The Best and Worst of Julia Roberts

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Ben is Back” star Julia Roberts.

Films starring Julia Roberts that I've seen:
Runaway Bride
Erin Brockovich
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Twelve
Charlie Wilson's War
Larry Crowne
Secret in Their Eyes
Money Monster
Wonder

Best Performance: Erin Brockovich (2000)
Roberts picked up an Oscar for this role and despite edging out a performance that reasoned deeper with me (Ellen Burstyn's heartbreaking turn in Requiem for a Dream) for Best Actress that year, I completely understand why she won. She delicately balances the vibrancy, crassness and unwavering resilience in the face of adversity that makes Brockovich such a compelling, inspirational individual.

Worst Performance: Runaway Bride (1999)
You'd have to try really hard to be more charmless in a romantic comedy than Roberts was in Runaway Bride. She maintains a mannequin-like presence throughout this torturous "will they or won't they?" story and while I can't comment on Pretty Woman, her chemistry with Richard Gere here is completely nonexistent.

Best Film: Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Serious projects that have emotional weight or insightful social/political commentary are great and all, but a lot of the most memorable movies I've ever seen are the ones that are just pure, glorious entertainment. This ensemble heist flick does the latter better than just about any other movie I've ever seen and I'm delighted that the immense fun it offers up hasn't lessened with age.

Worst Film: Runaway Bride (1999)
As you can deduce from the list above, I've failed to see any of the beloved romantic comedies (Mystic Pizza, Notting Hill, My Best Friend's Wedding, the aforementioned Pretty Woman) Roberts has appeared in over the past 30 years. My extreme hatred of Runaway Bride has at least something to do with my failure to seek any of these films out. This is about as schmaltzy, stiff, unfunny and flat-out insufferable as the genre can possibly be, and I feel completely comfortable declaring it one of the worst movies I've ever sat through.

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “The Mule” star Clint Eastwood.