Honestly, it’s kinda wild that in 2026, we’re still arguing about what makes a "Julia Roberts movie." People think they know her. They think of the laugh—that massive, room-clearing cackle—and they think of the rom-com era where she basically owned every multiplex from Des Moines to Dublin. But if you’ve been paying attention lately, especially with the buzz surrounding her recent projects, you’ll realize the "America’s Sweetheart" label is a bit of a trap.
Take her latest turn in After the Hunt. Released in late 2025 and currently cleaning up during the 2026 awards season, this Luca Guadagnino thriller is about as far from Pretty Woman as you can get. She plays Alma, a professor caught in a messy, ethically gray sexual abuse scandal involving a student and a colleague. It’s prickly. It’s uncomfortable. It’s Julia at her most "bitter and angry," and critics are calling it her best work since Erin Brockovich.
The truth? She hasn't been just a rom-com star for decades.
The Pivot Most People Missed
Everyone points to the 90s as the golden age. And sure, Notting Hill and My Best Friend’s Wedding are untouchable classics. They’re the cinematic equivalent of a warm blanket. But the real Julia Roberts movie fans know her career actually lives in the pivots.
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Remember Closer? That 2004 Mike Nichols film was a brutal, cold-blooded look at infidelity. She wasn't the "sweetheart" there. She was Anna, a photographer tangled in a web of emotional cruelty. Or look at August: Osage County. Playing opposite Meryl Streep, she was raw and exhausted. It wasn’t about being likable; it was about being real.
We often forget that she’s one of the few stars who can oscillate between a massive heist flick like Ocean’s Eleven—where she holds her own in a room full of Clooney, Pitt, and Damon—and a quiet, devastating indie like Ben Is Back. In that one, she plays a mother dealing with her son’s opioid addiction over twenty-four harrowing hours. No megawatt smile there. Just grief.
Why We’re Still Talking About the 90s
It’s the nostalgia, obviously. It’s hard to overstate how much Pretty Woman (1990) changed the industry. It made half a billion dollars on a tiny budget. But the "Cinderella" narrative of that film actually distracts from how savvy she was. She followed that up with Flatliners and Sleeping with the Enemy. She was chasing thrillers before she was ever "Queen of Rom-Coms."
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If you’re looking to catch up on the essentials, you sort of have to look at the "Big Three":
- Erin Brockovich (2000): The one that finally got her the Oscar. It’s the perfect blend of her movie-star charisma and her ability to play a grit-under-the-fingernails protagonist.
- Steel Magnolias (1989): People forget she was just a kid here. Shelby is the heartbeat of that movie, and that hospital scene still destroys anyone with a soul.
- Notting Hill (1999): It’s meta before meta was cool. She’s playing a world-famous actress who just wants to be a "girl, standing in front of a boy." It’s charming, yeah, but there’s a loneliness in her performance that feels very lived-in.
The 2026 Landscape: What’s Next?
So, where is she now? Aside from the After the Hunt accolades, the rumor mill is spinning fast about Ocean’s 14. Just this month, reports surfaced that she’s read the script and—shocker—she actually likes it. George Clooney has been hinting that the original gang is coming back to Vegas. If that happens, it’ll be the biggest "legacy sequel" event of the decade.
She’s also been leaning into the "prestige thriller" space. Leave the World Behind on Netflix (produced by the Obamas, no less) showed she’s perfectly comfortable playing someone slightly unlikable and deeply anxious. It’s a far cry from the days of Runaway Bride.
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What to Watch Right Now
If you’ve only seen her on cable TV reruns, you’re missing the depth.
- For the Thrills: Watch The Pelican Brief. It’s a classic John Grisham adaptation, and her chemistry with Denzel Washington is underrated.
- For the Tears: Stepmom. It’s a 1998 tearjerker, but the dynamic between her and Susan Sarandon is genuinely sophisticated for its time.
- For the Craft: Check out Gaslit. It’s a limited series rather than a movie, but her portrayal of Martha Mitchell is a masterclass in transformational acting.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you want to understand the full scope of a movie with Julia Roberts, don't just stick to the hits.
- Audit her "Angry" Era: Watch After the Hunt as soon as it hits streaming. It redefines what we expect from her at 58.
- Look for the Directors: She picks her collaborators carefully. When you see her working with Guadagnino or Soderbergh, pay attention. That’s where the real "acting" happens.
- Ignore the "Sweetheart" Label: Stop looking for the 1990s version of her. The 2020s version is much more complex, darker, and frankly, more interesting to watch.
Her career isn't a museum of 90s nostalgia; it's an evolving study of what it means to grow up in front of the world and refuse to stay in the box people built for you. Whether she's chasing down a corporate conspiracy or navigating the fallout of a campus scandal, she remains the last true "Movie Star" we have.
Start by revisiting Erin Brockovich to see the foundation, then jump straight into Leave the World Behind or After the Hunt to see how much she’s changed. The contrast is where the magic is.