12 Best Drew Barrymore Films

"Give him some Reeses Pieces!" With her blonde pigtails and disarming sincerity, the young Drew Barrymore effortlessly stole the hearts of the entire world. Her startled reaction upon first meeting the friendly alien in the closet, and her farewell kiss on his forehead, remain among the most iconic scenes in film history.

The beginning of a legendary on-screen friendship. As the sweet waitress Julia Sullivan, Barrymore found her perfect co-star in Adam Sandler. Her scene in front of the mirror practicing her future married name (Mrs. Julia Guglia) before bursting into tears shows her rare gift for making clumsiness irresistibly adorable.

"Do you like scary movies?" Everyone assumed Drew Barrymore, the biggest star on the poster, would be the film's heroine. Wes Craven shocked friend and foe alike by having her gruesomely killed by Ghostface within the legendary twelve-minute opening scene, forever redefining the horror genre.

After a severe car accident, Lucy suffers from a rare form of memory loss: every morning she believes it's the same day. Barrymore and Sandler deliver a heartwarming romcom in which Henry must win her heart anew each day. Barrymore balances childlike joy with sudden, deep tragedy as reality sets in.

As driving force and producer, Barrymore revived the classic 70s series as a whirlwind of girl power, kung fu, and joyful absurdity. As Dylan Sanders, she is the wild, impulsive hippie angel who jumps out of windows, laughs while fighting, and supports her sisters Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu through thick and thin.

No glass slippers or fairy godmothers, but a Cinderella who quotes Thomas More and carries a prince out of the woods on her own back. Barrymore created a resourceful, literate Renaissance heroine who refuses to be subdued by her wicked stepmother (Anjelica Huston).

Barrymore saved this cult classic from oblivion by joining as producer through her company Flower Films, and by playing the progressive literature teacher Karen Pomeroy herself. Her verbal defense of Graham Greene in the classroom gives Donnie Darko's mysterious universe a much-needed intellectual anchor.

Josie Grossie! As a twenty-five-year-old undercover journalist who returns to high school to study youth culture, she relives all her traumatic teenage years. Barrymore's white disco outfit and awkward behavior at the school dance make her eventual triumph on the baseball field all the sweeter.

After her breakthrough in E.T., the young Barrymore proved she could be dangerous too. In this Stephen King adaptation, she plays a girl with deadly pyrokinetic powers on the run from a secret government agency. When her hair starts blowing and her eyes light up, all hell breaks loose.

A stunning dramatic transformation that earned her a Golden Globe and SAG Award. As Little Edie, Jackie Kennedy's eccentric niece who wastes away with her mother (Jessica Lange) in a decaying mansion full of raccoons, Barrymore delivers the most nuanced performance of her adult career.

Sophie actually only takes care of the houseplants of a washed-up 80s pop star (Hugh Grant), until it turns out she has a remarkable talent for sharp song lyrics. The sparkling verbal duels between Grant's cynical British dryness and Barrymore's neurotic warmth make this one of the most joyful feel-good films of the 2000s.

For her directorial debut, Barrymore dove into the tough underground world of roller derby. Alongside directing, she also plays the fearless, beer-drinking Smashley Simpson, who happily body-checks her opponents around the track. An energetic, rebellious celebration of female camaraderie.