ComingSoon.net is counting down our ten favorite films starring Toni Collette, who has had quite a few notable roles since emerging in the early 1990s. Check out our choices in the gallery below!
Considered to be the matriarch of 21st century independent filmmaking, Toni Collette is an actress who finds herself playing moms in all kinds of notable films. That’s not to say that she’s typecast, though—Collette is more than capable of playing characters independent of this family structure, knocking it out of the park no matter what she’s doing or how small her part is. Toni Collette is never anything less than committed entirely.
From small horror movies to family dramedies, Toni Collette seems to find herself gravitating toward these two types of films. She’s able to embody almost any character within these two genres and would be great in other genres too, of course, but these are the ones she must be the most comfortable in. Still, it’s no surprise that there are plenty of these kinds of movies on the list of Toni Collette’s greatest films.
Toni Collette movies
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Hereditary (2018)
Released in 2018, filmmaker Ari Aster’s debut feature took the film community by storm. He was praised for his incredibly strong first film, but even those who weren’t fans of Aster’s unique style of horror found themselves at Collette’s mercy here. She’s the lead, slowly breaking down as her world becomes more and more chaotic, ranking up there with Jamie Lee Curtis, Sissy Spacek, and Kathy Bates as one of the most engrossing female characters in a horror movie.
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Little Miss Sunshine (2004)
A very different mood compared to Hereditary (but still sticking with that same family structure that puts Collette in the role of the mom), Little Miss Sunshine is the epitome of the Sundance hit—a classification that would eventually be placed on recent movies like Beasts of the Southern Wild and Precious as well as older films like Napoleon Dynamite and Reservoir Dogs. The movie follows a dysfunctional family as they travel across the country for their daughter’s beauty pageant. Collette got to show the film industry what she was capable of here, and it remains one of her greatest for that reason
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Mary and Max (2009)
An under-seen animated feature from 2009, Mary and Max stars Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a pair of unlikely pen pals. It’s refreshing, engaging, and beautiful with a dash of heartbreak. Their correspondence lasts for years and years, the two growing older and older at their own pace (Mary is much younger than Max). Collette and Hoffman are always incredible, and Mary and Max deserves more recognition for containing two memorable performances from the two of them.
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The Sixth Sense (1999)
M. Night Shyamalan has a reputation for being incredibly divisive now, but that wasn’t the case back when The Sixth Sense was released in 1999. Starring Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis, and Collette, the film follows a young boy who struggles with supernatural visions and the psychologist tasked with helping him. Collette does such a good job as Osment’s character’s mom, she basically set herself up for decades and decades of work.
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The Hours (2002)
Led by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Julianne Moore, The Hours is a drama from 2002 that tracks three women form three different generations who are connected only by prolific author Virginia Woolf. Toni Collette appears in a supporting role, but it’s a memorable one.
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Muriel's Wedding (1994)
From the same filmmaker behind My Best Friend’s Wedding, P.J. Hogan’s Muriel’s Wedding stars Toni Collette embracing her Australian origins as the titular Muriel. It’s a funny little wedding-themed romp, and Collette managed to leave quite the impression considering the career that blossomed after the film’s release.
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Velvet Goldmine (1998)
Working with filmmaker Todd Hayes is likely the dream of any actor, dramatic or comedic. That means Velvet Goldmine, Haynes’s drama about a Bowie-esque musician starring Ewan McGregor and Toni Collette, is a dream come true for all involved.
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The Way, Way Back (2013)
Made in the same sort of dysfunctional-family-driven vein as Little Miss Sunshine, The Way, Way Back is a low-key dramedy from 2013 that follows a teen on summer vacation with his mom and her abusive boyfriend. Collette’s (once again) playing the mom here, but putting her in this kind of role (which tends to be a little condescending for some of the greatest actresses) leads to nothing but greatness.
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Hearts Beat Loud (2018)
Parks and Recreation stand-out Nick Offerman has carved out a nice niche for himself in the world of independent film. 2018’s Hearts Beat Loud is one of the more charming products of his post-Parks career, with him playing a dad to a promising musician and Toni Collette playing his landlord and friend—a relationship that proves to be a hard one to navigate.
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Enough Said (2013)
One of James Gandolfini’s final films, Enough Said sees the actor and Julia Louis-Dreyfus playing a middle-aged couple trying to learn how to date again. Toni Collette is again reduced to a supporting role, but she gets plenty to do and leaves the viewer with all kinds of memorable senes.
