The 25 Most All-American Movie Heroines Ever
For part two of our All-American pop culture series, we’re looking at movie heroines who are pure red, white and blue.
On this list are the funniest of the funny and the deadly serious; felons and soldiers; dreamers and doers. But they’re all American girls at their best, worst, strongest, messiest, and, above all, most inspiring.
1. Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind
“I’ll never be hungry again!”
2. Ellen Page in Juno
Juno went straight to the hearts of all girls who hide fear and uncertainty behind one heck of a smart mouth.
3. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise
Some Take Back the Night. Others shoot and take off in a Thunderbird.
4. Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich
Prodded, dug and refused to keep her mouth shut–or her hemlines low.
5. Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side
Proved that the best American stories are true ones–and that the most thrilling successes come out of compassion.
6. Demi Moore as in G.I. Jane
Defined toughness. And shaved her head without a second thought.
7. Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl
Before there was Rachel Berry, Fanny Brice burned bright as an ambassador for every American girl with big, starry fantasies.
8. Pam Grier in Coffy
Onscreen, Grier was a nurse turned assassin avenging her sister’s death. Offscreen, she was the first true African-American action heroine.
9. Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde
Followed a boy, found herself.
10. Viola Davis as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny in The Help
They spoke up through pain and danger–and pulled off the most wicked baking prank of all time.
11. Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs
She didn’t scare easy, and she didn’t give up.
12. Abigail Breslin as Olive in Little Miss Sunshine
** FILE ** In this file photo, provided by 20th Century Fox, actress Abigail Breslin appears in the film, “Little Miss Sunshine.” The film received an Academy Award nomination for best picture, and Breslin got a nod for best supporting actress, at the announcement Tuesdayk, Jan. 23, 2007.(AP Photo/20th Century Fox) ** NO SALES **
What a world it would be if we could all have Olive’s total lack of inhibition.
13. Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles
She perfectly encapsulated the essence of being a teen girl: you simultaneously feel like everyone’s staring at you and like nobody notices you.
14. Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
There really is no place like home. Especially if home is Kansas.
15. Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story
A headstrong woman reconsidering suitors at the eleventh hour? Now that’s a real American-woman love story.
16. Angela Bassett in How Stella Got Her Groove Back
The can-powerful-women-have-it-all thing has been done a zillion times in movies, but never as satisfyingly as in Stella.
17. Diane Keaton in Annie Hall
Zooey Deschanel, bow down to the original onscreen icon of alluring quirkiness.
18. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games
She’s not just the most outdoorsy girl of all time–she’s the seed of revolution.
19. Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in the Alien movies
Kicked butt without worrying how she looked. Today’s latex-clad superheroines wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight against her.
20. Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate
No doubt she would have found the term “cougar” crass–and anyway, being one of a kind, she wouldn’t have fit into the category.
21. Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler, The First Wives Club
An under-the-radar pick, perhaps, but I never tire of seeing these women rediscover power in numbers and take down their doofus exes.
22. Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Brave in the face of a right hook, even braver in the face of death.
23. Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Though all her characters are amazing, with this one Meryl painted a portrait of all the love, hope, disappointment and uncertainty that comes with a long career–and reminded us that the finest things in life are ultimately the simplest.
24. Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids
Sometimes victories aren’t about saving the world–they’re just about picking up the pieces after a modern-woman meltdown and moving on.
25. Sally Field as Norma Rae
Is there a more American film moment than the one in this picture? I think not.
What are some of your favorite movie heroines?
More movies we love…
Introducing Glamour’s All-American Pop Culture Classics: First Up, Kid Movies
The 12 Best Romantic Comedies (Dirty Dancing! When Harry Met Sally!) of the ’80s
11 Summery Movies We Can Never Get Enough Of
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Photo: IMDB
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