Top 20 Greatest Sandra Bullock Movies
#20: “Practical Magic” (1998)
Top 10 Practical Special Effects in Movies
The enchanting Sandra Bullock tried her hand as a witch in 1998’s “Practical Magic”. Co-starring Nicole Kidman, the two play sisters who are descendents of a woman who inadvertently placed a curse on their family. The film follows both the magic and mundane lives of the siblings as they cope with their mystical connection and the dangers that follow it. Although it wasn’t a box-office success, it became a cult classic thanks to a twisty story and strong dramatic performances from Kidman and Bullock. They makes the fantastical aspects of the movie feel grounded and even painful at times. Together, they definitely cast a spell on us during this underrated gem.
#19: ”Love Potion No. 9” (1992)
Top 10 Movies We Love to Hate Watch
What would the world be like if you could simply drink something that would make others fall in love with you? Bullock’s Diane Farrow and Tate Donovan’s Paul Matthews found out in 1992’s ”Love Potion No. 9”. Although they play two unlucky in love scientists trying to find a partner outside of the lab, it becomes clear that they’re meant for each other. While the premise sounds a little sketchy in retrospect, the co-leads keep the narrative from getting too dark. Bullock in particular is incredibly charming as she gains more confidence during the movie. And while this is one of her first romantic comedies, she absolutely nails all the genre cliches we love like she was a veteran.
#18: “Two Weeks Notice” (2002)
Top 10 Sandra Bullock Performances
In “Two Weeks Notice”, Bullock’s Lucy is a lawyer who clashes against a real estate mogul played by Hugh Grant. While she’s more of a straight-shooter who sticks up for the little guy, he’s more of a loose cannon. The two opposites end up spending a lot of time in the same office after George hires Lucy to work for him. Seeing these two clash might’ve been less fun if they had been portrayed by other actors. However, their chemistry and Bullock’s work is completely believable. She completely makes us buy that Lucy could fall for the difficult George. Who knew watching opposites attract could be so entertaining?
#17: “Minions” (2015)
Top 10 Funniest Minions Moments
The banana loving yellow creatures were introduced to the world via the “Despicable Me” franchise before getting their own solo movie in 2015. Instead of working for Steve Carell’s Gru, they take orders from supervillain Scarlet Overkill. Bullock sounds like she had a ton of fun bringing the over-the-top antagonist to life. She gav Overkill the right amount of power and sass that every villain needs. It’s no wonder that Kevin, Stuart, and Bob are easily charmed by her during their wild adventure. While the movie’s humor may not be for everyone, it still managed to be a huge success among “Despicable Me” fans and at the box office. It also had the added bonus of letting Bullock show off her voice acting chops.
#16: “Demolition Man” (1993)
After LAPD Sergeant John Spartan is sentenced to be cryogenically frozen in 1998, he wakes up in a future 2032 society that has banned everything from athletic events to cursing. Fortunately, he has Bullock’s lieutenant Huxley to help guide him through the new society. The satirical film mines a lot of great comedy out of Spartan’s serious nature and Huxley’s more conservative personality. Bullock definitely shows off her great comedic chops in a performance that feels both ridiculous and sincere. When she isn’t making us laugh, the movie provides absurd and eye-catching action scenes between Stallone and Snipes. Whether you come for the explosions or satire of the future, “Demolition Man” is a fun time.
#15: “The Lake House” (2006)
Top 10 Greatest Haunted House Horror Movies
While Bullock plays a character who hangs around the lake house in 2006, Reeves portrays a man staying in the same place in 2004. By some miracle, the letters they write to one another ignore the rules of time and travel to the past and or future. Their two year separation doesn’t stop them from slowly falling for each other. Despite not physically being in the same place for most of the film, the two still have amazing chemistry. It’s also fascinating to watch them fall in love in a completely unique way. While it would’ve been great to see them physically share more scenes, their distance doesn’t take away from the great romantic story of “The Lake House”.
#14: “While You Were Sleeping” (1995)
Top 100 Greatest Horror Movies of All Time
Sometime after the lonely Lucy falls for Peter from a distance, he saves him from an incident on a train tracks. While he’s in a coma, she’s mistaken for his fiancée. Lucy tries to keep up the romantic ruse while coming to terms with her feelings for Peter’s brother. The main reason we got invested in this absolutely wild premise is because of Bullock. She brings such a tremendous amount of heart to the role that we’re willing to overlook her lies and deception. Additionally, it helps that Bullock’s natural chemistry with Peter’s brother Jack makes us root for them. This absurd story is ultimately done justice by a great cast and fantastic leading lady.
