This weekend, Sandra Bullock returns to the big screen in Practical Magic 2, the sequel to her 1998 cult favorite hit co-starring Nicole Kidman. Bullock has been a cinema darling since the ’90s after what became her big break in the 1994 action film Speed, and she hasn’t looked back ever since. Spanning both comedy and drama, Bullock has amassed an impressive filmography that ultimately led to an Academy Award win (with another nomination that followed), and wins at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. She’s a mix of natural talent and undeniable likable charm that has made her one of the most bankable actresses working in the industry, and it has gone a long way to prove that just about everyone loves Sandra Bullock. She hasn’t been on the big screen since 2022’s The Lost City and Bullet Train, so Practical Magic 2 is a bit of a welcome-home party for Bullock, and it presented us with the right time to break down the five best performances of America’s most endearing cinematic sweetheart.
Honorable Mention: Angela Bennett in The Net (1995)
After finding box office success with Speed, Bullock became an instant sought-after actress and was allowed to lead films that banked on her name above the title. One of those films was 1995’s The Net, an action thriller that emerged during the early days of the internet, when it was scary and uncertain. While much of the film is true to its time and typical of thrillers that were emerging in the mid-90s, the movie is elevated by Bullock’s relatable vulnerability as Angela Bennett, which is matched with an effortless tenacity to survive. Directed by Irwin Winkler and written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris, The Net follows systems analyst Angela Bennett (Bullock), a woman with very few personal contacts, who discovers that all records of her life have been deleted after she inadvertently stumbles upon a much bigger conspiracy that involves very powerful people.
With her home emptied and another woman assuming her identity, Angela is now in a race against time to reclaim her life before it’s too late. Above all else, The Net proved that Bullock could shoulder a film on her own following the success of Speed. The film rides on her dramatic weight as the sole lead, and she more than proves her worth as someone the audience can instantly root for. The audience is all behind Angela as dangerous corporate forces close in on her, and that is based solely on Bullock’s infectious charm and ability to win the affections of the audience. It’s an action-driven role that allowed her to showcase more of her talents beyond light comedy, and while The Net might feel dated today, Bullock’s performance keeps interest high.
5. Jean Cabot in Crash (2005)
They say there are no small roles, and Bullock proves that with a small but pivotal turn in the crime drama Crash. The film has been polarizing since its release, and it became even more so after a Best Picture win many felt it didn’t deserve. What is certain, however, is that it’s littered with stellar performances, Bullock’s among them. Directed by Paul Haggis, who co-wrote the screenplay with Robert Moresco, Crash follows a series of interconnected stories involving racial and social tensions in Los Angeles. Early in the film, Anthony (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) and Peter (Larenz Tate), two young Black men, carjack district attorney Rick Cabot (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Jean (Bullock), causing the latter to confront her own anger and innate racial bias. Bullock had starred in some dramas ahead of Crash, most notably 1996’s A Time to Kill, but even that film relied on her likable charm rather than her dramatic chops.
Crash allowed Bullock to step out of her comfort zone and portray a woman who shows a realistic and ugly side of racism as she’s consumed with paranoia and bitterness following her own personal ordeal. Bullock doesn’t strive to make Jean likable, as is seen during her most powerful moment when a Hispanic locksmith comes to change their locks following the carjacking, and she demands to have them changed again when she suspects he might be a gangster. It’s raw and unfiltered emotion that Bullock has no issue delivering. Even though she’s only afforded a small number of scenes in the film, she’s able to show Jean’s gradual growth as the reason for her anger and resentment begins to become clear.
Jean might have a hard exterior, but she’s deeply lonely, and her emotional despair has been rocked by an event she can’t shake. The turning point for her character is when she falls down the stairs at her home, and the only one there to help her is the housekeeper she has consistently mistreated. The message might be heavy-handed, but Bullock makes you believe in the character’s evolution with only a few scenes that prove she was much more than a queen of romantic comedies.
4. Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side (2009)
The Blind Side is a pivotal moment in Bullock’s career because it felt like critics finally took notice of what fans already knew about her as an actress. If Crash didn’t prove she was more than her likability, The Blind Side did so by infusing it with a commanding presence that turned her into a bulldozer of a personality wrapped in a blanket of genuine warmth that went a long way to make it a signature performance that earned Bullock an Academy Award for her efforts. Written and directed by John Lee Hancock, The Blind Side is based on the 2006 book of the same name by Michael Lewis, and it details the story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a football offensive lineman who, with the help of Leigh Anne (Bullock) and Sean Tuohy (Tim McGraw), overcame an impoverished upbringing to ultimately have a career in the NFL.
The Blind Side might play fast and loose with its true story depending on who you ask but, based solely on the merits of Bullock’s lead performance, the film is a joy to watch. Conveying big Tennessee charm, Bullock imbues the role with a mix of strength, heart, and sharp comedic timing that makes Leigh Anne the ultimate mama bear. Someone fierce and loyal that you would want on your side because she would never give up on you. Every scene that she’s in Bullock is like an unstoppable force of nature and what makes her performance even more impressive is that she does all of this without making her a caricature. This is why Bullock swept awards season following the film’s release.
Over the years, some have questioned if she deserved the win, but when you really look at what she did with that role, without making it a walking joke, you realize just how good she is in the film. Inherently and fiercely maternal one minute and then lovingly compassionate the next, Bullock proved with The Blind Side that she knew how to ultilize the tools of her talent in more ways than just falling back on her natural charm. Plus, she’s forever a boss for accepting her Razzie Award for All About Steve in person the night before winning her Oscar for this film. Proof that she’s someone that can take a joke and doesn’t take herself too seriously.
