- 6 days ago
From humble beginnings to the biggest movies in the world, Margot Robbie has done it all. We rank all of them from worst to best.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00It can be genuinely difficult to describe Margot Robbie without coming across as exaggerating or
00:05hyperbolic. She has one of the most recognisable faces working in Hollywood. She is supremely
00:10talented and has a habit of stealing not only scenes but entire films. There have been powerhouse
00:16blockbusters, huge critical and commercial flops and everything in between in Margot Robbie's
00:22extensive back catalogue. But no matter what, she typically tends to be one of the best things
00:27about them. So with that in mind, I'm Ellie for WhatCulture here with every Margot Robbie movie
00:32ranked from worst to best.
00:35Number 26. Vigilante
00:37Before Margot Robbie broke into Hollywood, she featured in two low-budget movies from Australian
00:42filmmaker Ash Aaron. Very low budget. The first of these was Vigilante in 2008, in which she played
00:49Cassandra, the wife of Luke, who was attacked and assaulted. The rest of the film is a by-the-numbers
00:55revenge flick, but the story, the dialogue, the acting and just about everything else make
01:00it difficult to sit through. At least it was the first step on the film ladder for Margot
01:04Robbie. But that's about the only positive you can take from it.
01:07Number 25. I See You
01:09One year after Vigilante came I See You, another collaboration between Margot Robbie and Ash Aaron.
01:15This time, the future megastar played the lead role of Tristan Waters, one of three characters
01:21who spy on their neighbour only to be stalked by him in return. There are exactly the same
01:26issues with ICU as with Vigilante, though more Margot Robbie on screen puts the former ahead.
01:32It is far from her best performance, as is to be expected, but she is the only person on screen
01:37who looks as though she is actually there to act, and though the director was not above using her for
01:42gratuitous sex appeal, Robbie did the best that she could with what she was given.
01:47Number 24. Suicide Squad
01:49Every now and then, incredible performances can get trapped in terrible movies that simply didn't
01:55deserve them. Margot Robbie deserved better than David Ayer's Suicide Squad, and David Ayer's
02:00Suicide Squad damn sure didn't deserve Margot Robbie. As Harley Quinn, Robbie's performance
02:05instantly became legendary. Almost overnight, the character was everywhere. You couldn't move at
02:11Halloween without seeing a handful of the psychotic killer, and she was by far the best aspect of this
02:16disappointing DCEU outing. The film did its level best to try and drag Robbie and Harley down with
02:22it, with more than a few shameless shots that were there for no other reason than sex appeal. But even
02:27so, her performance rose above and stood out for all the right reasons. Harley was insane, she was
02:34funny, she was compelling, and she even managed to be sympathetic within it all. Back in the early days of
02:39the DCEU, Harley Quinn was arguably the most popular character in the franchise right next to
02:44Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman. But she was trapped within one of the worst comic book movies in recent
02:49memory. Number 23, Terminal. When watching Terminal, it's easy to see how Margot Robbie's performance as
02:56Harley Quinn influenced her casting as psychotic twins Annie and Bonnie. There's a similar vibe,
03:02although the twins are more cerebral and calculating, and Robbie is easily the best part about the movie,
03:07even if her English accent is far from flawless. Terminal itself, aimed for a neo-noir thriller surrounding
03:14the lives of a handful of contract killers, but never quite got off the ground thanks to poor
03:19dialogue and a frustratingly uninteresting story that couldn't be saved by what was supposed to
03:23be a shocking twist towards the end. Like many of the entries that will follow on this list,
03:28Robbie's performance is the brightest shining light in Terminal, but unfortunately not bright enough
03:33to save the uninspiring feature. Number 22, The Legend of Tarzan. There are plenty of movies that
03:40have attempted to retell classic stories with a twist, usually taking on something of a darker,
03:45grittier angle. See the likes of King Arthur, The Legend of the Sword, or Hercules. The Legend of
03:50Tarzan is one of them, and like most, it fails to recapture the magic of what came before,
03:56or add something different enough to make it feel fresh or even particularly necessary.