#13: “Bird Box” (2018)
Top 10 Movies to Watch If You Like Bird Box
Anyone who wants to survive the world of “Bird Box” must avoid removing their blindfold when they’re looking around the outside world or face fatal consequences. And while they’re inside, they have to deal with other survivors and their own turbulent emotions. This tense premise gives Bullock plenty of dramatic material to work with. She expertly cycles through fear, depression and heartbreak from scene to scene. And Bullock’s still able to convey all these emotions and more whenever she puts on a blindfold. She led an absolutely stacked cast of fantastic actors through this popular horror flick. Throughout the film, we can definitely see why she was chosen to be the main star.
#12: “Crash” (2004)
Having received plenty of accolades including the Academy Award for Best Picture that year, “Crash” was a film that worked for many reasons. It tells a poignant story about racism through the lens of an amazing ensemble cast. While Sandra Bullock didn’t have the biggest part in the movie, she still shined in her ensemble role. Her Jean Cabot character spits bias statements in the wake of a carjacking. Bullock doesn’t shy away from the ugly side of the volatile role. She forms one part of a much larger puzzle that gets pieced together from various angles throughout this film. It’s a small part that may not have been as memorable without her considerable talents.
#11: “28 Days” (2000)
Top 20 Greatest Animated Movies of All Time
In this 2000 comedy-drama, Bullock plays a woman with a severe dependency on alcohol that gets involved in a car accident. To avoid spending time in prison, she agrees to go to rehab. Bullock’s Gwen change comes slowly and painfully. The actress nails every high and low that the character reaches throughout the film. While there’s plenty of recovery tropes used in the movie, we find it all quite forgivable all because Bullock's steering the ship. The scene where she grieves a friend alone is worth the price of admission. Although Gwen may have only spent “28 Days” in rehabilitation, Bullock’s performance will likely stand the test of time.
#10: “The Lost City” (2022)
Top 20 Greatest Horror Movies of All Time
Who doesn’t love a good ole-fashioned treasure hunt movie? This time around, Bullock plays Loretta Sage: a Harlequin romance-esque author who is forced to go on an adventure to find a lost city. It’s clear from the get-go that Loretta herself loves to write about the action, but not be in the middle of it herself. Her reluctance to dive in makes it ridiculously fun to see her paired with Channing Tatum’s more action oriented model. They star in a movie full of great action, hilarious jokes and excellent work from stars like Brad Pitt and Daniel Radcliffe. Bullock’s chemistry with everyone in this great cast easily makes this ludicrous adventure a must see.
#9: “The Net” (1995)
Top 20 Greatest Sci-Fi Movies of All Time
Back when the public was still starting to understand what the internet was, “The Net” provided an unforgettable if not entirely realistic portrayal of what going online is like. The narrative becomes easier to accept the moment Bullock’s Angela Bennett gets on the screen. She’s a loner who lives online and doesn’t often socialize in person. Eventually, she gets caught up in a huge conspiracy that puts her life at risk. Had this been any other actress, we may not have cared whether she came out unscathed or not. Thanks to Bullock’s charm and believability, even a modern day audience can ignore much of what the movie gets wrong in favor of her performance.
#8: “A Time To Kill” (1996)
Top 10 Movies With the Greatest Casts but We Didn't Know at the Time
During “A Time To Kill” , Bullocks plays a vital supporting role. The story centers on serious issues of race, violence and bias in the justice system. Bullock serves as a member of a legal team who is trying to find a way to make the system work fairly for all. While she handles the dramatic material well, she also brings charm and sass to the role. Bullock fully commits to whatever the story requires in each of her appearances. “A Time to Kill” can be a dark and challenging movie to watch. But thanks to performances from a cast that includes Bullock, Matthew McConaughey and Sam Jackson, it’s worth stepping into this courtroom.
