53 Melanie Lynskey Movies, Ranked Best to Worst

The film adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s novel of the same name is a coming-of-age drama focusing on themes like anxiety, adolescence, PTSD, depression, and finding happiness. Introvert Charlie Kelmeckis tries to cope with the suicide of his best friend, while trying to navigate high-school, find love with Sam Button, and deal with his own mental illness.  

Quiet and brooding Pauline Parker forms a bond with bright and outspoken Juliet Hulme when her wealthy family relocates to Christchurch. They spend a lot of time together painting, writing stories etc, eventually creating a fantasy kingdom.  Trouble starts when worried by their intense friendship their families try to separate them.   

Ryan Bingham, a professional downsizing expert, constantly travels across the country, sometimes meeting Alex, another frequent flier, and is close to achieving ten million frequent flyer miles. However, his lifestyle is threatened when his ambitious new colleague, Natalie, proposes termination via videoconferencing to cut expense, and Ryan must prove the importance of doing his job in-person.

An adaptation of the fairy tale ‘Cinderella’, the movie tells the story of Danielle de Barbarac in Renaissance-era France. After the death of her father, she is forced into servitude by her stepmother Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent and her children. But her life changes for the better after an accidental encounter with Crown Prince Henry. 

This crime drama film tells the story of a woman who finds herself quite depressed after getting burgled. Along with her obnoxious neighbors, she eventually decides to find and track down the thieves.  However, they soon realize that they are up against very dangerous criminals.

Win Win is a 2011 sports drama film revolving around a struggling lawyer, who decides to take advantage of his elderly client, who is a wrestling coach. However, the former’s life changes, when his client’s grandson arrives. 

After getting injured in a car accident that killed his wife, Frank Bannister acquires ability to see and interact with ghosts. Befriending some spirits, he uses them to frighten people and then ‘exorcises’ them for a fee. Then emerges the ghost of a mass murderer capable of attacking both living and dead, and maybe, only Frank can stop the ‘Reaper’ from killing. 

Away we Go is a comedy-drama film which tells the story of a couple expecting their first child, who travel around the entire US, to find a perfect place to start a family. 

A biographical movie about Washington DC journalist Stephen Glass, working as staff-writer at The News Republic. While still in his 20s, the hard-working journalist, who is well-liked amongst colleagues, earns enormous popularity with his exclusive stories. His rival and new editor-in-chief Charles Lane, who has doubts about the accuracy of his stories, uncovers his deception by exposing partially or entirely fabricated stories.

A photograph of American soldiers raising the US flag on Mount Suribachi following their victory on Iwo Jima during WWII becomes a symbol of hope back home. The three surviving soldiers from the photo are sent on a tour to raise money by selling war-bonds, but struggle with the limelight, post-war trauma, and misrepresentation of facts by the government.

In 1978, four Midwestern teen members of tribute-band Mystery, who idolize the rock band KISS, eagerly await their upcoming concert. When a devout mother of one of them burns their tickets, the boys turn frantic. In their quest to see their favorites perform live, they stumble through misadventures, fight authorities, do everything possible to conquer the hurdles between them and the KISS.

With an asteroid on its way to obliterate Earth, insurance salesman, Dodge, bonds with his neighbor Penny. Penny decides to help Dodge reach Olivia, his former sweetheart while Dodge decides to help Penny reach England to see her family. On their trip, the two fall in love before the destruction of the world.  

This comedy drama film revolves around a naïve teenager who excels in school as well as cheer-leading. However, her friends and parents start suspecting her of being a homosexual, and they send her to a rehab camp.

Rising Archer Daniels Midland's executive, Mark Whitacre, decides to spy on his own company for their price-fixing tactics. Working with the FBI he gains enough evidence but struggles with his bipolar disorder. As the movie progresses it is revealed that Mark also embezzled money from his own company and ends up in jail. 

Leaves of Grass is a black comedy drama film which tells the story of Bill, a professor, who is lured back to Oklahoma, his hometown, after Brady, his twin brother who is a cannabis seller, gets into a feud with a drug lord, and plans to take him down.    

After taking a divorce from her lawyer husband David, Amy, a woman in her thirties, move back with her upper middle class parents Ruth and Stan living in Westport, Connecticut. Three months later, she finds herself still depressed, not knowing what to do with her life. However, things take a turn when she begins an affair with a nineteen year old boy.     

Even though Jake Perry and his wife Melanie Smooter are estranged, he still hopes for a reconciliation. Melanie wants to divorce and marry Andrew Hennings, a wealthy man. However, things don’t work out according to her plans, and she ends up falling in love with Jake once again. 

Four couples are on a weekend getaway but things take a turn when one of the couples discover that the trip was actually orchestrated so that they can end their constant bickering and improve their relationship as well as revive their old feelings for one another.  

Violet Sanford moves to New York to achieve her goal of becoming a songwriter. She gets a job as barmaid in the hot-spot nightclub ‘Coyote Ugly’, where a bunch of vivacious women wildly entice the customers with their antics. As she earns notoriety at the bar, her aspirations are sidelined; however, a friend helps her render her songs in her own voice.

Molly is the owner of a small sweet shop. Joel, who works for a gigantic candy company, is assigned to shut her down. However, the two start falling for one another.

Happy Christmas is a comedy drama film which tells the story of Jenny, a woman, who moves to her brother’s house, after her breakup. With Jenny’s help, Kelly, her brother's wife, begins to realize that she needs to make changes in her personal and professional life.

After her boyfriend disappears all of a sudden, Katie is stressed and frustrated as her past continues to haunt her. However, two years later, when she is trying to complete her thesis and get a job, things take a turn, when he reappears again in her life.