Emma Thompson – 10 Best Movies

By Vlad Zakh · December 29, 2025

Emma Thompson has an Oscar for acting and another for writing, and both instincts show up in nearly everything she’s in, whether she’s playing a repressed Austen heroine or a Disney villain’s origin story. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004): A time-turner, a dementor-infested train, and the franchise’s most atmospheric entry. Don’t overlook Stranger Than Fiction (2006): A novelist’s narration starts controlling the life of a man who can actually hear her.

Late Night (2019)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A veteran late-night host's writers' room is forced to diversify after decades of stagnation.

Directed by Nisha Ganatra · 1h 42m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Primary Colors (1998)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A thinly veiled account of a Clinton-esque campaign's messy inner workings.

Directed by Mike Nichols · 2h 23m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Nanny McPhee (2005)

IMDb ★ 6.6 RT 74% Metacritic 59

A magical nanny disciplines seven unruly children with a walking stick and hard lessons.

Directed by Kirk Jones · 1h 37m · Rated PG

3 wins & 4 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Cruella (2021)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A rising fashion designer's rivalry with her boss curdles into full villain-origin territory.

Directed by Craig Gillespie · 2h 14m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Love Actually (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 65% Metacritic 55

Ten overlapping London love stories converge in the weeks before Christmas.

Directed by Richard Curtis · 2h 15m · Rated R

Won 1 BAFTA Award11 wins & 30 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A novelist's narration starts controlling the life of a man who can actually hear her.

Directed by Marc Forster · 1h 53m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Peacock Premium, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Peacock Premium Plus, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

TMDB ★ 7.5

P.L. Travers resists Walt Disney's adaptation of Mary Poppins at every turn.

Directed by John Lee Hancock · 2h 06m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 90% Metacritic 82

A time-turner, a dementor-infested train, and the franchise's most atmospheric entry.

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón · 2h 21m · Rated PG

Nominated for 2 Oscars17 wins & 56 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Peacock Premium, HBO Max, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Howards End (1992)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Three families' clashing values over one English country house across a generation.

Directed by James Ivory · 2h 22m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Cohen Media Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Thompson also wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for this Austen adaptation she stars in.

Directed by Ang Lee · 2h 16m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

Emma Thompson – 10 Best Movies

Late Night (2019)

Primary Colors (1998)

Nanny McPhee (2005)

Cruella (2021)

Love Actually (2003)

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Howards End (1992)

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

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