By Renee Stock · December 31, 2014
She has one of the most famous names in Hollywood history, but never once have we felt a hint of nepotism coming from her. Maybe it’s because the most famous Barrymore hadn’t made a movie since the 1940’s, but more likely it’s because she was so wonderfully adorable and funny in her big screen debut that she stood out and made the name all her own. Drew Barrymore grew up in front of all of us. We witnessed her rockiest moment and saw a comeback that Valerie Cherish can only dream of — and she did it when she was still only 15. She’s experimented with many genres and most of her strongest work has come from lighter fare. But making a good romantic comedy is no joke and Barrymore’s are among some of the best of genre.
10. Mad Love, 1995
Sure she can play sweet, but she can also play reckless. A lot of movies about suicide and mental illness were coming out in the 90's and this was one of the better ones largely due to Drew Barrymore’s performance. Rotten Tomatoes indicates that this is a terrible movie, but I fall more into the Roger Ebert camp on this one, he gave it three stars, as do I. This movie handles mental illness and teenage love with maturity and honestly and never feels like a plot device or an after school special.
9. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, 2002
This movie had a tricky tone, thanks to a screenplay written by the singular Charlie Kaufman, and Barrymore pulls it off. She plays a long suffering girlfriend who is sweet and kind, but she gives the character a more adult core than she delivers in her romantic comedies, and is the anchor that counterbalances the zanier aspects of the story.
It's also noteworthy that Barrymore and director George Clooney meshed well on this project. How can we tell? Barrymore finds immediate settlement with this X-factor role. This onscreen ease is a mixture of two things: a highly talented actor and a director that understands his actors.
8. Never Been Kissed, 1999
Barrymore goes back to high-school, undercover. She has great chemistry with Michael Vartan, sure — but the real reason this movie is so fun to watch is Barrymore's interactons with the nicely selected supporting cast which includes John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon and Octavia Spencer.
Albeit this film is mush on top of mush, it still has some moments that resonate (and are applicable) to all of us. Two of these themes include 1) wanting to be cool in high school and 2) high school love. Barrymore was born to depict these moments onscreen. She does. And she does it with grace.
Renee Stock · December 19, 2014
