(Photo by Orion/ courtesy Everett Collection)

All Jodie Foster Movies Ranked

1974 drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is already one hell of a way to jump-start a pre-teen acting career for Jodie Foster, yet it would be her second collaboration with director Martin Scorsese that made her an international star. 1976’s Taxi Driver was a shocking game-changer in a decade full of them, with Foster’s casting as a 12-year-old prostitute eliciting awe and dread from audiences, not to mention an eventual Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. As a new unlikely industry “It” girl, Foster quickly began to fill her resume with roles equally precocious (Freaky Friday, Bugsy Malone) and dark (The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane) following Taxi Driver.

Foster continued to hone her craft through the ’80s and into the ’90s, receiving a Best Actress Oscar for 1988’s The Accused, and moving on to even bigger Oscar night wins for 1992’s The Silence of the Lambs. 1995’s Nell would be Foster’s last Oscar nom to date, but the Golden Globes have been more receptive: She’s been nominated since for 1997’s Contact, 2007’s The Brave One, 2011’s Carnage, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2013, and finally won another acting Globe with 2021’s The Mauritanian.

More of Foster’s highlights during these decades include David Fincher’s Panic Room, Spike Lee’s Inside Man, and her own directorial-and-starring efforts like Money Monster. And now we take a look at all Jodie Foster movies ranked by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo

#1

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
95%

#1

Adjusted Score: 109296%

Critics Consensus: Director Jonathan Demme's smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study and all-out horror, and benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.

Synopsis: Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine

Directed By: Jonathan Demme

#2

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
92%

#2

Adjusted Score: 101360%

Critics Consensus: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore finds Martin Scorsese wielding a somewhat gentler palette than usual, with generally absorbing results.

Synopsis: After her husband dies, Alice (Ellen Burstyn) and her son, Tommy, leave their small New Mexico town for California, where... [More]

Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Green Bush, Diane Ladd

Directed By: Martin Scorsese

#3

Taxi Driver (1976)
89%

#3

Adjusted Score: 110848%

Critics Consensus: A must-see film for movie lovers, this Martin Scorsese masterpiece is as hard-hitting as it is compelling, with Robert De Niro at his best.

Synopsis: Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting... [More]

Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel

Directed By: Martin Scorsese

#4

Freaky Friday (2003)
88%

#4

Adjusted Score: 93250%

Critics Consensus: Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan charm in Mark Waters' nicely pitched -- and Disney's second -- remake of the 1976 hit.

Synopsis: Single mother Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her teenage daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) couldn't be more different, and it... [More]

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Harold Gould

Directed By: Mark Waters

#5

Inside Man (2006)
86%

#5

Adjusted Score: 94608%

Critics Consensus: Spike Lee's energetic and clever bank-heist thriller is a smart genre film that is not only rewarding on its own terms, but manages to subvert its pulpy trappings with wit and skill.

Synopsis: A tough detective (Denzel Washington) matches wits with a cunning bank robber (Clive Owen), as a tense hostage crisis is... [More]

Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe

Directed By: Spike Lee

#6

Nyad (2023)
85%

#6

Adjusted Score: 93813%

Critics Consensus: Nyad is an uplifting sports biopic strictly on the merits of its story, but it's the outstanding performances from Annette Bening and Jodie Foster that really keep this picture afloat.

Synopsis: A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, NYAD recounts a riveting chapter in... [More]

Starring: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans, Garland Scott

Directed By: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin

#7

A Very Long Engagement (2004)
79%

#7

Adjusted Score: 83570%

Critics Consensus: A well-crafted and visually arresting drama with a touch of whimsy.

Synopsis: Mathilde (Audrey Tautou) is told that her fiancé (Gaspard Ulliel) has been killed in World War I. She refuses to... [More]

Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Jean-Pierre Becker, Dominique Bettenfeld

Directed By: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

#8

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
76%

#8

Adjusted Score: 79152%

Critics Consensus: The inter-cutting of animation by Spawn's creator, Todd McFarlane, doesn't always work, but the performances by the young actors capture the pains of growing up well.

Synopsis: Francis Doyle (Emile Hirsch) and Tim Sullivan (Kieran Culkin), and their closest friends, are fighting the stultifying repression of their... [More]

Starring: Kieran Culkin, Jena Malone, Emile Hirsch, Vincent D'Onofrio

Directed By: Peter Care

#9

Panic Room (2002)
76%

#9

Adjusted Score: 82403%

Critics Consensus: Elevated by David Fincher's directorial talent and Jodie Foster's performance, Panic Room is a well-crafted, above-average thriller.

Synopsis: Trapped in their New York brownstone's panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins,... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto

Directed By: David Fincher

#10

The Mauritanian (2021)
75%

#10

Adjusted Score: 85839%

Critics Consensus: The Mauritanian takes a frustratingly generic approach to a real-life story that might have been inspirational in other hands, but Tahar Rahim's performance elevates the uneven material.

