Arnav Srivastav
Emma Stone is the most sought after actress in the industry right now. At only 28 years old, Emma has a huge career in front of her. Since her start in the industry in 2007, she has climbed the ladder of success gradually with every performance. Her dream to become an actress was realized when she moved to LA at the tender of fourteen. Since then it has been no looking back, cementing her place in the business as one of the best. Her husky voice, sparkling eyes and flowing hair add to her immense acting capability with which she has captivated us since so many years. She lends tangibility to her emotions, and becomes a part of the audience through her performances.
Here is the list of top Emma Stone movies selected from her impressive filmography.
10. The Amazing Spider-man (2012)
Stone starred as Gwen Stacy in the rebooted series of the original ‘Spider-man’. The infusion of the young and fresh cast definitely paid off as the film became one of the highest grossing of the year, and prompted very positive reviews and two sequels. Stone’s rendition of Gwen among the many others stood out head and shoulders above them. Her electrifying chemistry with Andrew Garfield and the kind and personified character traits of Gwen made for a satisfying watch. She not only managed to make the character’s feelings believable, but also lend a certain assurance to the film’s plot and story-line.
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9. Magic in the Moonlight (2014)
The triumvirate of Emma Stone, Woody Allen and Colin Firth was anticipated to stupefy cinephiles and critics alike. But the clichéd screenplay and the lousy direction deterred the expected outcome. Stone played Sophie Baker, a clairvoyant and mystic who travels to the French Riviera to practice her supernatural skills on rich and desperate customers. But, Sophie is more than just a con-artist, and when Firth, the apotheosis of an illusionist comes along, the two can’t help but fall for each other. The hiding game that Stone manages to play to perfection is a highlight of an otherwise disappointing movie.
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8. Paper Man (2009)
The film bombed helplessly at the box office. Amidst this quagmire of unfulfilled expectations and over the top performances, Stone shined like a star in the black sky. The plot followed a failed novelist played by Jeff Daniels who moves to a beach community for a summer to overcome writer’s block. There he meets 17-year-old Abby, portrayed by Stone and a strange yet necessary friendship blossoms. Playing the troubled high-school girl, Emma was capable to present us a vintage potpourri of innocent, frustrated and self-absorbed. Her constrained relationship with her father made for an uncomfortable and heart-warming watch. It was the apotheosis of an ordinary teenager, lest who wasn’t ordinary at all.
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7. Irrational Man (2015)
The second film in the list to feature Allen and Stone, it also had Joaquin Phoenix in a starring role. The mystery drama was a disappointment among critics and cinephiles. Stone’s performance came in for considerable praise, for sharing the burden of carrying the film with Phoenix in an uncharacteristic Woody Allen feature. The clichéd screenplay and predictable story-line made for an uninteresting watch. The performances and the chemistry of the leads were the only two things able to salvage the movie from being a disaster.
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6. Superbad (2009)
The feature was Emma’s debut performance. Even though she had a minor role, she took it up with utmost sincerity and utter seriousness. She portrayed the role of the ‘cool’ girlfriend of Hill’s character. Her portrayal made her minimal sojourn have a long-lasting impact. The little idiosyncrasies like squinting her eyes and looking straight into our eyes, or leaning back and just staring at us, made her performance absolute gold. Stone gained weight for her small role, showing her dedication towards bringing authenticity and realism to her character. One of the underrated Emma Stone movies.
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5. Crazy, Stupid Love (2011)
The film is one of her four collaborations with Ryan Gosling. The comedy-drama also starring Steve Carell and Julian Moore, followed the journey of Cal (Carell), a middle-aged man who gets divorced by his wife and jumps out of the car. Sipping away cranberries in a bar, he discovers the man fatale, the quintessential ladies guy (Gosling), who helps him rediscover his manhood and makes him an older rendition of himself. The film saw Stone play Nana, Carell’s daughter, the fact which is estranged to Gosling’s’ character until one day when fate brings them together. Her chemistry with Gosling turned heads, and made them one of those timeless couples, getting them iconic status in the industry. The film was a big success, and was critically acclaimed and appreciated by everyone.
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4. Easy-A (2010)
This is one of Stone’s most under rated and appreciated performances, just like the film. She plays the role of Olive Penderghast, a 17-year-old girl living in California, who lies to her best friend about losing her virginity to one of the college boys. A girl overhears their conversation. and soon, her story spreads in the entire school like wildfire. This is the second time Stone took up the challenge of playing a school-girl, albeit this time in a major role. The film squarely rested on he shoulders, and she came off with flying colors. The film was a big success, and had critical acclaim directed towards her performance.
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3. The Help (2011)
Stone starred as Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, an aspiring writer learning about the lives of the African-American maids. Taylor, the director of the movie has said: “Emma was completely awkward and dorky, with her raspy voice, and she sat down and we got a little intoxicated and had a blast, and I just thought, ‘God! God! This is Skeeter.” The film went on to universal critical acclaim, with much praise directed towards its lead cast. Octavia Spencer won the Academy Award for her portrayal, but Stone missed out on a nomination. Nonetheless, her performance attracted major appraisal, with her “likability and well-meaning intentions” heavily cited. This was her first performance as a writer, and in preparation of the role, Stone read books on Civil Rights in the US and worked heavily with a dialect coach to perfect the Southern accent.
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2. Birdman (2014)
This flick fetched Emma her first Academy nomination.The film features her in the role of Sam Thomson, the recovering-addict daughter of actor Riggan Thomson (Keaton), who becomes his assistant. Iñárritu created the character based on his experience with his daughter. Birdman was critically acclaimed and won Best Picture at the Oscars. Her relationship with every actor on set, all the characters was distinctive and praise-worthy. This was universally considered the best performance not only of the year, but also her career. In particular, a monologue she delivers, which is “like a knitting needle to the gut,” is the highlight of the film and showered her with universal critical praise.
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1. La La Land (2016)
Indubitably, the movie of the year, Emma Stone, won her first Academy Award for her performance. The plot revolves around Sebastian (Gosling) and Mia, two struggling artists who are on the verge of giving up when their paths meet and things change. The chemistry of the leads lifted the movie into a must-watch haven. This is her fourth Collaboration with Ryan Gosling, who was equally appreciated and lauded for his performance. The film fetched Stone all the major awards, the SAG, the BAFTA, the Golden Globe and the much coveted Academy Award. Her visceral and emotional performance, inspired by her own sojourn in the industry won many hearts of cinephiles and critics alike. For the preparation of her role, Emma dedicated a vigorous six months to learning the nuances as a dancer and a singer. All considered it paid off, and the film became a classic that will be remembered for days to come.
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