04:01Even in spite of a stellar cast featuring Alexander Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz,
04:07Jaimon Honsu, and of course, Margot Robbie, David Yates' 2016 outing is rather forgettable. Far from
04:14the deepest of characters Robbie has ever brought to the screen, it truly feels as though she could
04:18play Tarzan's Jane in her sleep. Thankfully, she has risen far above the role of the cliche love
04:24interest since 2016. Number 21, Slaughterhouse Rules. When you think of horror comedy starring Simon
04:30Pegg, you'd immediately go to the Cornetto trilogy. Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End are all far
04:36superior to 2018's Slaughterhouse Rules, in which a fracking project underneath a posh boarding school
04:42releases the monsters that live underneath it, and which fails to hit the mark in both the horror
04:47and comedy categories. As a tiny appearance, seeing Margot Robbie's face on screen is a fun surprise that
04:53stands out as one of the better moments in the film, as she plays an old flame of Meredith's that
04:58he is trying to reconcile with. Ultimately, however, her role is little more than a zoom-cool cameo,
05:03and though it momentarily buoys the struggling movie, it's not enough to have any real impact.
05:08Number 20, Goodbye Christopher Robin. Such is the star power and ability of Margot Robbie,
05:14most of the movies she has appeared in have leaned heavily on her performance, and why wouldn't they?
05:19She is one of those actors who tends to make better anything she appears in. However, Goodbye
05:24Christopher Robin is slightly different in that the story very much surrounds A.A. Milne and his
05:29ultimately strained relationship with his son. Though she has her moments, the film wouldn't
05:34be too different if Robbie's Daphne, wife of Milne, were to be removed. The movie itself is a powerful
05:40biopic that poignantly treads through the pitfalls of celebrity and even emotional manipulation,
05:46for a heartwarming reconciliation that didn't actually happen in truth.
05:50Number 19, Dreamland. Dreamland is a movie that arguably more so than ever,
05:55needs Margot Robbie's charisma and charm, and not to mention her best accent to date,
06:00to lift it from a waste of time halfway to enjoyable. While on the hunt from the law after
06:05robbing a bank, Alison Wells ultimately finds protection in the form of Eugene Evans. The two
06:11fall for each other while on the run as the latter falls deeper into the former's world. But while the
06:16two actors enjoy a strong chemistry on screen, the film needed more, almost as something of an homage to
06:22the likes of Bonnie and Clyde. Instead, with Robbie's Alison taking the lead rather than her male
06:27counterpart, Dreamland brings to the table some truly beautiful cinematography, but frustratingly
06:32little in the way of substance. Two characters falling in love under difficult circumstances isn't
06:38enough to make a compelling film on its own. Number 18, Peter Rabbit and Peter Rabbit 2 The Runaway.
06:44Beatrix Potter and her Peter Rabbit works have been beloved British institutions for centuries,
06:49and as such, any movie adaptations were going to be automatically met with a certain amount of
06:55scepticism. Being held as a far too modern take on the character, and deviating too far from the
07:01original creation, Peter Rabbit and Peter Rabbit 2 The Runaway have seen their share of hate.
07:06However, as a box office hit, the franchise clearly won over the children to which it was aimed,
07:12even if it wasn't so successful in other demographics. Margot Robbie's role as Flopsy doesn't allow her to stretch
07:18any kind of acting muscles, as you would expect, and neither does her narration. As a relatively small
07:24part of the franchise, she at least offers small glimpses of cheeky comic relief, even if the films
07:29themselves aren't quite as charming as intended. Number 17, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. As a movie boasting
07:36as potentially dangerous a premise as a comedy revolving around the war in Afghanistan, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
07:43could have been a lot worse. However, at the same time, it could have been a lot better. It feels like
07:49the premise alone should have made the film more memorable than it ultimately became. The plot revolves
07:54around Tina Fey's Kim Baker, a reporter who moves to the war-torn country on an assignment, and ultimately
08:00loves what she does despite the subject she is covering and the difficulties faced as a woman. Margot Robbie's
08:06involvement comes as a friend, but also as journalistic competition, as Tanya goes behind
08:11Kim's back for her own job. It's a typically strong performance from Robbie as she walks the line
08:16between comedy and drama better than anyone else in the film. If only the Australian twang in her London
08:22accent wasn't too difficult to ignore. Number 16, Focus. There are certain things that have come to be
08:28expected from any Margot Robbie appearance, and among the likes of stealing any scene she is in and
08:34charming the hell out of anyone watching, is the fact that she always seems to have incredible
08:38chemistry with whoever she shares the screen with. A year before they came together in Suicide Squad,
08:43Robbie and Will Smith led Focus. It's not the most memorable of movies, but it's a fun couple of
08:48hours with twists upon twists upon twists, arguably too many twists, propelled in the most part by the
08:54two powerhouse actors. Nicky is a conman who takes the inexperienced Jess under his wing,
09:00only to split and ultimately reunite three years later. Their relationship is at the core of the
09:05film, and the cons they pull are certainly fun, but it is Robbie who steals the show, as usual.
