Kate Hudson, known as one of thebiggest rom-com actressesof all time, is no stranger to drama and romance genre films. As the daughter of Goldie Hawn, Hudson has been around Hollywood her entire life. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Hudson appeared in some of the bestmovies to watch with your girlfriendsthroughout the years. To most movie critics, the rom-com may hardly be considered a top-rated film, but to those who love the genre, Hudson’s appearances mark them as a worthwhile film.
While she is arguably best known for her romantic-comedy films such asFool’s GoldandHow to Lose a Guy In 10 Days, both of whichstarred Matthew McConaughey, Hudson has actually starred in her fair share of other genres, including horror, thriller, and crime. Hudson will appear next inKnives Out 2, the sequel to the 2019 original film. While we anxiously await thisstar-packed film, let’s revisit some of the best Kate Hudson films, ranked. (And yes, expect many rom-coms!)
Related:Kathryn Hahn Says Knives Out 2 Feels Like an ‘Old School Ensemble’
9Fool’s Gold
Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey team up in this rom-com in search of lost treasure. The recently divorced couple are reunited along with the help of Tess' (Hudson) multimillionaire boss. Ben (McConaughey) is broke and owes a lot of money to a rapper who owns most of the Keys. Together, the unlikely pair have to face the rapper’s henchmen while trying to find this lost treasure.
WhileFool’s Goldmay not have been the best rom-com Hudson and McConaughey starred in together, it certainly deserves a spot on the list. The film is set in Key West, which gives us beautiful scenery, clear water for the underwater portions, and historic spots to find the treasure.
Famous movie director, Guido Contini, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, is struggling to find purpose and meaning to regain his creativity and finish his script for his upcoming movie. To achieve this, he seeks inspiration from his wife, mistress, muse, and mother. Contini struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives and how to keep them separate.
InNine, Hudson plays Stephanie, an American fashion journalist from Vogue and one of the first women Contini turns to for inspiration. She helps him, in theform of a song, to realize that he wishes to be young and energetic once again, as that was when he felt that he was fun. Hudson’s role in the film is monumental as she helps Contini realize his true feelings.
7Raising Helen
After Helen’s older sister and brother-in-law die in a car accident, their three children are left to Helen, a free-spirited 20-year-old, instead of her other, wiser older sister, Jenny. As Helen struggles to change her image from the fun, cool aunt to an in-charge mother, will she be able to make a difference in these kids lives?
InRaising Helen, Hudson goes from a carefree adult to a mother of three after being asked to take in her late sister’s children. As the movie progresses, we see more growth in Helen’s character than we necessarily do the children. This heart-warming film is full of fun moments and life lessons.
6A Little Bit of Heaven
A Little Bit of Heaventakes rom-coms to a more serious level when they give Marley, played by Hudson, cancer, and three wishes from God, played by Whoopi Goldberg. Marley is an ad executive who lives a decent life in New Orleans. One day, she goes to the doctor and ends up falling for him — and then getting diagnosed with cancer. During a procedure, she has an “encounter” with a higher being who gives her three wishes.
While it may not be the best to make cancer light-hearted, it does work well in this film. When Marley is told about her prognosis, she is able to eventually make the best of it and turn her life around. She was successful before her diagnosis, but thanks to a new outlook on life, she learned how to truly be happy.
5The Skeleton Key
Caroline Ellis (Hudson) is a hospice nurse who finds herself placed with a family who lives in a New Orleans plantation home. As she settles into her new life, which includes Ben, an older gentleman who had a stroke and can longer talk, and his wife Violet, a seemingly suspicious and creepy, Caroline is pulled into a world of Hoodoo. Can Caroline save Ben, whom she thinks Violet has harmed or will she fall victim to the practice herself?
On the other side of the movie-genre spectrum, we get to see Hudson in a thriller-style movie. InThe Skeleton Key, Hudson shows her ability to play a more serious and psychological role. The film is definitely more thriller than horror with less focus on gore and jump scares and more focus on tricking the mind.
Related:These Are Some of the Best Horror Movies of the 2000s
4Wish I Was Here
Aidan Bloom is struggling to find his identity. As an actor, father, and husband, he is still at a loss of how he is. When the opportunity to home school his children arises, Aidan steps up after losing funds to continue to pay for their private education. Through teaching them, he discovers parts of himself that had been lost.
Directed by and starring Zach Braff,Wish I Was Hereis a comedy about a 30-something Jewish dad with a wife and two kids. Hudson plays his wife, who is struggling in her own ways. The main takeaways from the film are responsibility and owning up to them while finding yourself. It’s a comedy backed with some family drama that creates a few funny moments. The star-studded cast certainly helps the success of the film!
Thurgood Marshall, played by the late Chadwick Boseman, is a crusading lawyer for the NAACP defending innocent African-Americans from unjust indictments in court. His most recent case takes him to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he has to attempt to defend Joseph Spell, played by Sterling K. Brown, a chauffeur who was accused of raping his employer. When the judge prohibits Marshall from speaking in court, it’s up to his counter, Sam Friedman, played by Josh Gad, to prove his innocence.
Quite opposite of her usual charming behavior, in this biopic, Hudson plays the character of Eleanor, the woman who accused Joseph Spell of attempted murder and rape.Marshallis understandably filled with emotion and hard topics, but the expert acting helps make the film stand out among other “courtroom” films.
2How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Ben is an advertising executive and ladies man. Andie is a writer looking to write more serious articles. Unbeknown to each other, the two have made bets with their bosses to further their careers. Ben bets he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days, while Andie wagers that she can get a guy to break up with her in 10 days. Who will win?
In one of her most well-known films,How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Hudson plays Andie Anderson, a writer trying to make her way in the journalist world. This quirky movie is a fan-favorite and understandably so. The chemistry between Hudson and McConaughey and the silly banter makes this movie perfect to watch with your girlfriends or when you need a little laugh.
1Almost Famous
A high school boy with an overprotective mother is given a once in a lifetime opportunity to follow and up and coming back and write an article on them for The Rolling Stones. William Miller gets to follow the band through their ups and even through the moments when everything falls apart.
Almost Famousis arguably Hudson’s best movie to date. Released in 2000, this comedy is one of three films Hudson starred in that year. For her role as Penny Lane, we see Hudson as an almost-groupie who gets herself mixed up with the band and the 15-year-old aspiring rock journalist.
