The Legendary Julia Roberts’ 10 Best Roles of All-Time

Full disclosure here, I would not actually say that My Best Friend’s Wedding is one of my favorite Julia Roberts roles, but my wife would have divorced me if this 90s rom-com classic was not on the list. There is no denying the amazing chemistry that Julia Roberts has with both Dermot Mulroney and the hilarious Rupert Everet.

This is a fun rom-com about a friend falling for another friend, but he’s getting married! This is a movie that can always make you laugh and there’s an interesting debate over whether or not Julian is kind of the villain of this movie…. Put down your pitchforks, I didn’t say that, it is just an opinion some people have!

While Rachel Manus may not be on everyone’s top 10 Julia Roberts lists, this had to be on mine. Flatliners is a tremendous movie about a group of students who are trying to find out what is in the afterlife, and they’re literally killing themselves to do it!

To be fair, this is not a “Julia Roberts movie” as it boasts a fantastic ensemble cast. However, Rachel is one of the stronger characters. Julia Roberts gives a great performance here as Rachel has perhaps the most brutal of all the “after life experiences” that this group goes through, dealing with the suicide of her father. When you look at the career of Julia Roberts, her 1989 to 1991 run was epic with the roles that she played and Rachel Manus is right in the middle of this amazing run.

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What is interesting about 1998’s Stepmom is that while Susan Sarandon gets most of the praise, it certainly takes two to tango and Julia Roberts is fantastic in her role of Isabel. In the films, Isabel is dating a man (played by Ed Harris) a bit older than her and he just so happens to be the ex of Jackie (Susan Sarandon).

Jackie is jealous of Isabel getting to spend time with her kids, and as Jackie has a terminal illness, she is also envious of Isabel getting a future with her kids. Julia Roberts plays the “stepmom” perfectly and the way that she deals with the, frankly, mean stuff that Jackie does to her is fantastic. This is a movie that can break your heart, but it also leaves you with a smile on your face. Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon are perfect together here and Julia Roberts deserves just as much praise as Susan Sarandon gets for this movie!

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You could not have a list of the top 10 Julia Roberts roles without her dual performance of Laura and Sara on it! Sleeping with the Enemy is a fantastic early 90s thriller about Laura, who is in an abusive marriage that looks picture-perfect from the outside. She finally builds up the courage to escape and fakes her own death in an attempt to make a new life for herself under the name of Sara.

However, her crazy husband tracks her down and she is forced to stand up to him. This is a great thriller and a movie where Julia Roberts really got to show off the amazing range that she has as an actress. The ending where she puts him down is so awesome and also kind of bone-chilling at the same time!

Next up we have Ben is Back, and this is a very underrated movie from 2018 that is something of a hidden gem. Julia Roberts plays the role of Holly Burns, a mom whose son has returned home after being in rehab. Ben was a bit of a nightmare and his drug abuse put a massive strain on the family, but she agrees to let him stay.

All that, only for Ben’s past to catch up to him and threaten his entire family. Holly is an absolute warrior of a mother in this movie. She is willing to do whatever it takes to try and get Ben off the drugs, but also save him and the rest of her family from the trouble that his return has caused. This is honestly a movie that does not get enough love or attention.

You certainly see a different side of Julia Roberts in Closer than you are used to, which is another example of her range. This is a tremendous drama that not only has Julia Roberts, but a great cast in general with Clive Owen, Jude Law, and Natalie Portman.

Anna is a photographer who ends up in a steamy affair. The movie keeps you guessing and it is one heck of a wild ride. It is the kind of movie, thanks to the amazing performances, that keeps you hooked all the way until the end. It may not be a happily ever after kind of movie, but it is certainly one that sticks with you for a while after the credits have rolled. There is a very good reason as to why this movie features on many top 10 Julia Roberts roles lists!

When it comes to rom-coms you do not get much more iconic than 1999’s Notting Hill. Anna Scott is a Hollywood actress who is making a movie in London. She goes into a little bookshop where she meets the owner, Will, who is played by the super charming Hugh Grant. When you think over the top British charming Hugh Grant, this is it!

The two start a relationship that is full of ups and downs thanks to them being from two completely different worlds. Granted, Notting Hill is about as predictable as you can get when it comes to a romantic comedy. However, that is part of its charm! By the time the film ends, everything you wanted to happen has happened and it leaves you with a big smile on your face. While this is a list of the best Julia Roberts roles, I do have to point out that Rhys Ifans is freaking hilarious in a supporting role in this movie. 

To say that Steel Magnolias has “Southern Charm” is the biggest understatement ever! While this was not her first movie, it was Roberts’ role as Shelby, the eldest daughter of Sally Field’s M’Lynn, that made her an absolute star. This movie features a stacked cast, but it is Julia Roberts who steals the show.

What starts as a happy-go-lucky kind of movie about this close group turns rather sad, but by the end of the movie, you have been on one heck of an emotional roller coaster. Shelby and her battle with diabetes is very heartbreaking and even all the way back in 1989, this role showed that Julia Roberts was an actress who could well and truly do it all. Without a doubt, Shelby has to be on every top 10 Julia Roberts roles list! 

The movie that won Julia Roberts an Oscar! Erin Brockovich is just an epic movie in every sense of the word. Roberts plays the role of the real-world Brockovich, a single mother working her butt off trying to bring to justice a corporation that is basically poisoning the residents of a town. This is a very powerful performance and it is impossible not to get behind her every step of the way.

The movie is famous for its ending scene where we see Erin freak out thinking that she is being overlooked and given a less-than-great bonus by her boss, only for him to be pranking her and her bonus is actually bigger than she could have imagined. The story of the little guy taking on and taking down the big “evil” corporation is always one that is easy to get into, but thanks to Julia Roberts’ amazing performance here, you truly feel like you are with her every step of the way.

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Let’s face it, if Erin Brockovich was not number one, you knew that it would be Vivian Ward who would be at the top of this top 10 Julia Roberts roles list. It may have been Steel Magnolias that put Julia Roberts into the mainstream, but it is Pretty Woman that made her a megastar and one of the biggest actresses of all time.

She is cool, she is classy, she is tough, and she is vulnerable all in one package. A huge part of what makes Pretty Woman so great is the chemistry that Julia Roberts has with Richard Gere, but there is no denying it is Julia Roberts who steals the show here. This is just a fun movie that manages to also tug on the heartstrings and ultimately do what all the best romantic comedies do: leave you with a huge smile on your face.