The 6 Best Demi Moore Movies (And One That Should Be Avoided At All Costs)
I’ve been beating the drum a lot for Demi Moore these days, but I recognize a queen when I see one.
Now, if only society could collectively reexamine every other female Hollywood icon that we’ve censured and traumatized during the patently misogynistic 20th century, I’d be ecstatic. But for now, I’ll settle for Demi. As I cross my fingers and hope she wins the Oscar for The Substance (my favorite 2024 movie), I’d like to look back on her best and most historic roles – and one that should be wiped from existence.
The 6 Best Demi Moore Movies
Ghost (1990)
The one with the pottery! It’s also the one where they say “Ditto,” but everyone forgets that. Oh, and it’s also the movie that nabbed Whoopi Goldberg an Oscar! Yep, that’s right, View co-host Whoopi Goldberg has won an Oscar and Demi Moore has never even been nominated until this year. Of course, Goldberg deserved her win – she’s compelling AF in this movie and earns every laugh. But Moore is the film’s emotional center: her trembling voice, her distraught tears, and her steely strength all make the film work. It’s no wonder she got her first Golden Globe nomination for it.
A Few Good Men (1992)
As Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway in A Few Good Men, Moore commands the screen from start to finish, delivering principled military lawyer realness as her character uncovers the truth behind a Marine’s death. Across from powerhouses Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, Moore still holds her own with impressive resolve and bayonet-sharp intellect. While contending with the fact that she’s a token female officer, she’s also a flawed and committed advocate for justice. This role showcases Moore’s dramatic range, proving she can soar in high-stakes, dialogue-driven thrillers.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
There’s a lot that goes into voice acting! (Is what my former roommate, a voice actor, used to tell me regularly). Case in point: As the enchanting Esmerelda, Demi Moore brings warmth and charisma to Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, an excellent movie otherwise bereft of warmth and charisma. But unlike many animated heroines of the time, Esmeralda is no fairy princess, but a bold, enterprising gypsy who stands up to the corrupt Judge Frollo and fights for the outcasts of Paris. True to her status as a trailblazing feminist icon, Demi Moore imbues Esmerelda with the fierce independence that makes her character sing.
Margin Call (2011)
Moore’s icy and commanding performance in this corporate thriller is quite nuanced. As Sarah Robertson, a high-ranking executive at a failing investment firm, Moore shows us Robertson’s resilience as well as her growing sense of dread. She’s not entirely a villain, but she’s not entirely sympathetic either—she’s simply a survivor with questionable ethics. (OK, she’s a villain). Acting alongside a male-heavy ensemble cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, and Paul Bettany, Moore holds her own once again, helping this gripping financial drama stick the landing.
Indecent Proposal (1993)
Few roles in Moore’s career were as controversial—or as unforgettable—as her turn in Indecent Proposal. I mean, come on, this is the one where she tosses money on the bed and cavorts upon it! Yes, that trend is from a real movie and not just TikTok! Anyway, some plot: As one half of a young, struggling couple, Moore’s character is thrust into a moral dilemma when a billionaire offers her and her husband $1 million for a single night with her. However, this sexy thriller is more complex than it sounds, and Moore expertly captures Diana’s doubt, desire, and disillusionment. Donut. (I just wanted to say a “D” word again.)
The Substance (2024)
Uh, duh! This is the reason we’re here. In this genre-obliterating satirical body horror fantasia, Moore embraces her inner hunchbacked chaos gremlin and dissolves into a puddle of fabulous delusion. That’s technically an accurate description of this movie! However, Moore also deserves all the praise she’s getting for this instant classic. As Elizabeth Sparkle, she perfectly sells her character’s fear, vanity, desperation, intensity, and eventual acceptance of her third boob. Again: An accurate description of this movie.
The one you should never see, even if your life depends on it
Parasite (1982)
Don’t watch this movie! I thought it was, like, a prequel to Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning movie or, like, the original version of it, but nope, it’s a bargain bin reject B movie about Demi Moore and her friends running from a parasite that’s trying to eat all of Earth. But the parasite looks like a cross between a stoner piranha and a Venus fly trap, like if Audrey II failed out of high school and became a bagger at Farm Fresh. This is unfortunately Demi Moore’s first major film role, to her chagrin, but everyone has to start out somewhere. Plus, she more than made up for it by *gestures to previous six entries*. Oh, and she’s probably going to win an Oscar for The Substance, so, like, she’s fine. She’s Demi Moore!
