{"id":3667,"date":"2025-07-12T07:25:05","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T07:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/3667\/"},"modified":"2025-07-12T07:25:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T07:25:05","slug":"5-scarlett-johansson-movies-that-are-masterpieces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/3667\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Scarlett Johansson Movies That Are Masterpieces"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you include voice acting and cameos, then Scarlett Johansson is not the highest-grossing actor\/actress in history, but when looking at lead and supporting roles, she is, at least for now<\/a>. Put another way, she\u2019s the highest-grossing star at the moment, at least without adjusting for inflation. And you probably should adjust for inflation most of the time, but hey, big numbers are big numbers and the number next to her name is technically the biggest. You probably won\u2019t be surprised to learn that a big role in the MCU<\/a> is a contributing factor in making said big number so big, but also, Jurassic World Rebirth<\/a> was the movie that pushed her over the previous highest-grossing star, Samuel L. Jackson. Oh, he\u2019s also in a ton of MCU movies. And, if you go by cameos and voice roles, his box office total is second only to Stan Lee<\/a>, who had so many cameos that his worldwide total stands at the highest.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the MCU, there\u2019s one movie from that behemoth of a series below, but then there are a few non-superhero movies highlighted here as well, all intended to showcase the best of Scarlett Johansson\u2019s filmography to date. Not all of these movies contributed greatly to that previously mentioned high box office total she\u2019s achieved, but that\u2019s okay. The box office thing is a reason to talk about Johansson at the moment, but great movies can obviously be great without earning much money. Some of these did okay, and some not so much, but they were all high-quality films on top of being excellent showcases for Johansson’s talents as an actress.<\/p>\n

5 <\/p>\n

‘Lost in Translation’ (2003)<\/p>\n

Directed by Sofia Coppola<\/p>\n

\"Bill<\/p>\n

Image via Focus Features<\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t quite be accurate to call Lost in Translation<\/a> a star-making role for Scarlett Johansson, since she\u2019d appeared in movies as far back as 1994, and had, by 2001, had been featured in a couple of close-to-great ones (namely, The Man Who Wasn’t There<\/a> and Ghost World), but Lost in Translation was a star\u2026 codifying role? It was something. It was the Diet Coke version of a star-making role: almost, but not quite. But that\u2019s not a knock on Lost in Translation, more just that she was already decently established before then. Anyway, this movie has her starring alongside Bill Murray<\/a>, both playing people who form an odd bond while in Tokyo for different reasons.<\/p>\n

Lost in Translation is generally considered to be Sofia Coppola\u2019s best film, or at least a strong contender, and deservedly so.<\/p>\n

They do indeed feel lost, per the title, and find something within each other that\u2019s almost romantic, but not quite\u2026 maybe\u2026 sort of. There\u2019s not a lot that happens<\/a> in Lost in Translation, but there is a lot that\u2019s felt, and that ends up being more than enough. It also helps that the film has a pretty great soundtrack, and it also successfully captures the unique beauty of Tokyo, feeling emotional, atmospheric, and quietly sad at times. It\u2019s generally considered to be Sofia Coppola\u2019s best film, or at least a strong contender, and deservedly so. It is restrained in scope, and some may consider it slow, but Lost in Translation is well-acted, has a unique feel to it, and proves undeniably cinematic, in turn feeling like a good entry point to arthouse cinema<\/a> (it\u2019s kind of an art film, albeit a pretty approachable one).<\/p>\n

4 <\/p>\n

‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)<\/p>\n

Directed by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo<\/p>\n

\"Avengers_<\/p>\n

Image via\u00a0Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures<\/p>\n

Avengers: Endgame<\/a> wasn\u2019t really the end for anyone, considering how the MCU has kept trucking along (for better or worse) in its wake, but it was a finale for the first three phases of the cinematic universe in question. And it was huge, and fulfilling, and a pretty wild achievement, which even those who don\u2019t love superhero movies<\/a> might have to begrudgingly acknowledge. The cast of Avengers: Infinity War<\/a> was effectively halved for Endgame, given the way that movie ended, but it was still a star-studded affair\u2026 plus not everyone was gone forever. But the core Avengers team did remain intact, and Scarlett Johansson\u2019s Black Widow was a part of that, having been there in The Avengers<\/a> (2012), though making her first appearance even earlier than that, in the flawed (yet still kind of important, in the end) Iron Man 2<\/a> (2010).<\/p>\n

Johansson did take center-stage one more time after this, in Black Widow<\/a> (2021), but that wasn\u2019t nearly as strong of a film as Endgame, even if Johansson gave a good performance there, or at least as good as the material allowed. She\u2019s part of a big ensemble in Avengers: Endgame, sure, and is central to one somewhat divisive scene (if you know, you know, and this is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, so you probably do know), but taken as a whole, the film\u2019s an immense achievement nonetheless. It\u2019s been a tough act to follow ever since 2019, but it can still be appreciated and enjoyed<\/a> for what it served as a finale for, and for how efficient it was as a blockbuster crowd-pleaser<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"avengers-endgame-movie-poster.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tAvengers: Endgame
\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Release Date<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 26, 2019<\/p>\n