Synopsis: Directed by Kevin Macdonald and based on the NY Times best-selling memoir "Guantánamo Diary" by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, this is... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch

Directed By: Kevin Macdonald

#11

The Accused (1988)
93%

#11

Adjusted Score: 94719%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Out drinking one night after a fight with her boyfriend, three men brutally rape Sarah Tobias in a bar while... [More]

Starring: Kelly McGillis, Jodie Foster, Bernie Coulson, Leo Rossi

Directed By: Jonathan Kaplan

#12

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)
93%

#12

Adjusted Score: 94116%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Quiet, withdrawn 13-year-old Rynn Jacobs (Jodie Foster) lives peacefully in her home in a New England beach town. Whenever the... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith, Scott Jacoby

Directed By: Nicolas Gessner

#13

Bugsy Malone (1976)
79%

#13

Adjusted Score: 82090%

Critics Consensus: Delightfully bizarre, Bugsy Malone harnesses immense charm from its cast of child actors playing wise guys with precocious pluck.

Synopsis: Fat Sam (John Cassisi), Bugsy (Scott Baio) and Tallulah (Jodie Foster) are kids playing adults in Roaring '20s New York.... [More]

Starring: Scott Baio, Jodie Foster, John Cassisi, Florrie Dugger

Directed By: Alan Parker

#14

Five Corners (1987)
78%

#14

Adjusted Score: 73612%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: This unusual film follows the unhinged Heinz (John Turturro), a rapist who has been released from prison, as he attempts... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins, John Turturro, Todd Graff

Directed By: Tony Bill

#15

Carnage (2011)
71%

#15

Adjusted Score: 78847%

Critics Consensus: It isn't as compelling on the screen as it was on the stage, but Carnage makes up for its flaws with Polanski's smooth direction and assured performances from Winslet and Foster.

Synopsis: When some roughhousing between two 11-year-old boys named Zachary and Ethan erupts into real violence, Ethan loses two teeth. Zachary's... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly

Directed By: Roman Polanski

#16

The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)
71%

#16

Adjusted Score: 71435%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Based on the novel by John Irving, this unusual comedic drama follows the exploits of the eccentric hotel-operating Berry family.... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Beau Bridges, Rob Lowe, Paul McCrane

Directed By: Tony Richardson

#17

Little Man Tate (1991)
70%

#17

Adjusted Score: 72000%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Fred Tate (Adam Hann-Byrd) is a 7-year-old with a genius IQ. Single mother Dede (Jodie Foster) worries Fred might have... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Dianne Wiest, Adam Hann-Byrd, Harry Connick Jr.

Directed By: Jodie Foster

#18

Contact (1997)
68%

#18

Adjusted Score: 72241%

Critics Consensus: Contact elucidates stirring scientific concepts and theological inquiry at the expense of satisfying storytelling, making for a brainy blockbuster that engages with its ideas, if not its characters.

Synopsis: In this Zemeckis-directed adaptation of the Carl Sagan novel, Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) races to interpret a possible message... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, John Hurt

Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

#19

Maverick (1994)
68%

#19

Adjusted Score: 71675%

Critics Consensus: It isn't terribly deep, but it's witty and undeniably charming, and the cast is obviously having fun.

Synopsis: This film update of the Maverick TV series finds the title cardsharp (Mel Gibson) hoping to join a poker contest... [More]

Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene

Directed By: Richard Donner

#20

Elysium (2013)
64%

#20

Adjusted Score: 76315%

Critics Consensus: After the heady sci-fi thrills of District 9, Elysium is a bit of a comedown for director Neill Blomkamp, but on its own terms, it delivers just often enough to satisfy.

Synopsis: In 2154, the wealthy live in comfort and luxury aboard a space station, while the poor have a hardscrabble existence... [More]

Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga

Directed By: Neill Blomkamp

#21

Foxes (1980)
70%

#21

Adjusted Score: 70183%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In the late 1970s, four teenage girls from San Fernando Valley, Calif., deal with the rampant dysfunction in their lives.... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Cherie Currie, Scott Baio, Sally Kellerman

Directed By: Adrian Lyne

#22

The Beaver (2011)
63%

#22

Adjusted Score: 70355%

Critics Consensus: Jodie Foster's visual instincts and Mel Gibson's all-in performance sell this earnest, straightforward movie.

Synopsis: Walter Black (Mel Gibson), the head of a failing toy company, is deeply depressed. His marriage to Meredith (Jodie Foster)... [More]

Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence

Directed By: Jodie Foster

#23

Sommersby (1993)
63%

#23

Adjusted Score: 64944%

Critics Consensus: Sommersby stumbles as a consistently compelling mystery, but typically solid work from Jodie Foster and Richard Gere fuels an engaging romance.

