Margaret Qualley Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Margaret Qualley-whose latest project "How to Make a Killing" releases in theaters tomorrow. 

Margaret Qualley's Filmography Ranked:

14.Stars at Noon (C)

13.Native Son (C)

12.Donnybrook (B-)

11.Honey Don't (B-)

10.Seberg (B-)

9.Happy Gilmore 2 (B-)

8.Blue Moon (B)

7.Drive-Away Dolls (B)

6.Sanctuary (B+)

5.Kinds of Kindness (B+)

4.The Substance (A-)

3.Poor Things (A)

2.Once Upon a Time in Hollywood... (A)

1.The Nice Guys (A)

Top Dog: The Nice Guys (2016)

As of this writing, we're about three months away from the tenth anniversary of The Nice Guys releasing in theaters. I'll never forget the ludicrous amount of fun I had watching this noir buddy comedy for the first time with a few of my friends and remarkably, it's a movie that only becomes funnier with each rewatch. Qualley is very lucky that she's able to say that this is the first movie she had a prominent role in. 

Bottom Feeder: Stars at Noon (2022)

There's a sleazy shagginess to the political thriller plot in Stars at Noon that prevents it from being a total drag. It's not however enough to forgive the complete lack of eroticism in the romantic subplot brought on by the nonexistent chemistry between Qualley and Joe Alwyn, especially when it's supposed to serve as the story's emotional crux.

Most Underrated: Sanctuary (2023)

Unlike in Stars of Noon, Qualley has tremendous chemistry with Christopher Abbott in Sanctuary. The pair are incredible together in this darkly comedic psychological thriller about an unexpectedly eventful night between a rich guy and the dominatrix he has a long-standing business relationship with after he attempts to end their arrangement upon getting promoted to CEO of his family's luxury hotel chain following the death of his father. There's a lot of fun to be had in watching them embark in a heated battle in which the upper hand in the power dynamic of their suddenly drastically different relationship is constantly shifting between the two parties and having the film take place over a single night in a hotel suite adds a feeling of claustrophobia that amplifies the tension of their chaotic verbal sparring match. 

Most Overrated: Blue Moon (2025)

A couple of years from now, it will probably be ridiculous to refer to Blue Moon as overrated. But now as it's fresh off of receiving a couple of Oscar noms, I'm willing to make that declaration. As strong as Ethan Hawke's work here in this Richard Linklater-helmed biopic about a bitter, drunk Lorenz Hart trying to accept in real time that the best days of his songwriting career are behind him after leaving the opening night performance of his former creative partner Richard Rodgers' (Andrew Scott) megahit musical Oklahoma! early to go hang out at the Manhattan bar that all of the Broadway talent flocks to after performances, listening to Hart cycle between ripping Oklahoma!, boasting about projects he may or may not be working on, telling stories about his glory days to any pour soul that is willing to listen to him and begging Rodgers to collaborate with him once again without ever coming up for air becomes pretty monotonous after a while.