Now she’s expected to repeat the success of her 2018 Netflix mega-smash Bird Box with her latest feature film, The Lost City, co-starring Channing Tatum. If her latest flick has you jonesing for more, here’s our definitive list of the best Sandra Bullock movies.
Best Sandra Bullock movies
28 Days (2000)
Not to be confused with the zombie flick, 28 Days Later! Bullock is alcoholic writer Gwen Cummings who gets plastered at her sister’s (Elizabeth Perkins) wedding, knocks over the cake with her drunk dancing and crashes the newlyweds’ limo. All this amounts to a court-ordered 28-day stint in rehab, where she learns to turn her life around with the help of fellow patient Viggo Mortensen.
All About Steve (2009)
Sandra Bullock gives an award-winning performance as a socially awkward crossword puzzler with even more awkward bangs. Unfortunately, the award was a Worst Actress Razzie. The object of Mary’s obsession: a cameraman named Steve (Bradley Cooper) whom she meets on a blind date. Bullock completists may want to see for themselves whether this much-maligned comedy actually ventures into “so bad it’s good” territory. We think it does.
Bird Box (2018)
After a worldwide phenomenon causes mass suicides, Malorie (Bullock) and her two kids hole up in a safe house with a bunch of survivors. And frankly, who wouldn’t want to quarantine with the crazy-hot Trevante Rhodes?The Netflix flick itself became a worldwide phenomenon, sparking social media challenges and a slew of memes.
The Blind Side (2009)
The Blind Side is based on the true story of Super Bowl champ Michael Oher and his no-nonsense adoptive mom, Leigh Anne Tuohy. Bullock stars as the tough-talking, big-hearted mama who takes the homeless teen into her family and guides him through high school to college and the NFL as an offensive left tackle. The sports biopic was polarizing, to say the least; even Oher himself wasn’t a fan. Still, critics and audiences alike were on the same team when it came to Bullock’s strong performance, which ultimately earned her the Oscar.
Crash (2003)
America’s Sweetheart plays against-type as an uppity upper-crust housewife whose prejudices bubble up after being carjacked. Paul Haggis’ interconnected morality tale featured an impressive ensemble (Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Ludacris, Terrence Howard, Brendan Fraser, Ryan Phillippe, Jennifer Esposito, Thandiwe Newton, Michael Peña, Larenz Tate and Shaun Toub) and upset Brokeback Mountain to win the Best Picture Oscar.
Demolition Man (1993)
Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes duke it out in this futuristic cult classic, and Bullock (as corrections officer Lenina Huxley) injected some much-needed estrogen, humor and relatability into the proceedings.
Divine Secrets of Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)
Based on Rebecca Wells’s novel of the same name, Bullock plays a playwright named Siddalee Walker with a complicated relationship with her mother, Viv (Ellen Burstyn), who reveals unflattering secrets about her unhappy upbringing in a magazine interview. To defend their friend’s honor, Viv’s Ya-Ya Sisters stage an intervention, replete with requisite flashbacks, to clear up Sidda’s misconception about her mom.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2012)
Oskar (Thomas Horn) goes on a New York City-wide scavenger hunt upon finding a mysterious key in his dad’s closet. The 9-year-old is convinced the key unlocks a secret message from his father (Tom Hanks), whom he lost on 9/11. Bullock plays Oskar’s grieving mother in this Academy Award Best Picture nominee, which also stars an Oscar-nominated Max von Sydow.
Forces of Nature (1999)
This is a screwball road-trip comedy costarring Ben Affleck as a groom-to-be desperate to make it to his wedding in Savannah after his plane is grounded in New York City. Enter quirky Bullock and her rental car. The complete opposites hit the road…but you know what they say about how opposites attract!
Gravity (2013)
It’s already a tall order to carry a film, but an even higher degree of difficulty to essentially be alone onscreen for the bulk of it. But as an astronaut terrifyingly marooned in space, Bullock sticks the landing. Alfonso Cuarón’s visually stunning technological wonder was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including a Best Actress nom for its leading lady.
