notice, which is a clever duality that helped make the film such a box office hit. It’s a chick flick that even guys have admitted to enjoying - and we feel that says something. Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions… Angela Bennett “The Net” (1995) Linda Schell “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” (2011) ‘Calamity’ Jane Bodine “Our Brand Is Crisis” (2015) Birdie Pruitt “Hope Floats” (1998) Ellen Roark “A Time to Kill” (1996) Sally Owens “Practical Magic” (1998)

Based on a true story, this sports drama’s sense of realism is elevated by Bullock’s riveting and believable portrayal of fast food franchise owner and interior designer Leigh Anne Tuohy. Bullock brought a tender sincerity to the part, as a woman determined to be the moral support for would-be NFL Super Bowl Champion Michael Oher and guides him with an unbridled sense of motherly compassion.", as Oher does not have a reputation as being an NFL superstar, although he does have a Super Bowl ring. It’s quite clear that many people would agree on the merits of this lead role, as it won Bullock an Oscar and a Golden Globe award, among others. We knew Bullock was a great actress, but she completely blindsided us with this powerful performance that few saw coming and none have forgotten since. Do you agree with our list? What do you think is Sandra Bullock’s best performance? For more entertaining top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.