Anne Hathaway, queen of our hearts and movie star for the ages, has had a banger 2026. She starred in (and promoted) five movies: Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Odyssey, The End of Oak Street, and Verity. Naturally, let’s rank the performances!
Before we begin, it’s important to outline the (very subjective) parameters. My ranking is a combination of the overall quality of the movie, the overall quality of Hathaway’s performance in the movie, whether her performance matched the quality of the movie, enhanced the quality, or slightly diminished the quality of the movie, how good her crying was in the movie (She’s our queen of crying for a reason!), and whether I would watch the movie again. Here’s my ranking of her 2026 catalog:
5. The Devil Wears Prada 2
Hathaway returned as our beloved Andy Sachs in the sequel to the cult classic The Devil Wears Prada. The movie is a solid sequel that stays true to its roots, delivering just enough fan service and fun cameos while also offering a message about the state of journalism. It’s not as rewatchable as the first, but it never really could have been, considering the first was a lightning-in-a-bottle type movie. Hathaway’s performance is solid, and she does what she needs to do to carry the film, with plenty of support from Emily Blunt. There aren’t any notable crying scenes in this one, and that shows restraint.
4. Mother Mary
I wrote at length about my thoughts on this movie here, so I won’t get too deep. This was the least successful Hathaway movie of the year for a few reasons. The story wasn’t robust enough to fill the runtime, dragging at times and cramming lore into other parts. The writing is full of metaphors that don’t fully click. And, unfortunately, Hathaway’s performance as the world’s biggest pop star isn’t quite convincing enough to carry the premise. Her performance certainly didn’t hurt the movie, and there were moments that really wowed, but the musical performances held it back. There was some fantastic crying from Hathaway, but not enough to raise this from fourth place.
3. Verity
Verity is the worst Hathaway movie of the year, but through no fault of her own. Her performance elevates an otherwise boring and unsuccessful movie. The film is based on the Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, which gained popularity because of its reputation as a thriller with an ambiguous ending and an unreliable narrator — a premise film fans usually love. Sadly, the thrills and ambiguity are a little too predictable to fully succeed. Despite the issues with the source material, Hathaway delivers an incredible performance, which is extra impressive considering her character is in a coma for most of the runtime. It feels like the performance that let her have the most fun, allowing her to be the confident, enigmatic author, the ill, grieving mother, and the sexy voice propelling the story all at once. And, of course, she delivers some very effective crying along the way. I’ll never watch this movie again, but I am so grateful we got to see such a playful Hathaway performance.
2. The Odyssey
Hathaway embodies Penelope, Odysseus’s wife and the reigning queen of Ithaca, as she waits for her husband to return. The Odyssey is objectively the best overall film featuring Hathaway this year, and the front-runner for Best Picture, but the second-best Hathaway performance of the year. Hathaway’s Penelope offers several opportunities for emotional depth, including sadness, strength, rage, and, of course, some very strong crying. She absolutely delivers on all fronts and was an inspired choice for Penelope, bringing dimension and substance to a role that could have fallen flat without her experience and commitment.
1. The End of Oak Street
While The Odyssey seems hard to beat, it’s simply not an Anne Hathaway Movie; it’s a Matt Damon Movie. The End of Oak Street is her movie through and through. She carries the story on her shoulders, delivering a funny, emotional, action-packed performance in a fantastic summer blockbuster. This role is unlike anything we’ve ever seen from her before, and I hope it’s not the last time we get this version of Hathaway. She is the emotional heartbeat, deeply believable as a mom who’s willing to do anything to protect her family. Her tears are convincing and strategically deployed. She could easily be nominated for a major award this year, and I wish it were for The End of Oak Street.
List Courtesy of Ashley Hatzenbihler