Jennifer Lopez, also called lovingly by her fans as JLo, is America’s highest-paid Hispanic actress. She has had a prolific and versatile acting career that stemmed from debuting in a biopic to starring in various animated feature films. Despite taking a break from acting at one point due to her motherly duties, Lopez returned to the scene stronger than ever thanks to her scene-stealing turn in 2019’s Hustlers and the 2022 romantic comedy Marry Me.
Lopez is back in the spotlight once more with her vulnerable biographical musical movie This Is Me… Now: A Love Story being released alongside the album of the same name, it is clear that the singer/actor is getting more serious about her acting career. From her breakout role to the ones that brought her mainstream success, working alongside some of the biggest talent in film, here are some of Jennifer Lopez’s best performances, ranked.
Update February 19, 2024: In honor of the release of This Is Me Now: A Love Story on Prime Video, this article has been updated with even more great Jennifer Lopez’s performance and where each title is streaming.
10 How I Met Your Mother (2010)
Jennifer Lopez is an icon, and while she has guest starred on a number of television projects, she normally appears as herself. She is such an in-demand performing artist that she has not held down a television series of her own. Yet she did have a memorable appearance on the hit television show How I Met Your Mother. She appeared in the seventieth episode of season five, titled “Of Course,” playing the role of Anita Appleby, the author of a self-help book that Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) is pursuing but is not paying him the time of day.
Jennifer Lopez Is One of the Best Guest Stars In the Hit Television Series
Anita Appleby wrote a self “help” book titled Of Course You’re Still Single, Take a Look at Yourself, You Dumb Slut, which encourages women to wait for 17 dates before consummating a relationship, a rule Barney tries to break but is met with multiple rebuffs. While the episode is mainly about forwarding the romantic relationship between Barney and Robin (Cobie Smulders), Lopez’s guest role is a real standout of the series. She provides an incredible presence for someone who would immediately attract Barney while also having the ability to shut him down. The best moment is at the end of the episode when she becomes frustrated with Barney having blown her off and eventually tries to seduce Barney, forcing him to deny his better nature in the only way he knows how…by jumping into the Hudson River. It’s a memorable guest spot that reminds viewers Lopez is great at comedy and would certainly do well with her own television series. Stream on Hulu
9 Shall We Dance? (2004)
Directed by Peter Chelsom, Shall We Dance? is a romantic-comedy film, and a remake of the 1996 Japanese film of the same name. It follows John (Richard Gere), who is married but feels something is missing from his life. Once he sees a forlorn looking dancer at a window, he impulsively joins the dance class, and it turns out the woman he saw was Paulina (Lopez), who is the dance instructor. The two of them inspire each other and increase their love for dancing. In the end, John is shown to be dancing happily with his wife as Paulina enters a dance competition.
Why Jennifer Lopez is Great In The Movie
The film is a sweet romantic comedy where we see a lot of characters falling in love, but the main focus of the movie is falling in love with the art of dancing. Lopez portrays Paulina perfectly, who is icy and standoff-ish at first, but then warms up to all the people around her and their efforts. Even though John seems interested in her, she is only interested in her craft, but finds kindness within herself during her journey to fulfill her dreams. In the end, Paulina’s character development in the film is what makes people love it so much. Stream on FuboTV and Paramount+
8 An Unfinished Life (2005)
Adapted from the novel by Mark Spragg, An Unfinished Life is an American drama that is directed by Lasse Hallström. Jennifer Lopez plays the role of Jean, a single mother struggling to make ends meet. The film tells the story of a gruesome bear attack that leaves two Wyoming ranchers: Einar (Robert Redford) and Mitch (Morgan Freeman), affected in different ways. While Mitch is now subjected to walking with crutches, Einar uses emotional crutches to cope with his loss. When Einar’s estranged daughter-in-law Jean (Jennifer Lopez) shows up on his doorstep with her young daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner), the ranchers’ quiet lives take a sudden turn.
