For many years now, Dakota Johnson has been delighting audiences with her impeccable performances on the silver screen. And indeed, her skills do not come as a surprise, considering that she stems from one of the biggest artistic families in the industry: she is Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson’s daughter, Tippi Hedren’s granddaughter, and Antonio Banderas’ stepdaughter, all of whom are major icons of film and television.
Her acting debut came hand in hand with her family at the age of 10, when she played Sondra, the daughter of Griffith’s character in Crazy in Alabama, a film that marked Banderas’ directorial debut. After appearing in this production and launching a modeling career, Johnson landed a small role in David Fincher’s 2010 film The Social Network that served to propel her career. Five years later, she would become world-famous for her role as Anastasia Steele in theFifty Shades film series, leading the cast alongside Jamie Dornan.
Over the years, Johnson has proven her acting skills and versatility by playing a number of roles in productions across many genres, earning her widespread recognition from audiences, nominations, and even a few awards. She has also ventured into producing highly praised films and series over the years, the latest being the TV show Slip, which premiered last month. Johnson’s future looks very promising and jam-packed with projects, and in fact, in 2024 she is expected to star in the superhero film Madame Web as the titular role, a challenge she is very excited about. Here is a look back at Dakota Johnson’s best movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes score.
10 The High Note — 71%
The High Note is a 2020 comedy-drama directed by Nisha Ganatra from a screenplay by Flora Greeson and starring Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross. In it, Johnson is Maggie, who works as the personal assistant to Grace, a music superstar who is still relevant in the industry, but hasn’t released new music in many years. Maggie spends her day-to-day life working non-stop for her boss, and uses her little free time to secretly pursue her dream of becoming a music producer.
But after Grace’s manager suggests a change in her music career, the aspiring producer seizes the opportunity to change her boss’s fate and, at the same time, fulfill her dream. Joining Johnson and Elliss Ross in this production are Kelvin Harrison Jr, Zoë Chao, Bill Pullman, Eddie Izzard, and Ice Cube.
9 Black Mass — 73%
Black Mass is a 2015 film inspired by a real story and based on Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill’s book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. It features Whitey Bulger, a powerful Boston gangster who joins forces with an FBI agent in the 1970s to fight the Italian mob. Johnny Depp plays the lead role in this Scott Cooper film alongside an all-star cast featuring Joel Edferton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, and Johnson, among others.
This production was very successful at the box office and with critics, and won several nominations and awards, especially for Depp’s performance. In Black Mass, Johnson plays Lindsey Cyr, Bulger’s lover and the mother of his child.
8 Bad Times at the El Royale — 74%
Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, and Chris Hemsworth star in Bad Times at the El Royale, the 2018 neo-noir thriller directed, written, and produced by Drew Goddard that won the Saturn Award for Best Thriller Film.
This production follows seven people with big secrets who don’t know one another, but whose paths cross one fateful night at the El Royale, a hotel located on the border between California and Nevada that, in the past, used to be very prestigious, but is now crumbling. Over the course of the night, each of them will have a chance at redemption before their lives are changed forever.
7 Am I OK? — 78%
The 2022 Sundance Film Festival marked the premiere of Am I OK?, a comedy-drama by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne, written by Lauren Pomerantz. This production, starring Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno, follows Lucy and Jane, two women who have been friends for many, many years and think they know everything about one another. However, Jane’s decision to move to London for a job opportunity brings Lucy face to face with a reality she had been hiding for years: her own sexual identity.
After discovering that she is a lesbian, the 30-something must navigate an unknown path with the help of her friend, though this situation will also put this bond in the midst of a crisis like no other. Johnson and Mizuno were highly acclaimed for their performances in this film, joined by actors such as Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, Molly Gordon, and Notaro herself.
6 Cha Cha Real Smooth — 85%
Cha Cha Real Smooth is another movie featuring Johnson that had its premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. This comedy drama directed, produced, written, and starring Cooper Raiff introduces Andrew, a college student who has just graduated and doesn’t yet have a clear idea of what he wants to do next. To earn some money, he starts working as a party starter, which is how he meets Domino, a woman in her 30s with an autistic teenage daughter for whom he starts baby-sitting.
Before he knows it, his relationship with Domino will utterly change his life. Johnson co-stars in this acclaimed production as Domino, and is joined in the cast by Vanessa Burghardt, Leslie Man, Raul Castillo, Odeya Rush and Evan Assante.
5 Our Friend — 85%
Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson, and Casey Affleck star in 2019’s Our Friend, a widely acclaimed production that unfortunately underperformed in theaters and turned into a box-office bomb. Based on the true story of the Teague family, this drama film by Gabriela Cowperthwaite follows Matt and Nicole, a couple whose life takes a terrible turn when the woman is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Facing this discovery, their friend Dane decides to put his life on hold and move in with the couple to lend a hand with the household chores and childcare, not knowing that he would become a totally essential figure to get the family through this difficult time.
4 A Bigger Splash — 89%
A Bigger Splash is the second installment of Luca Guadagnino’s Desire Trilogy, which also comprises the 2009 and 2017 films I Am Love and Call Me by Your Name. This 2015 thriller is based on the 1969 film La Piscine, and features a star-studded cast led by Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Dakota Johnson. A Bigger Splash introduces Marianne Lane, a rock superstar who finds herself vacationing with her boyfriend Paul on a secluded Italian island.
The couple’s tranquility is corrupted by the arrival of Marianne’s ex-lover and former manager Harry and his attractive 22-year-old daughter, two people who, as soon as they set foot in the villa, trigger a number of situations that will jeopardize the couple’s stability. This film by Guadagnino was very well received by critics, and earned nominations at several festivals and award ceremonies.
3 The Lost Daughter — 94%
In 2021, Maggie Gyllenhaal made her directorial debut with The Lost Daughter, a psychological drama film in which she also served as writer. This production is based on the novel of the same name by Elena Ferrante, and features Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, and Paul Mescal, among other actors. The Lost Daughter follows Leda, a divorced college professor who is spending a vacation in Greece. During this trip she meets Nina, a young and exhausted mother of a three-year-old girl, with whom she becomes completely obsessed, bringing Leda face to face with her repressed memories and the mistakes she has made in the past.
The Lost Daughter premiered to great acclaim at the Venice International Film Festival, and subsequently in theaters. This production received, among many other accolades, Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. In this Gyllenhaal film, Johnson plays Nina.
2 The Peanut Butter Falcon — 95%
The Peanut Butter Falcon is a 2019 film that marked the directorial debut of Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, who also served as writers. This comedy-drama starring Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson features Zak, a young man with Down Syndrome who escapes from the residential institution he lives in to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wrestler. Along the way he meets Tyler, a man who is running away from his past and quickly becomes the ally Zak was looking for to accomplish his goal. They are joined by Eleanor, the nursing home employee whose main mission is to get Zak safely back to the facility.
In addition to casting Gottsagen in his breakthrough role, The Peanut Butter Falcon became the highest-grossing independent film of 2019 and a hit with critics, largely thanks to the cast’s performances.
1 The Disappearance of Shere Hite — 100%
With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%, The Disappearance of Shere Hite tops Dakota Johnson’s list of highest-rated films for now. This documentary film directed by Nicole Newnham had its premiere last January at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was highly acclaimed. Narrated by Johnson, this film follows the life and vindicates the legacy of Shere Hite, a sex educator and feminist who did tremendous work researching female sexuality and bringing to light insights on controversial topics that also put her under the spotlight.
Among other notable works, Hite authored the study The Hite Report, which became one of the best-selling books in history. Besides serving as narrator, Johnson contributes to this documentary as executive producer.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