Gun Shy (2000)
If you’re a fan of fart jokes, this dark comedy costarring Liam Neeson (as a gun-shy DEA agent) and Oliver Platt (as a trigger-happy mafioso) is right up your alley. Oh, and it’s the first film ever produced by Bullock, who plays Neeson’s “enema queen” nurse.
The Heat (2013)
Bullock turns the male-dominated buddy-cop comedy genre on its head by partnering with the reliably hilarious Melissa McCarthy to take down a drug lord.
Hope Floats (1998)
Birdie Pruitt (Bullock) learns her marriage is over in embarrassingly public fashion—on a talk show!—so she heads back to her hometown, with daughter Bernice (Mae Whitman) in tow, to live with her eccentric mother (Gena Rowlands). Bullock’s got an effortless rapport with her inevitable love interest (Harry Connick Jr.) in this underrated, Southern-fried mom-com.
In Love and War (1996)
A young Ernest Hemingway (Chris O’Donnell) is injured during World War I and falls for his nurse, Agnes von Kurowsky (Bullock). Their star-crossed affair allegedly inspired the future literary genius’s work.
Infamous (2006)
Infamous was inevitably (and unfairly) compared to Capote, which was released a year prior and earned Philip Seymour Hoffman an Oscar. But the other Truman Capote biopic more than holds its own, thanks to strong performances by Bullock as Harper Lee, Daniel Craig as convicted killer Perry Smith and Toby Jones, a doppelganger for the In Cold Blood author.
The Lake House (2007)
This was a reunion(ish) between Speed stars Bullock and Keanu Reeves, given that the lovebirds are actually separated by space and time. She’s in the year 2006, he’s in the “future” in 2008, but they can somehow communicate via the lake house mailbox. Can the happenchance pen pals figure out a loophole to be together at the same time?
Love Potion No. 9 (1992)
She’s simply irresistible in what’s essentially a dual role: as a geeky scientist and femme fatale. When a gypsy (Anne Bancroft) gifts two unlucky-in-love nerds (Bullock and Tate Donovan) with a mysterious substance, they decide to test it on themselves and instantly become alluring to the opposite sex.
Minions (2015)
Bullock had last voiced an animated character in 1998’s The Prince of Egypt, but there’s a heartwarming reason why she wanted to take on Scarlett Overkill, the world’s first female super-villain, in the Despicable Me prequel. “My son,” she told BBC. “I wanted to do something that [Louis] could see, that I was in.”
Miss Congeniality (2000)
When a terrorist threatens to blow up a beauty pageant, FBI agent Gracie must go undercover as one of the contestants. It’s an unbelievable premise, sure, but Bullock has the charming chops to pull it off, along with her winsome supporting cast: Michael Caine, Candice Bergen and dimpled Benjamin Bratt. Plus, it cemented April 25th as the “perfect date” because it’s not too hot and not too cold.
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005)
FBI agent Gracie Hart (Bullock) teams up future Oscar winner Regina King to track down her missing beauty pageant pal.
Murder by Numbers (2002)
A paint-by-numbers thriller that pits detective Cassie Mayweather (Bullock) against two spoiled, teen-aged, thrill-seeking killers. A noteworthy entry in Bullock’s oeuvre for what happened after the cameras stopped rolling: she briefly dated her fresh-faced costar, Ryan Gosling.
The Net (1995)
Sure, some elements haven’t aged well—for starters, everyone’s after a floppy disk! But the cyber-thriller was eerily prescient when it came to Internet privacy. And Bullock’s unique take on the “wronged innocent” premise as a computer programmer whose identity is erased makes Angela a completely root-able protagonist.
Ocean’s 8 (2018)
This female-powered installment of the heist film franchise stars Bullock, as Debbie Ocean, the leader of a thick-as-thieves crew of badasses: Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina and Helena Bonham Carter. At the center of this fun caper is a necklace worth more than $150 million.
