10 Best Nicole Kidman Movies, Ranked: Our Favorite Films Starring the Aussie Actress
From psychological thrillers to heartwarming children's films, the talented actress has range!
It’s hard to believe that the scene-stealing star we see acting in some of the biggest films in Hollywood was ever a shy little girl — luckily, Nicole Kidman overcame her youthful reservation and has gifted us with show-stopping performances in some of our favorite movies. Here we take a look at some of our favorite Nicole Kidman movies.
Nicole Kidman’s rise to fame
Attending the Phillip Street Theatre, Kidman felt inspired to pursue acting full time and eventually dropped out of school to make her dreams a reality.Her breakout role came in the 1983 Australian film Bush Christmas before landing a TV role in Five Mile Creek. She continued acting in various Australian films, but her 1989 role in Dead Calm and 1990 role in Days of Thunder expanded her recognition.
The decades to come would bring Kidman continued success and showcased her range as an actress. Throughout the 90s, you could find her in films like Flirting (1991), To Die For (1995), Batman Forever (1995), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Practical Magic (1998) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
Success continued through the 2000s, all the way to present day. The year 2001 brought us movies like The Others and Moulin Rouge!, and later came films like Dogville (2003), The Stepford Wives (2004) and Bewitched (2005).
A highly decorated actress
Throughout her career, Nicole Kidman’s skill and prowess has not gone unrecognized. She took home an Oscar for her role in The Hours, and has received nominations for additional films such as Moulin Rouge! (2001), Rabbit Hole (2010), Lion (2016) and Being the Ricardos (2021). She’s also taken home Golden Globe awards for her work in films including To Die For (1995), Moulin Rouge! (2001), The Hours (2002), Being the Ricardos (2021) and more.
Nicole Kidman’s career today
In recent years, Kidman has made a wildly successful transition into the television sphere, celebrated for her work in series like Big Little Lies, The Undoing, Special Ops: Lioness and most recently, Expats. Her recent film work includes Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) and The Northman (2022).
While we truly can’t wait to see what else is in store for the red-headed starlet, let’s take a look back on some of our favorite Nicole Kidman movies to date. See if you agree with our ranking!
Our favorite Nicole Kidman movies, ranked
10. Lion (2016)
Lion tells the emotional journey of an Indian boy named Saroo (Sunny Pawar), who, with his brother, would steal coal off of freight trains in exchange for food. One night, he falls asleep on one of the train cars and wakes up far from his home in Calcutta. Unable to find his way back on his own, he’s eventually placed in an orphanage and ultimately gets adopted by an Australian couple, his adoptive mother played by Kidman. As he grows older, Saroo (the older version played by Dev Patel) sets out to find his way back to where he came from.
9. Rabbit Hole (2010)
Rabbit Hole follows the story of Becca (Kidman) and her husband Howie (Aaron Eckhart), two parents who lost their son when he was tragically struck by a car. The film takes us along in the wake of their sons tragic death, showcasing how they individually choose to deal with it.
8. The Beguiled (2017)
A woman named Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman) runs a girls school in the midst of the Civil War. When John McBurney (Colin Farrell), a wounded Union soldier and deserter is discovered in the woods, he is brought back to the school to be cared for by the women. His presence, however, makes things complicated, as the ladies find themselves vying for his attention and affections. Also starring Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning.
7. Practical Magic (1998)
This witchy fantasy film puts Nicole Kidman alongside Sandra Bullock as two sisters born into a long line of magical women, faced with the lifelong curse than any man who falls in love with either of them is doomed. Having avoided it most of their life, they find themselves face to face with their abilities when Sally (Bullock) and Gillian (Kidman) accidentally kill Gillian’s abusive partner. They must now ward off his evil spirit and a suspicious police officer looking into his disappearance.
6. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Kidman stars alongside ex-husband Tom Cruise in Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. The pair play a married couple, and when Kidman’s character of Alice admits to her husband an illicit fantasy of hers, he sets out on a unique journey of his own.
5. The Others (2001)
Nicole Kidman amps up the spooky vibes in this psychological horror film as a mother to two children who has moved into a new home in the midst WWII. Three new servants are hired and a series of strange, haunting events ensue.
4. To Die For (1995)
Nicole Kidman plays Suzanne, a small-town weather reporter who has glamorous dreams of making it big on television as a broadcast journalist. Married to a man named Larry (Matt Dillion), who wishes to settle down further and start a family, Suzanne plans his murder to prevent him from impeding on her career goals.
3. Bombshell (2019)
Bombshell chronicles the real story of Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) bringing forth a lawsuit against Fox News CEO Roger Ailes. This leads to a domino effect of other women coming forward, exposing the abuse they endured by him.
2. The Hours (2002)
The Hours follows three women (played by Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore) whose lives are all somehow intertwined with Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. Kidman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film as Virginia Woolf.
1. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
One of our absolute favorite Nicole Kidman movies, the actress stars as Satine, a performer at the Moulin Rouge who gets promised to a Duke in exchange for funding for a new show. However, things get complicated when she falls for Christian (Ewan McGregor), a young Englishman.
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