Synopsis: A man returns to his home town after a lengthy absence spent fighting in the US Civil War. Although his... [More]

Starring: Richard Gere, Jodie Foster, Bill Pullman, James Earl Jones

Directed By: Jon Amiel

#24

Money Monster (2016)
59%

#24

Adjusted Score: 72488%

Critics Consensus: Money Monster's strong cast and solidly written story ride a timely wave of socioeconomic anger that's powerful enough to overcome an occasionally muddled approach to its worthy themes.

Synopsis: Lee Gates is a Wall Street guru who picks hot stocks as host of the television show "Money Monster." Suddenly,... [More]

Starring: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O'Connell, Dominic West

Directed By: Jodie Foster

#25

Nell (1994)
57%

#25

Adjusted Score: 58922%

Critics Consensus: Despite a committed performance by Jodie Foster, Nell opts for ponderous melodrama instead of engaging with the ethical dilemmas of socializing its titular wild child.

Synopsis: Cut off from the modern world, Nell (Jodie Foster) is a wild child, who has lived her entire life with... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Nick Searcy

Directed By: Michael Apted

#26

Carny (1980)
57%

#26

Adjusted Score: 47183%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Frankie (Gary Busey) and Patch (Robbie Robertson) are partners in a traveling carnival who scam customers into wasting money on... [More]

Starring: Gary Busey, Jodie Foster, Robbie Robertson, Meg Foster

Directed By: Robert Kaylor

#27

Hotel Artemis (2018)
57%

#27

Adjusted Score: 66597%

Critics Consensus: Hotel Artemis has a few flashes of wit and an intriguing cast, but mostly it's just a serviceable chunk of slightly futuristic violence -- which might be all its audience is looking for.

Synopsis: As rioting rocks Los Angeles in the year 2028, disgruntled thieves make their way to Hotel Artemis -- a 13-story,... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum

Directed By: Drew Pearce

#28

Nim's Island (2008)
53%

#28

Adjusted Score: 56725%

Critics Consensus: Despite good intentions, Nim's Island flounders under an implausible storyline, simplistic stock characters, and distracting product placement.

Synopsis: Life is an adventure for a courageous youngster named Nim (Abigail Breslin), who lives on an exotic island with her... [More]

Starring: Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler, Michael Carman

Directed By: Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin

#29

Anna and the King (1999)
52%

#29

Adjusted Score: 56715%

Critics Consensus: Beautiful cinematography can't prevent Anna and the King from being boring and overly lengthy.

Synopsis: Anna (Jodie Foster) has been employed to educate the king's (Chow Yun-Fat) 58 children. She knows very little of King... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat, Bai Ling, Tom Felton

Directed By: Andy Tennant

#30

Shadows and Fog (1992)
52%

#30

Adjusted Score: 53680%

Critics Consensus: Shadows and Fog recreates the chiaroscuro aesthetic of German Expressionism, but Woody Allen's rambling screenplay retreads the director's neurotic obsessions with derivative results.

Synopsis: A serial strangler is on the loose, and a mob of neighborhood vigilantes is on the hunt. When several neighbors... [More]

Starring: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, Madonna

Directed By: Woody Allen

#31

The Brave One (2007)
43%

#31

Adjusted Score: 50146%

Critics Consensus: Magnetic by between Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard can't quite compensate for The Brave One's problematic and unconvincing eye-for-an-eye moral.

Synopsis: New York radio host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) endures a brutal attack that leaves her badly injured and her beloved... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Nicky Katt, Naveen Andrews

Directed By: Neil Jordan

#32

Backtrack (1989)
40%

#32

Adjusted Score: 40020%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: While fixing a flat tire, artist Anne Benton (Jodie Foster) sees a mob killing. She reports the murder to the... [More]

Starring: Dennis Hopper, Jodie Foster, Dean Stockwell, Vincent Price

Directed By: Dennis Hopper

#33

Flightplan (2005)
37%

#33

Adjusted Score: 43431%

Critics Consensus: The actors are all on key here, but as the movie progress, tension deflates as the far-fetched plot kicks in.

Synopsis: Airplane engineer Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) is heading home from Germany to New York on a double-decker Elgin 474 to... [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Erika Christensen, Sean Bean

Directed By: Robert Schwentke

#34

Stealing Home (1988)
20%

#34

Adjusted Score: 20006%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Failed baseball player Billy Wyatt (Mark Harmon) learns that his childhood sweetheart, Katie (Jodie Foster), has killed herself. The exuberant... [More]

Starring: Mark Harmon, Jodie Foster, Blair Brown, Jonathan Silverman

Directed By: Steven Kampmann, William Porter

#35

Siesta (1987)
17%

#35

Adjusted Score: 10696%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A sky diver (Ellen Barkin) wakes up in the middle of nowhere in Spain and dreamily recalls how she got... [More]

Starring: Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne, Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen

Directed By: Mary Lambert