10 Best Sandra Bullock Movies of All Time

During her promotion for her latest movie The Lost City, Sandra Bullock announced that she’s stepping away from film sets to spend more time with her children. It’s not retirement, more like a break from acting to make more memories with her loved ones. So, we thought we’d put together a list of her best films, to celebrate all the wonderful work she’s done over the years. Even though some of these movies aren’t critically revered – like The Net or Murder by Numbers – she always knocks it out of the park.

Unfortunately, there are some films that had to be left out of the list, like The Lake House and Hope Floats. While I personally like both movies, and enjoyed Bullock’s performances in them, they aren’t exactly top-tier enough to make the top 10. The same goes for Bird Box.

Here are the 10 best Sandra Bullock movies you should check out.

 

The Best Sandra Bullock Movies

10. Ocean’s 8 (2018)

Director: Gary Ross

Ocean’s 8, while a heist movie, isn’t exactly strong on the heist element. Usually when the reveal is done at the end, we’re meant to feel a little awe-struck and applaud the ingenuity of the plan. This wasn’t really the case here, but hey, it was a lot of fun.

Bullock plays Debbie Ocean, who’s spent the last few years in jail devising the biggest heist of her life. The moment she’s out, she ropes in her partner Lou (Cate Blanchett), and they pull together a team of experts to carry out the heist.

The film’s an entertaining little caper, and Bullock does well as team leader. She also has great chemistry with Blanchett, and the pair actually come across as credible friends. Not a film to write home about, but Bullock and the rest of the cast bring the humour and amusement.

 

9. The Lost City (2022)

Director: Adam Nee & Aaron Nee

Just when you think the cinema rom-com might be dead in the water, 2022 rolls around and proves you wrong.

Bullock plays Loretta Sage, who writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan (Channing Tatum). While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe), who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city’s lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her.

Bullock’s Loretta starts out as this character who doesn’t really care about much anymore, not her fans and not even her book series, but by the end, she gains back a little bit of that heart. Her character here is reminiscent of the role she played in The Proposal, and while I do think that film is a tad superior to this one, thanks to Bullock and a stellar cast of actors, not to mention the excellent production design, The Lost City is certainly a fun addition to the genre.

 

8. Crash (2004)

Director: Paul Haggis

Winning the Oscar for Best Picture was probably the worst thing to happen to Crash. It’s often listed at the bottom of the list when it comes to the Best Picture winners or grouped together with the likes of Green Book for winning an Oscar when it shouldn’t have. I do think Crash is daring, for attempting to tackle themes that most would avoid with a ten-foot pole. It’s main struggle is its lack of message and main point, bringing all these narratives together only for things to collide in a rather expected fashion.

Still, one of the movie’s main strengths is its cast, especially Bullock’s performance as Jean Cabot. After being carjacked, Jean’s casual racism springs its ugly head when a Hispanic man comes into their home to change their locks, and she assumes that he will take the opportunity to copy their keys and pass it to his gangbanger friends – her words, not mine. Her anger and vitriol is all so uncomfortable and so real, and truly cements how so many people can’t look past stereotypes and prejudge others based on appearance.

While Bullock only has a minor role in this ensemble film, she’s definitely one of the standouts here.

 

7. The Blind Side (2009)

Director: John Lee Hancock

The Blind Side is about the story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless black teen, who’s been and out of the school system for years. Then Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), take him in. The Tuohys eventually become Michael’s legal guardians, transforming both his life and theirs. With help from his new family and devoted tutor, Michael realizes his potential as a student and football player.

Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in this film. She’s great as the fiery Leigh Anne Tuohy, and is truly the emotional centre of the film. However, the film as a whole chose to play things more sentimental and inspirational, rather than dive into more complex nature of the entire situation. But I guess that’s sports movies as a whole – they tend to lean a little more towards the formulaic side of things.

The movie really allowed Bullock to shine, constructing set pieces that played to her comedic strengths. Whenever we think about The Blind Side, we’ll remember Bullock’s football pep talk.

 

6. The Proposal (2009)

Director: Anne Fletcher

The Proposal has a 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which I think is unnecessarily harsh. The critics can be a little mean-spirited when it comes to rom-coms, and considering how iconic The Proposal has become, I don’t think the rotten rating matters.

Bullock plays Margaret Tate, an uptight editor-in-chief at a major publishing house, while Ryan Reynolds plays her assistant Andrew. Margaret is hated by everyone in the company, including Andrew himself. Things take a turn when Margaret realises she’s about to be deported, and bribes Andrew into marrying her. The pair head over to Alaska so Margaret can learn more about Andrew, and this is where the fun begins.

Listen, is it formulaic? Yes, but that’s not why we watch rom-coms. It’s about the chemistry and comedy, and Bullock and Reynolds deliver both in spades. Bullock proves that she isn’t afraid to look silly and goofy on screen, and this makes for some delightful moments in the film. Just writing about it now makes me want to see it again.

 

5. Practical Magic (1998)

Director: Griffin Dunne

Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman) are sisters born into a magical family. For the Owens women, love is a curse, as any man they love so deeply dies, as Sally discovers when her husband Michael perishes in a tragic accident. After that, Sally swears off magic, for herself and her daughters. But when Gillian’s boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov (Goran Visnjic), dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters turn to magic to solve the problem, and find themselves in a messy situation.

