The 7 Best Aubrey Plaza Movies, Ranked

Emily the Criminal is one of Plaza’s best movies because of how much it pushes her into uncharted territory. But it’s also ranked at number seven because it’s the most realistic and depressing of the bunch. At this point in her career, Plaza was known for her deadpan delivery and chaotic roles. Emily the Criminal sees her entering the crime drama genre as a woman who gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, leading to deadly consequences. 

Plaza’s Emily is relatable, saddled with anxiety, and ultimately someone you can’t help but root for. Her acting is gripping to the point where you realize that you’ve always loved Plaza’s comedic timing but wish she’d do more dramas. It’s like when Will Ferrell was in Stranger Than Fiction (2006) or Jim Carrey did Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Both opened viewers’ eyes to these actors’ range, despite them choosing to do comedies most of the time. That’s what Emily the Criminal did for Plaza.

The Little Hours is again one of those movies where I barely remember what happened to the lead character because of how much focus Plaza pulled. The movie tells the story of Massetto, a servant fleeing from his master and the refuge he finds in a convent full of emotionally unstable nuns. 

Plaza plays one of the nuns, Sister Fernanda, and every time she opens her mouth, you know that she’s going to say something absolutely unhinged. Because she might be part of the convent, but she doesn’t let it define her. She’s abrasive, has no problem telling someone to mind their business, and still has that signature deadpan delivery for every piece of dialogue.

Life After Beth allowed Plaza to fully let herself go after luring us into a false sense of security that this was going to be a cute rom-com. In the movie, Plaza plays Beth, the recently deceased girlfriend of Zach. When she mysteriously comes back to life, things seem okay at first. But both quickly realize that A) she’s got a new appetite and B) she’s super strong. 

As a viewer, it’s a delight to watch Plaza be loud, weird, and funny while being unhinged about possibly eating someone. She pulls so much focus that it’s hard to remember what happens to Zach because all we can think about is Beth’s superhuman strength when tied to that fridge. There’s also the fact that out of all the movies on this list, she seems to be having the most fun here, leading it to earn a higher ranking than other comedies like The Little Hours. If you need any more reason to watch Life After Beth, it’s one of A24’s first films, and it released just before the body horror classic Tusk (2024).

Ingrid Goes West is the most surprising film on this list. You walk into it thinking you’re going to strictly get a comedy, starring Plaza as a young woman recently released from a psych ward and obsessed with social media. She moves to LA and sets her sights on an Instagram star, who just so happens to be played by Elizabeth Olsen. But what starts as stalking turns into something more dangerous.

This movie, in particular, is one of Plaza’s best because of the chemistry between her and Olsen. That translated into a movie that felt way more vulnerable than it had any right to be. Because, at the end of the day, this obsession with social media is grounded in loneliness, and Plaza’s character makes you feel uncomfortable while delving into topics we needed to stop ignoring in 2017 and today.

Despite Plaza not being the lead, Happiest Season ranks this high because she left such an impression that viewers wanted her character to end with the lead, making it an easy rewatch for Christmas. In this holiday rom-com, a woman named Abby goes home with her girlfriend Harper for Christmas as a means of getting to know her family. The problem is, the girlfriend hasn’t told anyone they’re together. 

Plaza plays Riley, Harper’s ex from high school. Riley quickly becomes a confidant to Abby as her relationship with Harper starts falling apart. And it’s easy to see why viewers wanted Riley to be the romantic lead with Abby. Plaza’s Riley is charming, funny, and has cosmic chemistry with Abby. Though Plaza has done other rom-coms like The To Do List (2013), viewers mourn that she hasn’t done another holiday rom-com like Happiest Season. 

My Old Ass is almost at the top of this list of best Aubrey Plaza movies because it feels like the culmination of her refining her acting craft. Even though it’s serious in the same vein as Emily the Criminal, there’s a light to this coming-of-age story that makes you laugh, even if you’re emotionally strung out about a free-spirited woman coming face-to-face with her 39-year-old self. 

This film sees a version of Plaza that is vulnerable, funny, and uses every second on screen to the fullest, making her younger self question everything. By the time the movie is done, you’re left with so many questions. Because if you had the chance to change your past, would you? And if you did, would you still be the same person? Anytime a movie makes you internalize its core messaging, it’s done a killer job.

For many fans of Plaza, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is where it all started, which is why it makes the top of our list. Funny enough, Plaza isn’t even the main character; it’s Scott, who must defeat his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes, who are obsessed with making sure she doesn’t find happiness with someone else. While the movie is great overall, it’s Plaza that we can’t stop thinking about and who we pull this movie out again and again to see. 

Plaza plays Julie Powers, a foul-mouthed and intense acquaintance of Scott. She isn’t afraid to call out Scott for his buffoonery and has this manner of speaking like no other. When she curses, a black bar appears over her mouth. And the movie doesn’t ignore it. It points it out, breaking the fourth wall, and making her one of the most memorable characters in the film. 

The fact that Plaza delivers her lines with the most deadpan manner set the standard for what she would be known in Hollywood for years to come, from Parks and Recreation to The Legend of Korra (2012).