09:11With Jess, the actor offers the full range from young and naive through to powerful and confident
09:16femme fatale, with a lot of vulnerability thrown in for good measure. It's a performance that outshines
09:21the rest of this fun but flawed popcorn flick. Number 15, Sweet Francaise.
09:26The forbidden love angle is as old as time, and they don't come more forbidden than between a
09:31German soldier and an oppressed villager in Nazi-occupied France. It makes for an incredibly
09:36powerful story. When the Nazis invade the villagers' homes in Sol Dib's Sweet Francaise, Bruno van
09:42Volk slowly falls in love with Lucille, who against the very reasonable and understandable objections
09:47of her mother-in-law, Madame Angelier, falls in love right back.
09:51Margot Robbie only brings to life a small supporting role as Celine, one of Madame Angelier's
09:56tenants. It's a solid if unspectacular performance, as instead this movie is purely that of Michelle
10:03Williams, one of the only people in Hollywood who would be able to steal the show from Robbie
10:07even if the latter had a larger role. Though the picture fell short of its Oscar expectations,
10:13it is a strong addition to the wartime romance genre.
10:16Number 14, Amsterdam. Initially touted as a potential Oscar winner, with an ensemble cast
10:22that could make literally any other film in history jealous, the movie quite famously failed
10:27to live up to its lofty budget and expectations. The story revolves around three friends who get
10:32framed for murder in a story that couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a wacky comedy
10:37or a serious social commentary. There were plenty of harsh reviews for Amsterdam upon its release,
10:42with the inconsistent tone, uninspired direction, and poor script in particular coming under fire.
10:48Not one single bad word was aimed at Margot Robbie, though, as she and Christian Bale were easily
10:54and unsurprisingly the highlights. Though not what was necessarily expected, as it fell short of being
10:59another American hustle from David O. Russell, Bale and Robbie in particular make Amsterdam worth a watch,
11:05though probably just the once.
11:07Number 13, Asteroid City.
11:10Wes Anderson has, over the years, established a certain and unmistakable style to his movies
11:15that simply can't be emulated or found anywhere else. As per usual, you have to really buy into
11:21said eccentricity and straight-up weirdness to enjoy Asteroid City. Behind the whimsy and incredible
11:27art style, Anderson is still typically able to tackle heavy themes, and Asteroid City is no different.
11:33In this case, it's uncertainty and battling with what can't be controlled, framed in such a way
11:39like an actor in a play not understanding what the play is about, but having to carry on anyway.
11:44Lost in a sea of famous faces and Oscar winners is Margot Robbie's cameo appearance.
11:49The story is told on two different levels, as a play and as a TV documentary surrounding the
11:55making of the play. Robbie almost bridges the gap between the two framing devices as the
12:00actress who played the wife of Augie Steenbeck until her scene was cut.
12:04Jones Hall, the actor who played Steenbeck in the play, listened to her run her lines,
12:09and the face of uncertainty seems to find some comfort. Anderson has a history of casting huge
12:14actors for minor yet important parts, and Robbie's few minutes on screen showed why this is such a good
12:20idea.