Our Brand Is Crisis (2015)
When a Bolivian presidential candidate flails in the polls, he enlists the help of “Calamity” Jane Bodine (Bullock), a political strategist who “un-retires” for a chance to beat her professional nemesis, Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton) in an all-out, down-and-dirty war of the words.
Practical Magic (1998)
Nicole Kidman and Bullock play spellbinding sisters who are a little unlucky in love…OK, a lot unlucky, given that any man they meet ends up dead. The fantasy film is tonally confusing (Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? Wait, is it about domestic abuse?), but its flawed characters and empowering themes ultimately add up to a bewitching diversion.
Premonition (2007)
Linda’s idyllic life is shattered when she learns her husband, Jim (Julian McMahon), died in a car accident. But when she wakes up the next morning, Jim is still very much alive. In this twisty time-bender, Bullock must figure out WTF is going on with her random Groundhog’s Day situation in order to save her husband from his impending fate.
The Proposal (2009)
Book editor Margaret Tate (Bullock) couples up with her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to avoid deportation. Sure, the dynamic duo demonstrates amazing comedic chemistry, but it’s when Bullock and Betty White “Get Low" to Lil’ Jon’s 2002 hit that the film invokes the biggest laughs.
Speed (1994)
This fast and furiously entertaining popcorn flick boasted Hollywood heavyweights like Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels. And yet, it was a spunky sidekick who took the wheel (literally and pop-culturally) from the big boys. Bullock plays a passenger named Annie who helps Reeves’ L.A. cop Jack keep a bomb from detonating by maintaining the bus’s MPH. Her career zoomed from 0 to 100 following her breakout performance.
Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
Alright, let’s get this out of the way: this titanic hot mess is basically Die Hard on a Boat. Jason Patric is handsome enough but lacks the Whoa-factor of Reeves. And then there’s maniacal Willem Dafoe with his creepy leeches. But Bullock thankfully returns as Annie and single-handedly keeps this sequel afloat.
The Thing Called Love (1993)
Peter Bogdanovich’s underrated “dream big” drama stars Bullock, Samantha Mathis, Dermot Mulroney and the late River Phoenix as a quartet of country-music hopefuls in Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe.
A Time to Kill (1996)
In Joel Schumacher’s riveting courtroom drama—an adaptation of John Grisham’s best-selling novel—Bullock plays ambitious law student Ellen Roark, who coerces lawyer Matthew McConaughey’s lawyer character into helping him represent Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) against double-murder charges.
Two If by Sea (1996)
This beachside rom-com pairs Bullock with comedian Denis Leary, a petty thief in possession of a priceless painting.
Two Weeks Notice (2002)
Lawyer Lucy (Bullock) has had it with her insufferable boss (Hugh Grant), so she puts in her notice and picks Harvard grad June Carter (Alicia Witt) as her replacement. Three guesses as to what happens between the two at the end of two weeks. Sure, it’s predictable fare but sometimes a mindless rom-com is exactly what you need.
The Vanishing (1993)
Bullock is largely MIA once her character disappears from a gas station and sets Kiefer Sutherland off on a three-year search for his missing girlfriend. But it’s almost worth watching for Diane’s giddy-cute jig en route to the food mart for “sodie pop” and beer.
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Chicago L token-taker Lucy (Bullock) saves her longtime crush Peter (Peter Gallagher) from the path of an oncoming train. When the comatose commuter’s family mistakes her for his fiancé, Lucy rolls with it until she meets (and falls in love with) Peter’s sheepish little brother, Jack (Bill Pullman). Bullock auditioned for the lonely transit worker and wanted the part so bad because “the story was so sweet,” she recalled to The Washington Post.Demi Moore turned down the role and the rest is history. Bullock’s star-making turn earned her her first-ever Golden Globe nomination. Next, count down the best Reese Witherspoon movies.
