20 Best Mary Elizabeth Winstead Movies to Watch in 2023

Mary Elizabeth Winstead certainly isn’t a stranger when it comes to great movies and shows because she does have a good number of performances that are right there at the top. As she is set to appear in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off Ahsoka series on Disney+, it might be good to freshen our knowledge about her acting prowess by looking at some of the best Mary Elizabeth Winstead movies of all time.

20. The Parts You Lose (2019)

The Parts You Lose is one of the most underrated performances of Mary Elizabeth Winstead precisely because she isn’t in a starring role in this film and that all of the actors were overshadowed by the young star that performed really well as the main character of the movie. Nevertheless, this should still be a good movie to watch if you want to see Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s acting prowess.

The movie follows the story of Wesley, a 10-year-old boy who lives on a small farm in North Dakota and has to go to school for the deaf. However, he is bullied at school and doesn’t have the best relationship with his father at home. One fateful day, he comes across an injured man that he tried to help, and this man became his only friend as he was taught to stand up for himself. But the problem is that the police come looking for this man, and Wesley now has to make a decision between his friend and doing the right thing.

19. Bobby (2006)

At this point in her career, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is yet to become popular enough to earn herself major roles. That’s why, in Bobby, she only plays a small role as a nurse. Nevertheless, this still is a great movie if you are into historical and biographical films, as this is one of the most interesting stories that are based on real events.

Bobby tells the story of the real-life assassination of Robert Kennedy when he ran for president. The movie follows the parts where he was about to run for president as he we get to see the different characters that are involved in his campaign. We also get to see the people who were in the hotel where he was assassinated, as we get to see some of the more interesting stories behind one of the most controversial events in recent US history.

18. A Good Day To Die Hard (2013)

We all know that Die Hard was the film where Bruce Willis became a household name in action flicks. Since his blockbuster performance in Die Hard, Bruce Willis has appeared in a total of five of those films, and A Good Day to Die Hard is the latest Die Hard film as of this writing. And the film also features Mary Elizabeth Winstead in her second movie as John McClane’s daughter, albeit in a smaller role.

The movie follows McClane, who is on a mission to help his son Jack because he got arrested for attempted murder. However, McClane finds out that Jack is actually an undercover agent for the CIA and is looking to protect Komarov, who is a whistle-blower that the US is trying to protect because he has secrets that are related to a high-ranking Russian official. The father and son duo now has to work together to stop a larger conspiracy.

17. Gemini Man (2019)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead appears in the 2019 film Gemini Man, which is a sci-fi movie that stars Will Smith. That means that she is playing a secondary role in this film, although she did have a pretty good performance in the movie as one of the most important characters behind Will Smith.

Gemini Man is about an older assassin who discovers that he is actually the target of another assassin, who seems to know his every move. However, he discovers that this assassin is actually a younger clone of himself, as the older assassin tries to seek the truth behind the situation he found himself in.

16. Final Destination 3 (2006)

While they aren’t exactly the best films, the Final Destination movies have become a huge part of our culture because everyone wants to watch an entertainingly gory movie. In that regard, Mary Elizabeth Winstead appeared in Final Destination 3 in a role that is far from her starring performances in her more recent movies.

Final Destination 3 follows the story of a few students who were able to cheat death. But one of the teenagers had a premonition about her and all of the other students that were able to cheat death getting into another accident. The vision soon becomes true because every student that cheated death starts dying one by one in ways that are gruesome and horrifying.

15. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a fantastic retelling of the story of the American Civil War and how Abraham Lincoln played a role in it. And this stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the wife of America’s most popular president.

The movie follows the story of Lincoln, whose mother was murdered by vampires when he was a boy. He agreed to work as a vampire hunter while he was pursuing his political career. It turns out that the very people who were behind the Civil War were actually vampires that were seeking to take over the country. As such, it is up to Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter to put a stop to the war by, of course, killing the very same vampires that did not only kill his mother but are responsible for the civil unrest in the country.

