The Best Nicole Kidman Movies and Where To Watch Them
Nicole Kidman dazzled in the 2024 erotic thriller Babygirl, which critics hailed as one of the year's best movies with its deep dive into power dynamics and the female experience. The actress offers one of her career-best performances as the bold, intimidating CEO Romy Mathis, who harbors secret desires and feelings of dissatisfaction. While Kidman has caught audiences’ attention with Babygirl, it’s far from the only notable film on her resume.
Viewers can use our guide to find out where to watch all of the best Nicole Kidman movies across her 40+ year Hollywood career.
Kidman has always shined in psychological or erotic thrillers. She enjoyed her breakthrough role in the award-winning Dead Calm, which follows grieving couple Rae (Kidman) and John Ingram (Sam Neill), whose outing on the water turns into a nautical horror story when they rescue Hughie Warriner (Billy Zane) from a sinking ship, unaware he’s a dangerous killer. Kidman beautifully portrayed Rae, the grieving mother and headstrong woman fighting for survival, while the film’s intense premise conveyed genuine horror.
Ten years after her success in Dead Calm, Kidman starred in the erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut, her past work that most strongly parallels Babygirl. In the Stanley Kubrick film, Dr. William Hartford’s (Tom Cruise) insecurity over his wife Alice Hartford’s (Kidman) sexual fantasies results in him seeking a sexual escapade of his own with dismal results. While Alice isn’t as nuanced and complex as Romy, Eyes Wide Shut probes similar themes of desire and gratification.
By 2001, Kidman earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress with her role in Moulin Rouge! as the cabaret dancer Satine (Kidman), who is caught in a love triangle with a Duke (Richard Roxburgh) and Englishman Christian (Ewan McGregor). After proving to be a powerhouse in the musical romance, Kidman quickly added two more career-best performances with The Hours in 2003 and Birth in 2004. The Hours won Kidman the Best Actress Oscar for portraying author Virginia Woolf, while her heartbreaking performance in Birth as a woman who believes her husband has been reincarnated also arguably warranted an Oscar nomination.
More recently, Kidman wowed with her nearly unrecognizable transformation into comedy icon Lucille Ball in the biopic Being the Ricardos. The film explores the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Ball and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem). It offers a small glimpse into the personal lives of its larger-than-life figures, though the real allure lies in Kidman’s captivating performance as Ball.
However, Kidman doesn’t require the spotlight to leave an impression. Some of her best movies are those in which she boasted supporting roles. She adds an unforgettable touch of parental sacrifice and tenderness to Lion as the adoptive mother of Saroo Brierly (Dev Patel), a man determined to reunite with his long-lost birth family. In Aquaman, Kidman beautifully conveyed power and motherhood as the Queen of Atlantis and Arthur Curry’s (Jason Momoa) mother. Paddington, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The Northman are a few more top-notch movies in which she boasted a notable supporting role. With her incredible range and ability to capture everything from charisma to intimidation to grief, Kidman has elevated countless movies through both big and small roles.
Where to watch all of the best Nicole Kidman movies streaming online
Check out our list below for more of the best Nicole Kidman movies you can watch online in the U.S.! The movies are ranked from the best based both on the quality of Kidman’s performance and the movie.
