Julia Roberts – 10 Best Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 1, 2026

United States Romance falling in love date night

Julia Roberts built her career on warm, headstrong women who talk their way through impossible situations, from the Hollywood Boulevard fairy tale of Pretty Woman to the real-life legal fight of Erin Brockovich. Her chemistry with Richard Gere carried both Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride, while Notting Hill cast her against type as a famous actress falling for an ordinary bookshop owner. From the ensemble heist of Ocean’s Eleven to the Southern drama of Steel Magnolias, this list traces the roles that made her one of the defining leading ladies of modern American film.

Pretty Woman (1990)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Roberts plays Vivian Ward, a Hollywood Boulevard sex worker hired by a wealthy businessman, played by Richard Gere, for a business-week arrangement that unexpectedly turns into genuine romance.

"I want the fairy tale." - Vivian Ward

Directed by Garry Marshall · 2h 00m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

Erin Brockovich (2000)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Roberts plays Erin Brockovich, an unemployed single mother turned legal assistant who single-handedly builds a case against a California power company over its contamination of a town's water supply.

"They're called boobs, Ed." - Erin Brockovich

Directed by Steven Soderbergh · 2h 11m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

Notting Hill (1999)

IMDb ★ 7.2 RT 84% Metacritic 68

Roberts plays Anna Scott, a famous American actress who falls for William, a humble London travel bookshop owner played by Hugh Grant, as their worlds collide.

"I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." - Anna Scott

Directed by Roger Michell · 2h 04m · Rated PG-13

Won 1 BAFTA Award11 wins & 17 nominations total

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video HBO Max YoutubeTV

Steel Magnolias (1989)

TMDB ★ 7.2

Roberts plays Shelby, a young bride with diabetes, in an ensemble drama following a close-knit group of women in a small Louisiana town through weddings, friendship, and loss.

"Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." - Truvy

Directed by Herbert Ross · 1h 57m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Paramount Plus Essential, Netflix Standard with Ads · 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 Netflix Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

Runaway Bride (1999)

TMDB ★ 6.1

Roberts plays Maggie Carpenter, a woman notorious for leaving a string of grooms at the altar, whose latest engagement draws a cynical newspaper columnist, played by Richard Gere, to investigate her.

Directed by Garry Marshall · 1h 56m · 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 Netflix Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

IMDb ★ 6.4 RT 75% Metacritic 51

Roberts plays Julianne, a food critic who realizes she's in love with her longtime best friend just days before his wedding, and schemes to break it up before it's too late.

Directed by P.J. Hogan · 1h 45m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 1 Oscar12 wins & 24 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · 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 Netflix Amazon Prime Video HBO Max YoutubeTV

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 83% Metacritic 74

Roberts plays Tess Ocean, the ex-wife of con man Danny Ocean, whose new relationship with a casino owner becomes the unwitting target of Danny's elaborate Las Vegas heist crew.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh · 1h 56m · Rated PG-13

4 wins & 20 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max, Starz Apple TV channel · 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 Netflix Amazon Prime Video HBO Max YoutubeTV

August: Osage County (2013)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Roberts plays Barbara, the eldest daughter who returns to the family's Oklahoma home after her father disappears, only to clash with her acid-tongued, pill-addicted mother, played by Meryl Streep, as long-buried secrets surface.

Directed by John Wells · 2h 01m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video HBO Max YoutubeTV

Dying Young (1991)

TMDB ★ 6.7

Roberts plays Hilary, a young woman who falls for the son of her father's employer after he is diagnosed with leukemia, and stays by his side through chemotherapy and recovery.

Directed by Joel Schumacher · 1h 51m · Rated R

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video

Wonder (2017)

IMDb ★ 7.3 RT 93% Metacritic 76

Roberts plays Isabel Pullman, mother of Auggie, a boy with facial differences starting mainstream school for the first time. The film follows the family as Auggie navigates classmates, kindness, and cruelty in his first year.

Directed by Patty Jenkins · 2h 21m · Rated PG-13

37 wins & 76 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, TNT, TBS, tru TV, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video HBO Max YoutubeTV

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.

Julia Roberts – 10 Best Movies

Pretty Woman (1990)

Erin Brockovich (2000)

Notting Hill (1999)

Steel Magnolias (1989)

Runaway Bride (1999)

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

August: Osage County (2013)

Dying Young (1991)

Wonder (2017)

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