#7: “The Proposal” (2009)
Top 10 Greatest Psychological Horror Movies
For the most part, Bullock’s comedic roles have leaned more towards her portraying more positive characters. “The Proposal” was a nice break from all that. Seen as the meanest of mean bosses, it’s almost unsettling to watch her be so terrible to Ryan Reynolds. As the two are enveloped in a scheme to help Margaret keep her work visa, we inevitably see a character transformation. Like most romantic comedies, early on you’ve already figured out the two will end up together. But the path Reynolds and Bullock take to get there is hysterical. These two ridiculously talented actors were clearly always meant to bump heads in a rom-com.
#6: “Ocean's 8” (2018)
Bullock takes over the popular heist franchise by playing Debbie Ocean, the younger sibling to George Clooney’s Danny Ocean. While the previous outings mainly featured male heavy casts, this movie brings in a strong group of actresses. Bullock's Debbie pulls them all together to orchestrate the theft of a $150 million Cartier necklace. But even that’s really just a setup for an even bigger heist of jewels. It’s extremely entertaining to watch Bullock guide her excellent co-stars through a heist. While we won’t spoil all the twists and turns, we promise that “Ocean’s 8” will steal your attention.
#5: “The Heat” (2013)
Top 10 Greatest Teen Movies
What do you get when you combine a Hollywood heavyweight like Sandra Bullock and the always hilarious Melissa McCarthy? A fantastic and criminally underrated buddy cop film. In “The Heat” McCarthy’s unhinged detective is paired up with Bullock’s by the book Sarah. Their opposing approaches naturally lead to a lot of conflict and outrageous scenes. Despite their differences, they make a team that isn’t great but surprisingly effective. The duo excellently weaves through a script that requires emotional vulnerability and willingness to go to extremes for comedy. Unfortunately, plans for a direct sequel to “The Heat” never came to fruition. At least fans of McCarthy and Bullock’s team-up will always have this funny crime film.
#4: “Gravity” (2013)
Top 10 Gravity Bending Movie Scenes
This space drama sees Bullock portraying a doctor named Ryan Stone who’s out on her maiden voyage to space. But when her calm mission is thrown into complete chaos, she has to fight to make it safely home to Earth. Much of the film follows Stone trying to stay calm and level headed while physically isolated from many of her allies. As a result, the audience's attention is completely focused on Bullock for most of the narrative. Her acting is just as stunning as the incredible space visuals and cinematography. Plus, she should have won an award just for enduring all the dizzying film work. Bullock absolutely commands a space drama unlike any we had seen before.
#3: “Miss Congeniality” (2000)
Top 10 Movies You CAN’T Miss This Summer
One of Bullock’s most iconic roles saw her play the tough FBI agent Gracie Hart. She’s forced to step way outside of her comfort zone when she goes undercover as a beauty pageant contestant. Since Hart doesn’t normally care about her looks or being personable, she struggles to fit in with the competitors. Her difficulties lead to a wide variety of great comedic exchanges behind-the-scenes and on stage. Despite all the jokes about Hart changing her physical appearance, the story sweetly reminds us to always stay true to ourselves. It doesn’t matter whether Bullock is stumbling in heels or using self-defense as her talent. We’re completely in love with Gracie Hart, or should we say Gracie Lou Freebush, from start to finish.
#2: “The Blind Side” (2009)
Top 100 Greatest Romance Movies of All Time
Initially, Bullock was reluctant to portray the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy in 2009’s “The Blind Side”. She was tasked with playing a woman with strong religious beliefs who takes in a foster child named Michael. Tuohy does everything she can to help him become a serious football player. Fortunately, Bullock changed her mind about the movie after talking with the actual person who inspired her role. The actress is a force of nature in every frame. Bullock completely transforms into her real life inspiration throughout the dramatic role. And her relationship with Quintin Aaron’s Michael is incredibly believable and raw. After the movie was released to great acclaim, her work earned her an Academy Award for best actress.
#1: “Speed” (1994)
Top 10 Characters With Super Speed
A straightforward premise paved the road for one of Bullock’s most iconic films. In the movie, she plays a character named Annie who’s trapped on a bus that will explode if it goes less than 50 mph. Fortunately, Keanu Reeves is there playing an officer named Jack who is determined to save her and the other passengers. Annie goes from being a hilarious bystander to being extremely pivotal to everyone’s survival. Bullock and Reeves also display their considerable chemistry throughout every twist and turn the bus makes. While the film certainly goes to ridiculous places, they keep us fully invested in every moment. Nearly 30 years after its debut, this Reeves and Bullock vehicle is still an exciting ride.