12:20Number 12. Mary Queen of Scots
12:23Historical figures are never easy roles to take on, and Margot Robbie playing Elizabeth I in Mary Queen of
12:29Scots was absolutely no different. Granted, this particular movie gave itself an immediate uphill
12:35battle thanks to some rather hefty inaccuracies in the story, but portraying the Queen of England
12:39was always going to be tough. Ultimately, the film is about both Robbie's Queen Elizabeth I and
12:45Saoirse Ronan's titular Mary Queen of Scots, as two powerful women navigating ruling a masculine world.
12:51It's quite fitting then that both actors' performances are easily the best thing about it.
12:55There are plenty of issues throughout the exposition-heavy story that make its two-hour
13:00runtime feel like a hell of a lot longer than it is. However, the payoff of the two women finally
13:05meeting after being kept separate for the bulk of the picture is worth the wait. Displaying strength,
13:10vulnerability, fear, and yet courage, the story anchors on the meeting that both Robbie and Ronan
13:16pour everything into. A character-driven story such as this needed to make certain that its casting was
13:22flawless, and thankfully it succeeded.
13:24Number 11. Z for Zachariah
13:27In a movie with a cast list just three names long, there really is nowhere to hide, particularly when
13:32one of them is the uber-popular Chris Pine and another is Chiwetel Ejiofor, one of the most
13:37constantly solid performers in the business. And yet, Margot Robbie never looks out of place for
13:43even a beat in Z for Zachariah. In fact, of the three, she is arguably the most compelling,
13:48which is truly saying something. Tensions run at an impossible level from start to finish when you
13:53throw the last three people alive into an apocalyptic love triangle, with underlying themes
13:57of religious differences and alcoholism. It's an intriguing exploration of human nature that is
14:02completely and utterly reliant on the three actors on screen. Each one puts in an outstanding
14:08performance, but it's hard to look past Margot Robbie's role as Anne Burden at the center of
14:13everything as the piece's MVP.
14:15Number 10. The Suicide Squad
14:17After James Gunn was fired by Marvel, DC wasted no time in picking the director up for a new
14:23Suicide Squad movie that didn't quite fully fit in either the sequel or reboot category. It was a bit
14:29of both, but arguably the most important thing was that Margot Robbie was brought back. As Harley Quinn,
14:35she was easily the best part of the first outing five years prior, and arguably the entire DCEU at
14:40that point. Though her supporting characters were better, the story was better, and the overall
14:45movie was better, Robbie was still easily the best part of the Suicide Squad as well. Though it was a
14:52team story with the likes of Idris Elba, John Cena, and Joel Kinnaman playing hugely important roles,
14:58there were times when this felt more like a Harley Quinn film, and arguably one of James Gunn's best
15:03decisions was to put her at the front and center of the entire thing. Harley was away from the rest of
15:08the team for a while, which allowed her to shine by herself, and she proved once again that she was
15:13a badass who needed no rescue. Aside from having some of the funniest moments, she also was the
15:19heart of the whole film. Number 9. Birds of Prey
15:22After becoming a hit as the lone highlight of Suicide Squad, and before stealing the show once
15:27again in The Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie was rightly given her own solo Harley Quinn movie. The
15:33ridiculously titled Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn was soon retitled to
15:40just Birds of Prey, but though her name was dropped from the title, make no mistake that this was her
15:45film. Breaking free of the Suicide Squad and of the Joker, a point that was driven home in spectacular
15:51fashion, allowed for a different side of the character to be seen. The protective, vulnerable,
15:56and wholesome side of Harley was on show, but absolutely none of the bad crazy wonderfulness that made
16:02her so popular in the first place was sacrificed. This was Harley at her most chaotic and her most
16:07eccentric, going up against Ewan McGregor's unnervingly compelling Black Mask, and while
16:12Harley had to be diluted somewhat to fit into both Suicide Squad ensembles, here she could flourish like
16:18never before or since. Ultimately, the movie suffered from releasing at the height of a pandemic and
16:24from poor marketing in general, and it really did deserve more of an audience. Number 8. Bombshell
16:30Bombshell was designed to offer a scathing look at the very real accusations from several women
16:35working at Fox News of sexual harassment by its founder and CEO Roger Ailes. Add in the star power
16:42of Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie, and the film had the makings of something big.