Runtime<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t181 Minutes<\/p>\n

\"instar53643496.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Robert Downey Jr.<\/p>\n

\n Tony Stark \/ Iron Man\n <\/p>\n

\"instar52209132.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Chris Evans<\/p>\n

\n Steve Rogers \/ Captain America\n <\/p>\n

3 <\/p>\n

‘Under the Skin’ (2013)<\/p>\n

Directed by Jonathan Glazer<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Image via A24<\/p>\n

Getting highlighted by a New York Times poll<\/a> as one of the greatest sci-fi movies of the 21st century so far, Under the Skin<\/a> is undoubtedly singular as a work of science fiction<\/a>, functioning simultaneously as a very odd horror movie, too. Scarlett Johansson plays some sort of alien creature who disguises itself as a woman and goes around Scotland, hunting and doing something unsettling to those she preys on. She kind of consumes them, but it\u2019s also hard to describe. The movie is strange, but in a way that works, rather than detracts. It\u2019s not just centered on an alien, but the whole film feels like it might well have been shot and edited by aliens. It\u2019s all super uncanny, uncomfortable, and provocative.<\/p>\n

Those qualities do make it a great sci-fi movie<\/a>, though, and no other movie about an alien or aliens coming to Earth feels much like Under the Skin. Maybe The Man Who Fell to Earth<\/a> is the closest film it can be compared to, and that one followed by Under the Skin would make for one hell of a double feature. Under the Skin will not be \u2013 and has not been \u2013 enjoyed by everyone, but also, enjoyment might not even be the point. It\u2019s an experience, and it\u2019s effectively horrifying and eerie in ways that few movies have been before. Also, as far as Scarlett Johansson\u2019s performance goes, this is similarly unlike any other role she\u2019s played, and it therefore also works as something that demonstrates her impressive (and sometimes underappreciated) acting range.<\/p>\n

2 <\/p>\n

‘Her’ (2013)<\/p>\n

Directed by Spike Jonze<\/p>\n

\"Joaquin<\/p>\n

Image via\u00a0Warner Bros. Pictures<\/p>\n

For a completely different sort of sci-fi movie starring Scarlett Johansson that also happened to come out in 2013, here\u2019s Her<\/a>, which is not nearly as horrifying as Under the Skin. This one is more of a romantic dramedy<\/a> that also has science fiction central to its premise, being about a lonely man (Joaquin Phoenix) who develops a relationship of sorts with an operating system, and that operating system is voiced by Johansson. So, it\u2019s a voice-only role for her, and that would usually be something that\u2019d be hard to consider and\/or rate alongside live-action performances, but Johansson is phenomenal here, turning in what\u2019s probably one of the best \u2013 and most memorable \u2013 voice-acting roles of the past couple of decades.<\/p>\n

Phoenix is also worthy of praise, of course<\/a>, since he has to sell this unlikely relationship and make it feel natural and emotional, but Johansson does so much with nothing but her voice, and really helps Her work much better than you might expect it to. Her is simple, surprisingly good, and very easy to get swept up in emotionally. There are a near-limitless number of ways a movie with a premise like this could\u2019ve gone wrong, but instead, Her works so well that it\u2019s honestly a struggle to single out any aspect of it that didn\u2019t go right. It\u2019s a film that will eventually be considered a classic, if it\u2019s not already, being visually stunning, shockingly well-acted, and overall effortlessly moving.\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n

\"her-official-poster.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tHer
\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Release Date<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDecember 18, 2013<\/p>\n

Runtime<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t126minutes<\/p>\n

1 <\/p>\n

‘Marriage Story’ (2019)<\/p>\n

Directed by Noah Baumbach<\/p>\n

2019 was a particularly great year for Scarlett Johansson, as not only did it have her starring in one of the biggest blockbusters of all time (the previously mentioned Avengers: Endgame), but it was also the year she received two Oscar nominations, and her only two to date. One was Best Supporting Actress, for Jojo Rabbit<\/a>, which she is excellent in, but that\u2019s not quite a perfect or masterful movie; it\u2019s just a bit too messy and tonally chaotic, even if some parts of it are quite powerful. The other was for Best Actress, for Marriage Story<\/a>, and that was a pretty much perfect performance given in a close-to-flawless movie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It’s a film that\u2019s all about the acting, really, and it gives a very talented cast<\/a> a lot of material to work with. Emotions run high, since the story here is about a marriage that\u2019s fallen apart, with Johansson and Adam Driver playing the couple<\/a> who now have to deal with all the challenges that come with divorce. It\u2019s heavy, intense at times, and pretty uncompromising as a drama, but the approach works wonders. And both Driver and Johansson are more than up for handling the oftentimes harrowing scenes they have to be in, to the point where Marriage Story might well have both at their respective career bests (and that\u2019s saying a lot in either case). It\u2019s not a happy film, but it is a moving one that does offer catharsis, at least by the end. It\u2019s raw, expertly acted, and undeniably powerful<\/a>, and probably the best movie Scarlett Johansson has starred in to date.<\/p>\n

NEXT: These Nicolas Cage Movies Are Masterpieces<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you include voice acting and cameos, then Scarlett Johansson is not the highest-grossing actor\/actress in history, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3668,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[88,206],"class_list":["post-3667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}