Why Jennifer Lopez is Great In The Movie
This role was nothing short of brilliant in exercising Lopez’s acting chops for more serious, dramatic roles. She plays the role of a single mother who is dealing with guilt and heartbreak and attempts to reconcile with her estranged father-in-law while also trying to run away from an abusive ex. Her acting during the tension and grief-filled scenes is nothing short of breathtaking and her different chemistry with the other characters in the film, especially Griff and Einar, are also perfect. Stream on Paramount+
7 Blood and Wine (1996)
Directed by Bob Rafelson, the neo-noir crime thriller Blood and Wine, is a must-watch for all fans of the genre. Alex Gates (Jack Nicholson) is a debt-ridden wine merchant who is not on good terms with his family. Out of desperation, Alex comes up with a plan to steal a diamond necklace from his rich client’s house with the help of his mistress, Gabriela (Jennifer Lopez). However, the plan never seems to work as things after things continue to go wrong, leading Alex along a dark downward spiral.
Lopez Takes On A Challenging Role
Lopez makes the most out of her role as Gabriela, a Cuban woman who is the mistress of a ruthless wine merchant. Despite being reduced to the femme fatale for most of the film, she makes a turnaround at the end, taking her own decisions. It features a great deal of empowerment energy, which is much needed for the role. Rent or buy on Apple TV+, Google Play, Vudu, and Prime Video
6 This Is Me…Now: A Love Story (2024)
This Is Me…Now: A Love Story is certainly Lopez’s most experimental film as the movie is a musical drama that also serves as a visual album for her recently released album, This Is Me…Now. The movie is stylized around a fictional narrative loosely based on Lopez’s marriage to Ben Affleck and her trials as a serial romantic, with Lopez playing The Artist (herself) in the piece. The movie features Ben Affleck, Sofia Vergara, Fat Joe, Kim Petras, Jennifer Lewis, Post Malone, and many more.
More Than a Music Video
This Is Me…Now: A Love Story is an interesting film. Some have seen it as a giant commercial for Lopez’s album, but as a piece of media, it is a fascinating move by Lopez. The film’s visuals have been praised, and Lopez has as well. Notably, Lopez also financed the film herself, showing how much she is willing to put on the line and back herself. Even though it is only 65 minutes long, it is a daring pick for Lopez that shows her talents not just as an actor but a performer in every meaning of the word. Stream on Prime Video.
5 U Turn (1997)
Adapted from the novel Stray Dogs by John Ridley, U Turn is an American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Oliver Stone. It tells the story of debt-ridden drifter Bobby Cooper (Sean Penn), who is fleeing from creditors when his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere in Arizona. There, he comes across a father-daughter duo: Jake (Nick Nolte) and Grace McKenna (Jennifer Lopez), who are secretly a married couple. Both approach Bobby with the proposition to kill the other, promising him a large sum of money.
Lopez Takes on a Sinister Role
Jennifer Lopez brings her A-game as Grace McKenna, a seemingly ordinary woman who has every man in the film bowing to her twisted will. With her cool demeanor and chilling ruthlessness, Lopez does an excellent job of striking fear into the audience’s hearts. This is one of the few negative characters Lopez has ever played, but she passed with flying colors. Released the same year as Selena, U Turn showed that Lopez was taking some big chances with her career, and they were paying off. Rent or buy on Apple TV+, Google Play, Vudu, and Prime Video
4 Marry Me (2022)
Who thought Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson would have such a sweet on-screen romance? Well Lopez did. That is why she is also the producer of the 2022 film Marry Me, which features her as superstar singer Kat Valdez and Wilson as a divorced math teacher, Charlie, who attends one of her concerts with his friend and his daughter. Valdez was performing the song “Marry Me”, which she sang with her fiancé Bastian, whom she was also set to marry during the concert. But when she finds out Bastian has been cheating on her, she sees Charlie with a Marry Me sign and decides to do just that. This impromptu wedding causes their worlds to collide in the most beautiful way, as neither of them can stop themselves from falling in love.
Lopez Returns to Romantic Comedies
The film garnered a pretty high rating from the audience for its kind-of-outlandish plot and a sweet romance story starring two big stars. Lopez is an absolute natural in the role of a superstar singer, which was practically tailored for her. Her growing romance with Owen Wilson’s awkward yet sweet math teacher, Charlie, also warms our hearts. Marry Me was Lopez’s follow-up film to her incredible role in Hustlers, and it was also a nice return to the romantic comedies she excelled at early in her career. Stream on Starz
Marry Me
Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson star in this new rom-com about a superstar singer deciding to marry a stranger in the crowd of one of her performances.