16:47What was ultimately released was a hard-hitting piece based in and around the allegations made,
16:52though it failed to go deeper into the gritty realms as promised. Bombshell is about empowerment,
16:57certainly, but it never gets further than skimming the surface of the sexual assault at the heart of
17:02the subject. It could have gone so much further. To call bombshell tame would perhaps be a little
17:07harsh, however. It feels as though the talent on screen could have been used for a further exploration
17:12into such a real issue. That being said, it is still a strong movie in no small part thanks to
17:17the performances of all three lead women, to the surprise of absolutely no one. In particular,
17:23Margot Robbie is at the top of her game, receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress,
17:28and it's not hard to see why. Number 7. Babylon
17:32Alongside Amsterdam, Babylon was Margot Robbie's other 2022 film, and again was a box office bomb.
17:38Also like Amsterdam, what was supposed to be another Oscar hit as Damien Chazelle's follow-up to La La
17:44Land ultimately fell far short of his expectations. As something of a love letter to Hollywood,
17:50the first of two such films that will appear on this list. Babylon followed the rise and fall of
17:54several characters, including Robbie's Nelly Leroy, as the world of film ushered in a new era in the
18:001920s. However, it ultimately felt like less a love letter and more an indictment of the Hollywood
18:06culture, instead highlighting depravity and debauchery rather than its glory. That being said,
18:12it's more thanks to falling shy of its incredibly lofty expectations than anything actually on screen,
18:17that Babylon has been labelled such a flop. The over-three-hour runtime doesn't help its cause
18:22either. However, if you watch it for what it is and not for what it's supposed to be,
18:27and simply enjoy the chaos and commitment that both Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt bring,
18:31then it can be a damn enjoyable, unique experience.
18:35Number 6. About Time
18:37With writing credits on the likes of Notting Hill, the Bridget Jones film series, and Love Actually to
18:43his name, Richard Curtis is one of the biggest names in the romantic comedy genre. It's not
18:48surprising in the least then that 2013's About Time was another huge success and feather in the
18:53man's cap. The premise is a little more out there than Curtis' previous work, as Donal Gleeson's Tim
18:59Lake finds out that all of the men in his family have the ability to time travel, and thus he uses this
19:05newly learned skill to try to improve his life. As expected, it is utterly charming and certainly doesn't
19:10lack in the comedy aspect, while Gleeson is a perfect fit, as is rom-com legend Rachel McAdams.
19:16Being one of her earliest acting credits and coming before she became a household name,
19:21Margot Robbie's involvement is minimal but crucial. She plays Tim's first love interest,
19:26for whom he initially goes back in time for before realising the consequences and butterfly effect of
19:31his actions. Realistically, her role was to be fallen in love with, which she's basically been
19:36doing effortlessly for over a decade now. Number 5. The Big Short
19:40The Big Short brought together an impressive ensemble cast to tell the story of how a handful
19:45of people saw the housing crisis of 2008 coming. Naturally, with a story like this, there was a
19:50lot of jargon and concepts that the mainstream audience just wouldn't understand. Enter Margot Robbie.
19:56Ryan Gosling's Jared Vanette introduces her in a voiceover to explain the concept of subprime
20:02mortgages, and that she did in a bubble bath with a glass of champagne. It was hilarious,
20:07and then she was gone, never to be seen in the film again. The movie itself is outstanding,
20:12with a wonderful cast. However, no matter how good Gosling, Christian Bale, or Brad Pitt were,
20:17Margot Robbie's scene arguably stole the whole show. There was no real acting involved,
20:22she wasn't playing a character. She merely showed up and explained what was likely confusing audiences
20:28watching. But she was compelling, and that truly shows that her talent knows no bounds.