14. The Thing (2011)

One of the movies that truly starred Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the main character of the film is The Thing, which is a horror-thriller movie that is about aliens as well. It’s actually a very entertaining film that will keep you on the edge of your seat because of how well-paced it is.

The Thing follows the story of a Norwegian scientific team that includes paleontologist Kate Lloyd as they investigate an extraterrestrial ship that is buried deep in ice in Antarctica. They soon find out that the creature is actually parasitic in nature and begins to attack them one by one. It is up to Kate and the rest of the crew members to find a way to stop the creature from killing them.

13. Sky High (2005)

Sky High is one of the most popular movies under Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s belt, as we can argue that this is the film that actually allowed her to become the prominent actress that she is today. And while she wasn’t the star of the movie, we can all agree that it was her performance that stood out the most out of all of the actors in the film.

This movie follows the story of Will Stronghold, who is the son of the two greatest superheroes on the planet, as he enters a high school meant for those with superhero powers. While in school, he begins to discover his own powers but ends up getting manipulated by Winstead’s Gwen Grayson, the best student in the school. Grayson is, in fact, the supervillain Royal Pain, who had to relive her childhood all over again after she was defeated by Will’s parents many years ago.

12. Kill The Messenger (2014)

Kill The Messenger is one of the movies that allowed Mary Elizabeth Winstead to portray a real person, as she plays the role of Anna Simons, who is a key character in this film. Although the movie focuses more on Jeremy Renner’s Garry Webb, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character still plays an important role in the story.

The movie is a mystery thriller movie that follows the true story of the CIA’s plot to funnel cocaine through black neighborhoods during the 60s. Kill the messenger focuses on a journalist who discovers the plan of the CIA and is prevented from publishing the story. And Winstead’s character in this movie is one of the key figures that stopped the CIA’s plans.

11. Birds Of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)

Birds of Prey, which goes by a really long full name, is one of the newer movies that Mary Elizabeth Winstead appeared in. This is one of the movies that set good numbers at the box office in America during its release because of how popular superhero movies are nowadays. And what you will love about the movie is that, while it focuses heavily on Harley Quinn, it is actually an ensemble of strong female characters that include Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Huntress.

The movie focuses on Quinn’s adventures as a member of an all-girl group that found itself in the middle of a mess due to Harley’s past life with the Joker. This movie is sure to entertain you in all the right ways because it is funny and full of action scenes that are downright ridiculous and fun.

10. Swiss Army Man (2016)

Swiss Army Man is one of the movies that truly allowed Mary Elizabeth Winstead to show her acting prowess, even if she isn’t the star of the movie. However, this is a film that is actually really great, especially if you take into account the performances of Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano in this movie.

The film revolves around the story of Hank Thompson, who decided to kill himself when he got stranded on a deserted island. However, when a corpse washes ashore, his hope gets renewed as he befriends the corpse, which actually has mysterious abilities and can even talk. That said, Hank goes on an adventure to find his way back home while carrying the corpse with him in this comedy adventure film.

9. Smashed (2012)

If you really want to see how great of an actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead is, her performance in Smashes is right there at the top because she once again takes on a leading role in this film after starring in The Thing. And this is one of the most dramatic performances in her stellar acting career.

Smashed follows Kate and Charlie, who are in the middle of a rocky marriage because of how dependent they are on alcohol. When Kate decides to change her life and get sober, life becomes even more difficult because he struggles to heal herself and to stay faithful to her husband. Throughout the film, you will be in awe at how amazing Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s performance as Kate is.

8. So It Goes (2016)

So It Goes is actually a short film. It is so short that it is only 13 minutes long. However, that doesn’t matter as far as we are concerned about Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s performance in this movie because she still did a fine job in this short film.

The short film follows the story of Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Samantha, who is struggling to record a new song because she is seemingly in the middle of a slump. However, she ends up meeting a mysterious stranger who reminds her why she actually loves music. This leads her to find her voice while recording a new song.

