Where To Watch Christina Ricci's Best Movies and Shows
Christina Ricci has been acting since she was just nine years old. After her debut in Mermaids, Ricci became the go-to child actress of the ‘90s and starred in several key movies from the era.
Whereas many child actors fall by the wayside and fail to make the transition from child to bona fide, grown-up movie star, Ricci managed it, with several of her adult roles just as memorable as those when she was first entering the business.
For most, Christina Ricci is a name synonymous with the role of Wednesday Addams, but the actress is far more than that one character. From serial killers and friendly ghosts, to colourful race cars and cannibalistic classmates, Ricci has traversed a variety of projects. With over 90 credits on her IMDB page, it is near impossible to pick out only a few performances, but, after much soul searching, here is a selection of some of Christina Ricci’s best roles.
Although only nine when she starred in Mermaids, the young Christina Ricci immediately commanded the audience's attention. This was no small feat when you consider that not only was Mermaids Ricci’s debut, but it also saw her star alongside Winona Ryder and Cher. Ricci plays Kate, the younger sister of Ryder’s Charlotte, and daughter of Cher’s Rachel. Set in the ‘60s, Mermaids is a coming-of-age story from the perspective of Charlotte as she struggles to navigate her promiscuous and carefree mother’s constant cycle of men, and the upheaval that every break-up triggers. Kate being a supporting character doesn’t stop Ricci from shining, and a near tragedy involving the youngster scarred a generation of parents.
Probably best known as the film that birthed the Shoop Shoop Song, Mermaids follows the pattern of many period coming-of-age dramas, but manages to stand out thanks to its occasional instances of quirky comedy.
After stealing the show in The Addams Family as a perfectly maudlin Wednesday Addams, when it came time for the sequel, Addams Family Values, Ricci was given more to do. The main plot sees Uncle Fester seduced by the Addams’ new family nanny, Debbie, a woman with nefarious intentions for her new beau. Realising Wednesday is onto her, Debbie convinces Morticia and Gomez to send both her and brother Pugsley to summer camp.
Watching the Goth princess deal with all of the cheery sunshine loving counsellors and campers is a joy, with some of Wednesday’s vicious quotes being simply incredible. Although Debbie is a wicked addition to the film, Addams Family Values belongs to Wednesday; her Thanksgiving performance is brutally hilarious.
Having played Wednesday Addams so perfectly across two movies, Ricci became the poster child for spooky kids movies, and so her casting in Casper made total sense. The story sees Ricci’s young teen Kat move into a haunted house with her paranormal therapist father. While he deals with three obnoxious ghosts, Kat befriends their nephew, Casper. Unlike his uncles, he’s a friendly ghost and the two form a very tight bond.
Inspired by the cartoon Casper the Friendly Ghost, Casper has all the thrills, spills, chills, and comedy that one could want from a family movie. There’s moments of extreme silliness, peppered with some more heartfelt ones. Millennial girlies think back on Casper especially fondly due to the end sequence when Devon Sawa appears as Casper in human form and asks, ‘can I keep you?’
In Monster, Ricci plays Selby, the girlfriend of Charlize Theron’s serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Based on the true story of Wuornos, Monster is a dark and depressing story, one far removed from the family friendly entertainment Ricci starred in as a child. A film far more adult in content, Monster showed a new side to Ricci’s acting abilities and proved that, despite her fame, she wasn’t above taking a risk on more controversial projects.
Monster marked the feature debut of director Patty Jenkins, and Theron earned an Oscar for her performance. Ricci was criminally overlooked for her work, but dazzles regardless as Shelby’s mumbled way of speaking draws in both Aileen and the audience. A masterclass in acting from all involved, it is very easy to see why Monster garnered so much awards attention.
After several years of convincing audiences that she was no longer the little Goth girl, but rather a serious grown-up actor, Christina Ricci threw caution to the wind and starred in the Wachowski’s cult hit, Speed Racer. Based on the Tatsuo Yoshida Manga, Speed Racer finds Ricci starring as title character Speed’s super bubbly girlfriend, Trixie.
Speed Racer pitches itself as a sports action comedy, which was perhaps too odd a cocktail for mid-noughties audiences as the film failed to perform at the box-office. Since its release, though, Speed Racer has been reappraised, and its recent 4K revival has seen the film get a new lease of life. Full of psychedelic colours, whiplash-inducing editing, and stomach-churning camera loops, Speed Racer fires a lot at the audience, but if you let it all wash over you, a rather fun time awaits.
After some quieter working years to focus on family, Christina Ricci made a triumphant return in TV show Yellowjackets. The female-centric show wowed audiences with its first season, and Ricci was one of the crown jewels. Set across two time periods — the ‘90s and present day — Yellowjackets follows the story of a group of women who, as teens, had to survive in the wilderness after their plane crashed. The scarce number of survivors have distanced themselves from one another, but after one of the group gets a message threatening to give away secrets from their time in the wilderness, they must converge once again to uncover the identity of the threat.
Yellowjackets is packed full of star performances, but Ricci’s role as the highly strung, very unstable Misty Quigley, has become a fan favourite. A character who will do anything to belong, Misty has made some rather questionable decisions across both timelines, but it is her relationships that provide the best entertainment. The dynamic between her and Natalie (played by Juliette Lewis) is magic, as is that between her and fellow former child star, Elijah Wood. With one more season left, I personally cannot wait to see what Misty madness awaits.
When the Netflix series, Wednesday, was announced, fans had high hopes that Christina Ricci would appear in some capacity. Luckily for them, Ricci was happy to return, but rather than playing Miss Addams, she starred as Wednesday’s Nevermore Academy dorm mother, Marilyn Thornhill. What was first seen as a fun cameo, expanded out into a more important role, and there’s no denying, seeing two generations of Wednesday Addams on-screen together is pretty special.
Wednesday itself is a teen comedy and murder mystery hybrid series in which Wednesday Addams, now played by Jenna Ortega, goes all Nancy Drew to solve crimes at her fancy boarding school. Featuring appearances from all of the Addams clan, and directed by Tim Burton, Wednesday is essential viewing for young Goths everywhere.