20:324. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood There is some tough competition,
20:37as the director has some incredibly strong and influential movies to his name. But Once Upon a
20:42Time in Hollywood may be Quentin Tarantino's most popular work. He has gone on record to say it is
20:48his own personal favourite, and it's easy to see why. This effort is something of a love letter to the
20:53movie industry, while telling an amended version of the events surrounding Sharon Tate and the Charles
20:58Manson Murders of the 1960s. It has everything you could want from a Tarantino flick, led by the
21:04three-headed powerhouse of Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Margot Robbie. Robbie's appearance
21:09in the film is a strange one, as she actually has very little screen time, particularly when compared
21:14to that of Pitt and DiCaprio. However, being on screen for around half an hour of the almost
21:19three-hour runtime allowed Robbie to show exactly what she could do with both limited time and dialogue.
21:25She is captivating and spellbinding, even when she doesn't have much to say,
21:29and there are few greater testaments to her unrivaled talent than her portrayal of Sharon Tate.
21:353. Barbie
21:36Could anyone have really predicted what a smash hit and cultural phenomenon
21:41Barbie would turn out to be in the summer of 2023? It could easily have been a cheap movie based
21:46around a toy, but Barbie told a powerful story with a real message, balanced perfectly with the
21:51wacky and funny side of things. Ryan Gosling's Ken grabbed many of the headlines, and looking back,
21:57it would be hard to see anyone else in the role. His comedic chops alone served him well,
22:02but like he said in the movie, there is no Ken without Barbie. Margot Robbie may have been the
22:08obvious choice for a stereotypical Barbie, but she more than backs this up with a performance full of
22:13emotion, heart, and vulnerability that encompassed everything the film was trying to say. It's a
22:18testament to what Greta Gerwig and co-created that Barbie could feature something as ludicrous as
22:23Barbie Land, but tackle real issues with such grace and eloquence at the same time. While it received
22:29a handful of Oscar nominations, the fact that both Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were overlooked for
22:34Best Director and Best Actress respectively is just criminal.
22:372. The Wolf of Wall Street
22:40Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have collaborated together on a number of projects,
22:45and The Wolf of Wall Street is up there with the best of them. The story of Jordan Belfort's
22:50rise and fall from grace was brought to the screen in a unique and utterly compelling fashion.
22:54Realistically, DiCaprio's character is not one that anyone should be rooting for or laughing with.
22:59The movie glorifies every kind of depravity and illicit crime it could manage, and yet is sheer
23:05entertainment. Surrounded by the chaos of Wall Street, the narcotics, booze, criminal activity,
23:11and general human garbage that were the employees of Stratton Oakmont, Margot Robbie's Naomi is the
23:17undeniable human element of the piece. Nothing else is particularly relatable, unless you happen to
23:22have smuggled millions of dollars across national borders strapped to another being. But Naomi,
23:26as a wife and a mother who ultimately outgrows Jordan, brings a real sobering quality to proceedings.
23:32It was this masterpiece in 2013 that truly set Robbie on her path to superstardom,
23:37and it is nothing short of insane to think that this came just five years after Vigilante.
23:421. I, Tonya
23:44Margot Robbie is no stranger to bringing real people to the screen, but arguably her best
23:49ever work on screen came portraying legendary figure skater Tonya Harding. The biopic itself
23:54manages to blend comedy, plenty of it coming from Harding's sheer bluntness,
23:58with the darker and more emotional elements of the story. It's funny but brutal at the same time,
24:03and while other movies may struggle to bring two drastically different tones like this together,
24:08I, Tonya succeeds and then some. There truly aren't enough superlatives to properly describe
24:13Margot Robbie's performance as Tonya Harding, and she takes one of America's most hated sports
24:18personalities and portrays her with a quiet dignity that actually turns her into a sympathetic character.
24:24There aren't many who could have pulled it off, but Robbie has the talent to evoke such
24:28emotions while still making you laugh. There have been plenty of movies on this list that didn't quite
24:33live up to the talent Margot Robbie brought to the table, but I, Tonya does not have that problem.
24:38If it weren't for Frances McDormand's outstanding performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,
24:43Missouri, it's highly likely this role would have earned Margot Robbie her first Best Actress win.
24:48Her work certainly deserved it.
Comments