It’s safe to say thatRebel Wilsonranks among the best comedic actresses of her generation. While this Australian actress had some minor appearances in films and TV series in her early career, her breakthrough production wasBridesmaids, the 2011 film in which Wilson played Brynn, the leading character’s roommate. From then on, Rebel’s career only went upwards and reached new heights with her iconic role as Fat Amy in thePitch Perfecttrilogy, a role that charmed fans all over the world and garnered her several awards, including an MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress.
However, a lesser-known side of this comedy actress is her foray into other fields: in addition to being a performer, Wilson is also a singer, screenwriter, and producer. As a matter of fact, she was involved in the production of some of her starring films, such asThe Hustle, and even created, produced and starred inSuper Fun Night, an ABC series that premiered in 2013 and ran for two seasons. To top it all off, Wilson is an attorney, and even though she never practiced, such knowledge helped her to correctly handle every job proposal she had. Moreover, perPeople, it also served her to document a repudiatory situation of sexual harassment she suffered while working on one of her first major motion pictures.
Over the years, Wilson has improved her skills, consistently delivering outstanding performances. By 2022 she starred inSenior Year, one of Netflix’s latest productions in which, once again, she charmed the audience with her magnetic and funny nature. Here are her best movies, ranked.
8Senior Year
This 2022 comedy was Alex Hardcastle’s directorial debut, and in addition to starring, Rebel Wilson took part as a producer. InSenior Year, the audience follows the story of Steph, a teenager who, tired of being an outcast, undertakes a makeover and emerges as the most popular student in school. But in the middle of a cheerleading routine, Steph falls and goes into a coma. When she wakes up, it comes as a shock to learn that 20 years have passed, and Stephanie is now a 37-year-old adult woman with the mindset of a teenager from 2002. As a personal goal, she sets out to graduate from high school, believing that being popular in the past would help her blend in, though it won’t be as easy as she thinks: the school rules and what’s considered popular may have changed over the years, plus she’ll have to deal with a few significant people from her past.
Related:Senior Year: The Best Throwback Scenes
7How to Be Single
It’s a hard thing to cope with being single after a long relationship. That’s what is happening to Alice (Dakota Johnson) in the movieHow to Be Single. Luckily, her friend Robin (Rebel Wilson) is an expert on the subject, which is why she agrees to help Alice in adjusting to this new status and making the best of the situation. This 2016 film was directed by Christian Ditter andhad Drew Barrymoreas producer. It is inspired by Liz Tuccillo’s novel of the same name and, besides Johnson and Wilson, the cast is rounded out by Leslie Mann, Alison Brie, Damon Wayans Jr., and Anders Holm, among other actors.
6Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
TheNight at the Museumfranchise,headed by Ben Stiller, Robin William and Owen Wilson, was already quite successful on its own before Wilson joined the cast. However, bringing her on board for the third film of the series only further enhanced a very well-established storyline. InNight at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, the audience is introduced to an all-new adventure of Larry Daley, the guard at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. On this occasion, the man must travel to London as the Tablet of Ahkmenrah, which brings the museum’s exhibits to life, is in need of restoration, and the solution may be found at the British Museum. In this movie, Wilson plays Tilly, the British Museum’s night security guard. Tilly is a woman with a rather boring job who, upon Larry’s arrival at the establishment, gets to have a life-changing experience and ends up falling in love with the most unexpected person.
5Bachelorette
Bacheloretteis a 2012 film directed by Leslye Headland and adapted from her play of the same name. In it, viewers meet a group of lifelong friends: Regan (Kirsten Dunst), Gena (Lizzy Caplan), Katie (Isla Fisher), and Becky (Rebel Wilson). After Becky is proposed to by her boyfriend Dale, she asks her friends to be her bridesmaids. But in the midst of the bachelorette party, the girls, who differ from the bride in their partying and chaotic personalities, get drunk and high, and end up trashing Becky’s wedding dress. Consequently, these three ladies are left with just a few hours to solve the problem while keeping their friend from finding out and, most of all, attempting to save their friendship.
4Isn’t It Romantic
This 2019 film reunites a duo that was extremely successful on-screen inPitch Perfect: Rebel Wilson and Adam DeVine. InIsn’t It Romantic, Wilson plays Natalie, an architect with an average life and a strong disdain for romantic comedies that she picked up as a child and nurtured over the years. After an attempted robbery, however, the main character is left unconscious, awakening to discover her worst nightmare: her life has become a romantic comedy. In order to escape from this situation, Natalie must deal with some major aspects of her life to which she has not paid attention before. This Warner Bros. Pictures production takes a fun look at all the extremely predictable but charming rom-com movie clichés, and even closes with a rendition of the song “Express Yourself” performed by the entire cast.
Related:7 Movies Like Senior Year to Watch Next
3Jojo Rabbit
Jojo Rabbitis a comedy-drama by Taika Waititi that is based on the bookCaging Skiesby Christine Leunens. The main character is Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis), a ten-year-old Hitler Youth member who discovers that his own mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in her house as a way of protecting her, leading Jojo to question absolutely all of his beliefs and face a dilemma that could end with his execution. In this movie, Rebel Wilson took on the role of Fräulein Rahm, one of the instructors at the Hitler Youth camp. The film had outstanding reviews, earning a total of fourteen awards and scoring an 80% onRotten Tomatoes.
2Bridesmaids
Bridesmaidsis the feature film that made Rebel Wilson known worldwide. In this 2011 comedy directed by Paul Feig, the actress plays Brynn, a woman who shares an apartment with Annie (Kristen Wiig), the film’s main character. Although Brynn is a minor character, she managed to entertain the audience with her nosy and carefree personality, attributes that got her into more than one problem and caused her to end up with an infected tattoo of dubious provenance. Brynn also lived with her brother Gil (Matt Lucas), and all the interactions between them were really amusing. The actors' bond definitely transcended the screen, and turned them into two of the funniest characters in the movie. PerUS Magazine, a fun fact about the actors is that, after shootingBridesmaids, they decided to share a house in Los Angeles for three years.
1Pitch Perfect
WhileBridesmaidswas the movie that made Rebel Wilson famous, thePitch Perfecttrilogy finally cemented her as a comedic actress, garnering fans all over the world.Pitch Perfectcenters on an all-female acapella group called The Barden Bellas, which, due to most of its members' graduation, and following an accidental performance that ruined their reputation, is forced to add new talents. These new additions, quite different from the style of the original Bellas, end up empowering the group with their different skills. In the movie, and its sequels, Wilson plays Fat Amy, a fun, confident young woman with a sarcastic humor that simply shines through in all of her scenes. Among other themes throughout the movies, the relationship between Fat Amy and Bumper (Adam DeVine), The Treblemakers' arrogant leader, is explored. Wilson’s role inPitch Perfectearned her a slew of nominations for both Breakthrough and Supporting Actress, as well as an even greater involvement in the franchise’s subsequent films.