3. Gracie Hart in Miss Congeniality (2000)
Bullock has been in a slew of comedies and rom-coms that have become favorites. Whether it’s While You Were Sleeping, The Proposal, or The Heat, she more than proves her comedic chops, and even in lesser entries such as Forces of Nature, she’s still the top draw to watch. Picking almost any of these would be fair to list as some of her best, but she seemed to hit her magnum opus in the comedy genre with Miss Congeniality, an insanely rewatchable action comedy that succeeds mostly on Bullock’s innate comedic timing that is balanced with an ensemble cast that has no problem matching her pitch. Directed by Donald Petrie and written by Marc Lawrence, Katie Ford, and Caryn Lucas, Miss Congeniality follows a tomboy special agent for the FBI, Gracie Hart (Bullock), who is tasked by her agency to go undercover as a contestant at the Miss United States pageant when a terrorist threatens to bomb the event.
Some films are comfort movies, and if you ask more than a few people, Miss Congeniality is one of theirs, thanks in large part to Bullock’s fully committed performance as Gracie Hart, which is a masterclass in all aspects of comedy. In many ways, it seems like she’s channeling Lucille Ball with some of the film’s laugh out loud phyiscal comedy moments, and through it all, Bullock always manages to ensure that Gracie never becomes a joke. Going from a rough-around-the-edges FBI agent into a still rough-around-the-edges beauty contestant, Bullock makes you buy the evolution. It helps that the movie doesn’t make the character an instant turnaround once she has her makeover (her signature walkout following her transformation equally proves her beauty and self-deprecation, as it ends with a pretty funny clumsy moment).
She doesn’t suddenly become a supermodel. She’s still awkward and trying to work it out as she goes along, and the audience is gleefully along for the ride. There is a brilliance to how Bullock plays all of it. Instead of mocking the other contestants, Gracie’s initial confusion about their commitment is genuine until she gets to know them and forms a level of respect for them. There is no winking to the audience about the women who engage in events such as this. Whether it’s watching her bounce from one physically comedic moment to the next or the character balancing awkwardness with heart, Bullock’s chops are expertly on display, making Miss Congeniality one of the best comedies of its kind.
2. Annie Porter in Speed (1994)
Bullock had been in a few films ahead of Speed, such as the remake of The Vanishing, The Thing Called Love, and Demolition Man, but the 1994 Jan de Bont-directed action thriller is the movie that no doubt made her a star, and it’s easy to see why. As Annie Porter, a woman tasked with taking over driving a bus that, if it goes below 50, will explode, Bullock showcased most of the abilities that would make her light up our screens for years to come. Instantly likable, funny, yet grounded, Bullock conveys a relatability that makes her just as instrumental to that film’s success as her male co-star, Keanu Reeves. Written by Graham Yost, Speed centers around a city bus that is rigged by a vengeful ex-cop named Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) to explode should its speed drop below 50 miles per hour.
Jumping into action is Jack Traven (Reeves), who tries to prevent the disaster with the help of several passengers, including Annie Porter (Bullock), who becomes unexpectedly involved when she’s tasked with driving the bus. The best aspect of Bullock’s performance in Speed is that she feels like a normal person who is thrust into an extraordinary situation. She never becomes a seasoned action hero. She remains a relatable everywoman from start to finish, and that’s what makes her charming turn here so good. Throughout all the high stakes of the film, she keeps it grounded with her likability and the believability that she’s in over her head but willing to do what she can to help when there is no other choice.
Also a winner is her chemistry with Reeves, which ranges from tense, playful, and flirty banter that never distracts from the crisis at hand. Their growing union never takes focus away from the threat, but it evolves naturally because of it. Sometimes you can tell when a star is born, and that’s something you got with Bullock’s performance in Speed. Everything about it feels organic, and it’s a quality that she would continue to utilize across many of her performances.
1. Dr. Ryan Stone in Gravity (2013)
Sometimes your talent can be measured by whether you can carry a film on your own. Bullock has had no problem being the lead in films, and as we saw in films like The Net, she was more than capable of driving a movie with her name solely above the title. That being said, 2013’s Gravity is a totally different beast. While Bullock isn’t alone for all of Gravity’s runtime, she’s flying solo for roughly 80 minutes of the sci-thriller’s slim 91-minute duration, and in that time, she showcases a gamut of emotions as she experiences deep emotional grief and isolation that transitions into an unwavering determination to survive. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jonas Cuarón, Gravity follows two American astronauts (portrayed by Bullock and George Clooney) who attempt to return to Earth after their Space Shuttle is destroyed in orbit.
Bullock’s portrayal in Gravity is nothing short of extraordinary. It would be easy to get lost in the visual spectacle of Gravity because it’s truly breathtaking but Bullock keeps you squarely focused on her character’s humanity and journey. You’re invested in her survival, and she accomplishes this with a purely solo performance that relies solely on her dramatic chops. For anyone who thought The Blind Side was a fluke, Gravity and the Best Actress Oscar nomination she received for her efforts, proved it wasn’t. In addition to her emotional depth, she matches it with a physical performance that adds to the character’s plight.
Bullock reportedly spent hours in a mechanical rig in isolation using choreographed modern dance movements in order to convey the feeling and look of zero gravity while also memorizing the necessary movements to match Cuarón’s continous takes. One of her most powerful scenes in the film is unspoken and happens during the film’s climax when she finally returns to Earth. You feel her appreciation for life as she crawls out of the water onto the shore an takes her first breath of real air after her ordeal. It’s all physical acting and almost feels like a rebith of sorts. With Gravity, Bullock more than proved her worth as a dramatic powerhouse in a performance that still remains her best.
Practical Magic 2 opens in theaters nationwide this Friday.
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