Jada Pinkett Smithis without a doubt a talented actress whose career includes many major works. She has been in the industry for a long time, and her work spans multiple different genres. Not only did she act in popular films, but we also got the chance to see her in TV series like the American sitcomA Different World. She acted in other series as well, likeGothamandHawthorne. What makes Pinkett Smith’s roles more memorable is the fact that she starred alongside many famous actors, including her previous partner, Will Smith.
Despite her great talent, the actress has been met with criticism several times in recent years. With the famous Oscar slap, it seems like Pinkett Smith’s focus has been more on her personal life rather than her professional life and career, whichled to these waves of criticism. We will get to see and learn about her life and her family even more when shepublishes her upcoming memoir. Until then, let’s remember Pinkett Smith’s best performances, ranked.
10Magic Mike XXL (2015)
One of Pinkett Smith’s most memorable roles is her role inMagic Mike XXL,which was the sequel to the first film, released in 2012. The film follows Magic Mike (Channing Tatum), who is a retired stripper, as he gets together with his friends, whom he used to work with, for one last trip. Dissatisfied with his new life after retirement as it didn’t turn out to be what he expected, Mike agrees to go with his friends to this convention where they can dance together one more time. Throughout the film, we will see the group of strippers meets different women, including Pinkett Smith’s character.
InMagic Mike XXL, Mike and his friends stop at a strip club on their road trip. The club is owned by Rome (Pinkett Smith), and we get to learn how the two of them have a history together. Rome plays a part in the men’s plan, even though she refused to help at first. By the end of the film, Rome comes to their aid and we can seethe chemistry between her and Mike. Pinkett Smith did an excellent job at portraying the self-confident character of Rome and this is what made her memorable. Aside from the two stars,Magic Mike XXL’s cast includes Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, Amber Heard, and more.
Related:Magic Mike XXL: How the Movie Breaks Gender Norms and is a Feminist Anthem
9The Nutty Professor (1996)
The Nutty Professor, which was released in 1996, is one of these films that are unforgettable even after many years have passed. The film had an interesting idea that attracted the audience to it when it was first released, and until today, it remains one of Pinkett Smith’s best performances. The film follows Professor Sherman Klump (Eddie Murphy), who is obese and also very smart. To him, his weight is an obstacle standing in his way to finding true love. Then comes chemistry student Carla Purty (Pinkett Smith), and Klump is instantly interested in her.
to attempt to win Purty and get her interested in him, Klump tries a weight-loss potion he has been working on for a while. While the potion is successful and does help him lose weight, it comes with unexpected side effects. An arrogant version of Klump appears and while he is thinner, he is also very arrogant, unlike the kind-hearted professor. Purty is then torn between the two men as both try to woo her, and she will do her best to defend those who need it, including Klump. One of the moments that Pinkett Smith shared about filming was when she took laced drugs, whichled to her passing out, so it was definitely an interesting set. The comedy film’s cast included James Coburn, Larry Miller, Dave Chappelle, Jamal Mixon, and more.
8The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
InThe Matrix Revolutions, we got to see Pinkett Smith act in a role that is the favorite for many of her fans. Niobe. One of the rebels and alsoone of the most badass charactersout there. The film follows Neo (Keanu Reeves) as the war between humans and machines is very near. The city of Zion has to defend itself against the machine invasion, which isn’t an easy task at all. The fight that takes place is one of the best things aboutThe Matrix Revolutions. It’s a fight to protect humanity and keep it existing, and everyone is coming to help.
Niobe’s strength, powers, and skills as a great pilot appear in this part as well. While Pinkett Smith’s role might be a minor one in the famous sci-fi franchise, she still managed to keep the spotlight on her long enough for her character’s legacy to be remembered even today, after 20 years have passed. This only shows how good Pinkett Smith’s acting was inThe Matrix Revolutions. When it comes to the film’s cast, we see Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci, Francine Bell, and more.
7Ali (2001)
In 2001, director Michael Mann gave us a masterpiece of a work when he presented the biopicAli. The film marked the meeting between the back-then husband and wife Will Smith and Pinkett Smith, which was an iconic moment to many people. InAli, we see a time period of 10 years in the life of the famous boxer Muhammad Ali (Smith).As a biography, the film did an excellent job at portraying this time period in Ali’s life, as we see his rise to fame and success and his marriage to his first wife, Sonji (Pinkett Smith). A major turning point in the boxer’s life comes next, as he converts to Islam and changes his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali.
Alishowed us the moments of battle the boxer went through as he refused to join the militaryand serve in Vietnam. Losing his title and going to court, Ali goes through a lot trying to win the unfair and unjust battle happening against him. We see Ali and Sonji disagreeing as she refuses to join Islam and abandon her culture. It was a great performance from both sides, and their performances were accompanied by equally great performances from the rest of the cast. Smith even went on to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Jon Voight was also nominated for an Oscar, but in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category.
We mentioned how Pinkett Smith had some roles in the world of TV, just like her roles in films. One of the actress’ most famous TV roles is her appearance inGotham. The TV series stemming from the world of Batman follows Detective James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) in his quest to protect Gotham City and clean it from criminals. Gordon does his best toend the corruptionoverwhelming the city, and we see many famous villains from the world of Batman. We see the beginning of many characters and what they went through before Batman appeared, andGothamprovides an interesting look at their early lives.