- Release Date
- February 11, 2022
- Runtime
- 1hr 52min
3 Out of Sight (1998)
Adapted from the novel by Elmore Leonard, Out of Sight is a crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh. It tells the story of Jack Foley (George Clooney), who robs banks for a living, a profession that lands him in prison. When trying to escape from a Florida prison, he is forced to share a car trunk with Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez), a U.S. Marshal. After this getaway is complete, the two continue to run into each other in various comedic high-stakes scenarios.
Lopez Dazzles Alongside Clooney
With a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was critically acclaimed, earning Lopez rave reviews for her depiction of a hardcore U.S. Marshal. Even though it is a comedy film, the main element of the film is the epic crime escapade through which Foley and Sisco keep meeting and the sexual tension that both Clooney and Lopez have with one another. Both of the actors did an amazing job in this movie, which turned out to be a fantastic and fast-paced crime film and a high point in both of their careers. Some might have seen Selena as only a fluke, but with Out of Sight the following year, it was clear Jennifer Lopez was a great actress as well as a great singer. Stream on Peacock
2 Selena (1997)
Written and directed by Gregory Nava, this biographical musical drama takes the audience on a journey into the life of Selena Quintanilla, known as the “Queen of Tejano music.” Selena follows the story of the Mexican-American singing sensation, from her days busking as Selena Quintanilla Pérez to performing for sold-out crowds as simply Selena, up until the day of her devastating murder at the ripe age of 23. Lopez plays her most important role to date as the Latin musical sensation Selena. The film earned her immense praise for her acting range, with critics calling it a “star-making performance.”
A Star Is Born
At a very young age, Lopez was able to prove to the audience that she was a great actress with her heart-touching performance. Selena is a monumental figure in music, and it was a daunting role to take on, but Lopez did it with ease and practically disappeared into the role. For many audience members, it’s hard to even see Jennifer Lopez, but instead, it is Selena Quintanilla on screen. Lopez received a Best Actress nomination at the 55th Golden Globe Awards, and in 2021, the movie was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Selena would be Lopez’s best film for years, but she managed to surpass it. Rent or buy on Apple TV
Selena
- Release Date
- March 21, 1997
- Director
- Gregory Nava
- Runtime
- 127
1 Hustlers (2019)
Adapted from the New York Magazine article “The Hustlers at Scores” by Jessica Pressler, this crime-comedy film is directed by Lorene Scafaria. Led predominantly by a female ensemble cast and crew, The Hustlers also features Lopez as a producer and in her best role to date. Jennifer Lopez stars as Ramona Vega, a veteran stripper and the mentor and mastermind behind the events of the film. The movie tells about Destiny (Constance Wu) struggling to make ends meet as a stripper when she befriends Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), the ace stripper, at her workplace. When the 2008 economic crisis strikes, the two briefly lose touch, reuniting when Ramona proposes a brilliant new plan to take down the elite of Wall Street.
Lopez Should Have Been Nominated for an Oscar
The movie is playful, sexy, and daring, which are all the things that Lopez and the rest of the cast bring to the movie. JLo is so charismatic that it is hard to look away from her on the screen, which is also in perfect tandem with her character in the film. Her character, Ramona, is a bit larger than life, but it fits perfectly into the narrative of the movie, where this strong woman leads the rest of her crew with her whole heart. Lopez commands every scene she is in and steals the show. Her not getting nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2020 Academy Awards is one of the biggest snubs in movie history, as Hustlers would not work without Jennifer Lopez’s incredible performance. After a string of critical misfires like The Boy Next Door and Second Act, Hustlers showed that Lopez still had what it took to be a great star and also delivered her best performance to date. Stream on Hulu
Hustlers
- Release Date
- September 12, 2019
- Director
- Lorene Scafaria
- Runtime
- 107
Watch the trailer for Jennifer Lopez’s latest film, This Is Me Now: A Love Story.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