7. Live Free Or Die Hard (2007)

As mentioned, A Good Day to Die Hard is Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s second appearance in a Die Hard film. However, it is in her first appearance in the Die Hard franchise that she actually got more screen time, as this is one of the best movies in the Die Hard series of films.

Live Free or Die Hard follows the story of John McClane, who is now in the middle of trying to stop cyber-terrorists from trying to take over the US. However, his daughter, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, gets kidnapped in the movie as we get to see a cop struggling with his role as a police officer and as a father in a movie that gained a lot of positive reviews from critics.

6. All About Nina (2018)

All About Nina is a film that allows us to see another amazing performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, as we see a more complex character compared to her other performances in the past. And the reason why this is such a complex performance is that the story itself is complex, as it is a drama-comedy that follows the story of a comedian in Los Angeles.

The movie follows the story of Nina, who is a stand-up comedian that travels all the way to Los Angeles to try to make it big in Hollywood. She ends up meeting her match in Rafe, who is a playboy with a soft side that he tries to keep hidden, as we get to see a funny and pretty heartwarming movie that will easily touch anyone.

5. Death Proof (2007)

Death Proof is one of Quentin Tarantino’s underrated films, but it actually is pretty entertaining. This movie is part of the Grindhouse duo of films, as we get to see a pretty entertaining performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead, despite the fact that she doesn’t really play a huge role in it.

The story of Death Proof follows three friends who are on vacation but end up meeting a stuntman named Mike. He offers to give one of the friends a lift in his Death Proof stunt car but ends up killing her. Later on, he does the same to the other friends by hitting their car. And, 14 months later, he finds new girls as targets, but he didn’t expect them to fight back the way the other girls did.

4. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

10 Cloverfield Lane is part of the entire Cloverfield series of films, as this is a movie that is loosely connected to all of the Cloverfield movies but doesn’t exactly follow the same story. Nevertheless, this movie is actually surprisingly good, as critics talked about the amazing performances led by Mary Elizabeth Winstead and the interesting ending to the film.

This movie follows the story of Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Michelle, who was quarantined with two men after a car accident. However, one of the men claims that the entire planet had been besieged by bioweapons and that they were quarantined together so that they could survive what had happened. That said, it is best to watch how the movie unfolds because it is actually quite intense and unpredictable.

3. The Spectacular Now (2013)

The Spectacular Now is directed by the same person who directed Smashed, and that means that he was looking to bring Mary Elizabeth Winstead to another great film that is actually just as good. However, Winstead plays a secondary role in this film, as it is Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller that lead the movie. Nevertheless, we still cannot deny how great of an actress she is in this film.

This movie is based on the Tim Tharp novels and follows the dramatic and unlikely love story between two characters. Mary Elizabeth Winstead just happens to be the sister of one of the main characters, as she plays an important role in the development of the story.

2. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

A lot of people will say that Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s best film is Scott Pilgrim vs. The World because this is actually a very entertaining movie that is based on a series of graphic novels. And we get to see Mary Elizabeth Winstead playing the role of the leading lady in a movie that is fun, exciting, and full of action.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World follows the story of Scott Pilgrim, a bassist in a rock band, as he falls in love with Winstead’s character named Ramona Flowers. However, he finds out that he needs to get through Ramona’s evil ex-boyfriends so that he can win her heart. And trust us when we say that this is a movie that is full of awkwardness, action, and comedy.

1. Faults (2014)

Faults may not be the most popular movie under Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s belt, but it may actually be the best when you take critical reception into consideration. That’s because this is a very compelling film that will allow you to truly see Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s ability as a leading actress in a movie.

The movie follows Winstead’s character, who is a woman named Claire. She is brainwashed by a cult as her parents try to deprogram her when they hire someone to clear her warped man and perception of the world. But, in doing so, a lot of things happen as we get to see a movie that gives us a good balance of humor and drama throughout the entire time.