Pinkett Smith was one of the show’s characters, and she was a special one too, as her character wasn’t in the comic books; it was specially created for the show. Playing the role of Fish Mooney, Pinkett Smith was one of the series’ villains, and she was a fan favorite too. The role of a mobster fits the actress, and one would even feel like she was born to play it. While the show was sometimes criticized as lacking interesting parts, Pinkett Smith’s performance and addition to the work were some of the things praised about the series. She appeared in 28 episodes inGotham, andthey were enough to make the audience remember her whenever they think of the series.
5Set It Off (1996)
Set It Off, which was released in 1996, was directed by F. Gary Gray, and few would argue against it being one of Pinkett Smith’s best roles. The film was quiteemotional, with a devastating end, but it is still worth the watch despite that. It follows four Black women with tough living circumstances, which push them to a life of crime, asthey decide to rob banks. Pinkett Smith had a very interesting character inSet It Off,and she portrayed her well.
Playing the role of Stony, we see the actress presenting to us this woman whose life changes completely after her brother is mistakenly killed by the police. Each one of the four women has a unique story and we get to learn about their suffering and what exactly made them reach the point of robbing banks. What made the film find success was Pinkett Smith’s performance, along with the performances of her fellow actors. We see names like Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise, Blair Underwood, and more.
4Collateral (2004)
What makes Pinkett Smith a good actress is her talent and also her pairing with great directors. InCollateral, we see her appearing in Michael Mann’s 2004 crime masterpiece, and it is through the director’s talent along with the great cast that we are able to truly appreciate the film. InCollateral, we see a cab driver named Max (Jamie Foxx), who is very hard-working and has a dream of one day owning his limousine service. Max’s life starts to change when he drives prosecutor Annie Farrell (Pinkett Smith) around and is awarded with her card at the end of the ride.
Later on, a man named Vincent (Tom Cruise) rides with Max and he promises him a great amount of money if he drives him to several stops. We get tosee Cruise as a villainfor once, so this made things more interesting. With a body falling from the sky and tension everywhere, Max realizes that he isdriving around a hitman, and maybe now Annie’s card would become helpful as she is next on Vincent’s list of people to murder. Pinkett Smith’s role here is quite underrated, and it definitely deserves more recognition from people.Collateral, however, was so good that it had two Oscar nominations, including one for Foxx for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role category. Other than the three superstars, we also see Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill, Barry Shabaka Henley, and more.
3Menace II Society (1993)
Released in 1993,Menace II Societymarked Pinkett Smith’s film debut, and what a debut it was. The film was directed by the Hughes Brothers, and it has an urban setting where street crime is everywhere. We see Caine (Tyrin Turner) trying his best to leave this life behind him and not participate in all this crime around him. Pinkett Smith’s talent really shined inMenace II Societyas she played a character named Ronnie, who is also trying to be as far away as possible from all the crime in the town. She also does her best to keep her son safe and protect him from joining the horrible conditions around them.
Itmay have been her film debut, but Pinkett Smith’s acting here made you feel like she has been in the industry for years. She portrayed Ronnie with a raw honesty that moved your emotions as you watched her. She didn’t want to give up on Caine, and you could feel that and believe her. Then we see the ending and we are more moved by the performances of all those involved.Menace II Societymay not have been nominated for many awards, but it still got praise from the audience and critics as well.
2The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Pinkett Smith’s famous character, Niobe, was first introduced to us in 2003, whenThe Matrix Reloadedaired. The film found more success thanThe Matrix Revolutions,and it also had higher ratings. The actress’ appearance as Niobe has definitely left an impact on her career, as it laid the foundation for many roles to come and also excited her fan base to see her in the famous sci-fi franchise. We again see the fight with the Machine Army and the nearing fight between humans and machines. Once again, the rebels have to defend Zion, and Neo (Keanu Reeves) has to prove that he is up to the task.The Matrix Reloadedhad an interesting idea behind it, along with a great cast, including Pinkett Smith’s Niobe.
Related:Explained: The Philosophy of The Matrix Movies
1Girls Trip (2017)
Girls Tripis, to many, the best film that Pinkett Smith ever made and also one of her highest ranked films. The actress truly shines in the comedy film, and one would feel that there will be no one who can replace her and play Lisa Cooper. As a mother and also a nurse, Lisa is yet to date someone since her marriage failed. The tone ofGirls Tripis set when four friends are brought together once again to go on a trip to New Orleans and it is an unforgivable one.
The Flossy Posse, the name of the group of friends, are back together, and they are better than ever on their newest adventure. Each one of them is different, and they have different but unique characters, and that is what makes the audience connect to them and feel close to their friendship. You would enjoy Pinkett Smith’s performance just like you would enjoy the acting skills of the rest of the group. Along with Pinkett Smith, we see Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, and Tiffany Haddish on this girls trip that will leave you wanting to see more.This woman-led comedyis everything you would want to see from such a cast.