Bullock has always had this knack for playing the Girl-Next-Door — just so relatable and funny. Nicole Kidman is a Siren-like figure, with beautiful red hair set against her porcelain white skin. She has a natural sensuality that she brings to roles, but she tempers it with a rare display of vulnerability. This makes them such good choices to play these very contrasting sisters, who are very different, yet believable in their love for each other.

It’s been 24 years since Practical Magic, and despite that, I feel that the movie hasn’t really aged — I find as entertaining now as it was then. The movie has a strong cast, with not only good performances from Bullock and Kidman, but also Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest as the aunts. And even though it’s such a female-centered movie, the male characters have depth and don’t exist as mere eye candy. Even Michael, played by Mark Feuerstein, who doesn’t even have any lines in the movie, feels real and authentic in his relationship with Sally.

 

4. Miss Congeniality (2000)

Director: Donald Petrie

When a terrorist threatens to bomb the Miss United States pageant, the FBI decides to send a female agent to go under cover as a contestant. Unfortunately, Gracie (Bullock) is the only female FBI agent who can look the part despite her complete lack of refinement and femininity. Gracie, who lives for her work and prides herself as being one of the boys, is horrified at the idea of being transformed into a girly girl and having to tackle the world of make-up and high heels.

Bullock does so well in capturing Gracie’s fish out of water essence, which leads to plenty of humorous moments in the film, like any of her attempts to walk in heels. The best parts are her interactions with Sir Michael Caine’s Victor, the man in charge of her transformation. Even though Gracie initially looks at the whole pageant circuit as some vapid endeavour, as she spends time with the contestants, she sees how she may have judged the entire process a little unfairly.

This film, just like Legally Blonde, fleshes out the dichotomous lens through which women are looked at. Gracie believes that there are more important things than looking beautiful and wearing nice clothes. She looks at herself in contrast to the other women, seeing herself as too intelligent to engage in such superficial activity. But, as she realises at the end, you can be one or the other, or even somewhere in between.

 

3. While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Director: Jon Turteltaub

Bullock plays Lucy, a transit worker who lives alone. Things are pretty mundane for Lucy, until the day she saves her crush Peter (Peter Gallagher) from the path of an oncoming train. After saving Peter’s life, Lucy heads to the hospital to see if he’s okay, only to be mistaken for Peter’s fiancé. She goes along with it due to certain circumstances, but things get a bit more tricky when she meets his brother Jack (Jack Pullman) and now she can’t be with the brother she truly wants because she’s fake-engaged to his brother.

For all the years I have lived, and there have been plenty, there hasn’t been a romantic Christmas movie that has topped While You Were Sleeping for me yet, and it’s easy to see why. I mean, look at the cast, we have Bullock, Pullman, Gallagher and Peter Boyle, every scene so well-acted and executed – it is the perfect mix of drama and comedy. It’s complicated stuff, but truly funny and moving. Bullock goes on to play a very similar type of character in The Proposal with Ryan Reynolds, so I’d say it’s almost mandatory that the two films be watched together.

While You Were Sleeping showcases why Sandra Bullock is one of the best actresses of our generation. As Lucy, she’s funny, vulnerable, and so relatable, all in one role.

 

2. Speed (1994)

Director: Jan de Bont

Speed is the movie that skyrocketed both Bullock and co-star Keanu Reeves to fame. The movie’s success is what spurred the pair to star in The Lake House together, which didn’t capitalise enough on their electric chemistry.

Until today, Speed is iconic, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a well-made film with a great cast, and is the best example of a simple premise well executed. Michael Bay’s recent movie Ambulance definitely borrows some elements from Speed.

While the film has plenty of great action set pieces, what helps it stand out from the pack is the fantastic chemistry between Bullock and Reeves. Bullock plays Annie, a spunky passenger called to action when a bomb goes off on the bus she’s on, and she has to take over as the driver. Despite the nerve-wrecking events, the film gives Bullock and Reeves plenty of time to build the relationship between their characters, so that when he chooses to stay with her at the end, we completely understand why.

 

1. Gravity (2013)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission. Her commander is astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney), helming his last flight before retirement. Suddenly, during a routine space walk by the pair, disaster strikes. This leaves the shuttle destroyed, with Ryan and Matt stranded in deep space with no link to Earth and no hope of rescue. As fear turns to panic, they realize that the only way home may be to venture further into space.

Gravity is a beautiful film, and it’s no surprise that the film raked in 7 Oscars at the 2014 Academy Awards, winning for Best Cinematography, Best Director, and tons of other technical categories. While Bullock was nominated, she didn’t win the Oscar, losing to Cate Blanchett. It’s such a shame, because she delivers one of the best physical performances in this movie. As she makes her way through zero gravity, her gestures and body language do so much to show us a glimpse of the character’s interior.

Director Alfonso Cuarón even highlighted Bullock’s performance in his acceptance speech for Best Director, saying: “Sandy, you’re Gravity. You’re the soul, the heart, of the film. You’re the most amazing collaborator and one of the best people I’ve ever met.”

Cuarón’s remarks to Bullock shows us why she’s such a brilliant actress. Every film she’s a part of, she finds a way to be its heart, its centre. Be it minor or leading roles, she’s constantly one of the best parts of these movies. While we wait for her get back from her break, we have her diverse filmography to entertain ourselves in the meantime, so please excuse me while I watch The Proposal for the millionth time.

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