5 Anne Hathaway Movies You Need to See, Ranked — From The Devil Wears Prada to Hidden Gems
Anne Hathaway is poised to own the weekend box office as The Devil Wears Prada 2 struts toward an $80 million domestic debut—proof that 25 years in, her star power still sells.
Anne Hathaway is about to own the weekend. With The Devil Wears Prada 2 tracking for around $80 million domestic, she is set to be the box office name on everyone’s lips. Not bad for someone who has basically never left the big screen for 25 years. Not every project has matched her talent, but she almost always lights up the frame. If you want a quick refresher course (or a perfect double-feature plan before/after Prada 2), here are the five Hathaway performances I keep coming back to.
The five Anne Hathaway movies I recommend right now
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'Rachel Getting Married' (2008)
The one she should have won the Oscar for. Hathaway is a live wire as Kym Buchman, an addict let out of rehab for her sister Rachel’s (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding. She was nominated for Best Actress, and you can see why: Kym’s shame, neediness, and prickly humor make every family interaction feel like a tightrope. She loves her sister, but she can’t help pulling focus, and the movie never lies about how hard it is to put a life back together. The sisterly bond is the heartbeat here, even as a past tragedy keeps rattling the family’s foundation.
Where to watch: The Criterion Channel.
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'Interstellar' (2014)
Hathaway does not stack her resume with blockbusters, but when Christopher Nolan calls, you pick up. After playing Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, he cast her as Dr. Amelia Brand opposite Matthew McConaughey ’s Joseph "Coop" Cooper. Brand and Coop head out on what might be a one-way trip to save humanity because Earth is already on the clock. Nolan mixes hard science with heady sci-fi, and Hathaway keeps the film human-size when the cosmos get overwhelming. It is not her movie, strictly speaking, but it does not work without her steadiness and warmth.
Where to watch: Paramount+.
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'Les Miserables' (2012)
There was a stretch where it felt like Hathaway was gunning for an Oscar. This is where she finally got it: Best Supporting Actress for playing Fantine, a mother driven to desperate choices to protect her daughter, Cosette (Isabelle Allen). Yes, that is Hathaway actually singing "I Dreamed a Dream" while sobbing straight into the camera — it is brutal and unforgettable. Hugh Jackman ’s Jean Valjean later raises Cosette (Amanda Seyfried ), but Hathaway’s brief, blazing run is the emotional axis of the film.
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'The Devil Wears Prada' (2006)
She was still shaking off the Disney years when she landed Andrea "Andy" Sachs, and the role turned into a career marker. Andy’s dreams of journalism get shoved aside when she becomes assistant to Meryl Streep’s legendary editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly. Emily Blunt’s Emily Charlton is the office frenemy, and the climb for Miranda’s approval gets ugly fast. The point, of course, is that the fashion world looks glamorous but will sand off your soul if you let it. Hathaway makes Andy’s wake-up call land.
Where to watch: Disney+.
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'Love & Other Drugs' (2010)
Not a true story, exactly — more like ripped from a real playbook. The movie borrows from Jamie Reidy’s non-fiction book "Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman." Hathaway plays Maggie Murdock, living with Parkinson’s, who falls into a messy, magnetic relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal’s pharmaceutical rep, Jamie Randall. Critics were mixed on the film, but Hathaway is terrific: funny, raw, and unflinching about what her future might look like. That looming reality is part of what threatens to push Maggie and Jamie apart, even with all that chemistry.
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Prime Video.
So yes, Prada 2 is about to steamroll the box office. But if you want to remember why Hathaway has had this kind of staying power for a quarter-century, these five tell the story: a star who can do glossy studio sheen, bruising drama, and big-swing sci-fi without losing the human pulse.