List of 10 Greatest Betty White Movies Rated From Best To Worst

Quick Facts

Betty White has been described as many great things in her eight-decade-long career. She has achieved almost all the accolades there is to be achieved in Hollywood and she has been recognized by virtually all the reputable awarding bodies pertinent to her line of work – from being an Honorary mayor, a Hall of Fame inductee and  a star with an actual Hall of Fame Star are some of the many notable milestones this veteran actress  has achieved. She is more than just an achiever as many consider her the legend that legends want to be like. It is also amazing to know that while most people would seek rest from their jobs as old age starts to set in, Betty White is still in the limelight and she keeps dishing out laughter to whoever would listen. However, the very fact that White sets the bar high gives room for comparison, and not just with other great people, but within the scope of her own works as well, which is why we bring you 10 greatest Betty White movies rated from best to worst in this article.

List of 10 Greatest Betty White Movies Ranked From Best to Worst

1. The Proposal (2009)

The Proposal is considered one of the greatest Betty White’s movies. Her portrayal of the character, Grandma Annie is also regarded as her overall best performance in any movie. She literally took all attention from her younger co-stars in the romantic comedy movie and she even has a teen choice nomination under the category “Female Scene Stealer” to show for it. She plays the grandmother of ’ character, Andrew Paxton in the movie which is centered around his romantic life and the female lead actress, . It is also known that some of the many accolades the film boasts of are thanks to White. Moreso, in a conversation with NY Daily News, Betty White said she enjoyed playing Grandma Annie so much and that it is probably the most fun she has had on the set of one movie in over 60 years.

2. Advise & Consent (1962)

Advise & Consent is one of the greatest Betty White movies which has been described as extraordinary enough to make the film a fan favorite five decades later. She portrayed Kansas Senator, Bessie Adams, a role that is quite different from the amusing personality by which she is known today. The film was set in a political premise and it follows the events that happened after Robert Leffingwell portrayed by Henry Fonda was nominated by the President played by Franchot Tone, for the position of Secretary of State. However, an investigation ensued and it sheds light on Leffingwell’s dark past that not only him but also the President would rather leave in the dark. The movie got an impressive 75% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes site.

3. Lake Placid (1999)

This 1999 movie was written by David E. Kelley and it featured Betty White alongside the likes of Oliver Platt, , Bridget Fonda, and . It tells the story of three people as they try to put an end to a giant crocodile that threatens the peace around Black Lake in Maine. White’s character is Mrs. Delores Bickerman, an old woman that lives in the area and has some answers that will help them. Though her role in the film – which is arguably one of the funniest horror-comedy movies of 1999, was not so big, lewd and impudent Mrs. Bickerman was prominent enough for fans to notice and like.

4. The Lorax (2012)

The Lorax is packed full of a diverse range of stars including popular singer , actors, and Betty White, among others. White plays Ted’s (Zac Efron) grandmother, Grammy Norma, in the animated musical comedy which centered on Zac’s quest to win Taylor’s heart. It also emphasized the need to take care of nature as Zac’s character enlisted the help of all his friends and family to plant trees which were also a way of getting Audrey’s (Taylor) attention. The movie compensated the cast’s talent with a massive box office success and above-average ratings by many popular film rating sites.

5. The Lost Valentine (2011)

Based on a novel of the same name by James Michael Pratt, The Lost Valentine stars White as Caroline Robinson Thomas – a woman who waits for the love of her life at a train station ever since he left for the Pacific to fight in World War II on Valentine’s Day, 1944 which also happened to be their first wedding anniversary. Her husband had promised her that he would return in time for their next anniversary, and it did not matter to her that he had been declared MIA for six decades, she still waited. The emotional role earned her a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance. The film also starred top Hollywood acts like and Sean Faris.

6. Bringing Down the House (2003)

This comedy film stars Betty White among an ensemble cast led by artiste/actress and legendary comedian Betty portrayed the role of the lead character’s (Martin) racist neighbor. Even though the film was a commercial hit, it failed to impress many film critics who watered down its directing and script stating they were barely average.

7. Dennis the Menace Strikes Again (1998)

A sequel to Dennis the Menace (1993), this family comedy film starred Hollywood producer Justin Cooper – as the eponymous character, Dennis – when he was 10 years old. Alongside Justin, Don Rickles and Betty White starred as George Wilson and Martha Wilson respectively. The film also featured George Kennedy as Dennis’ Grandfather with Heidi Swedberg and Dwier Brown as Dennis’ Parents.

The events that unfold in the movie show that weary-boned George Wilson is reminded of the fact that he is getting old by his little agile next-door neighbor, Dennis Mitchell- who tries to celebrate his birthday with him. The pressure gets even worse for Wilson when Dennis’ energetic Grandfather (Judge Kennedy) arrives, and so he resolves to buy a “remedy that would make him feel young again” from fake peddlers. However, Dennis gets to know of his plan and tries to save him from getting scammed by those swindlers.

Fans of the film’s prequel expressed their disappointment in the fact that none of the actors from the first movie reprised their role in this one. The reviews generally described Dennis the Menace strikes again as not only much less interesting compared to the first film Dennis the Menace, but also very hard to get through, apparently not even the presence of Betty White among the cast could fix the fault.

8. Time to Kill (1945)

Time to Kill is very popular as the first film in which Betty White appeared but it can’t rank as one of her greatest film appearances of this talented actress. The film which was released in 1945 was actually a short one with a running time of 23 minutes that focuses on a bunch of sailors. White was simply credited at the end of the film as Lou’s Girl. However, as a newbie then, she had the opportunity to share screen time with George Reeves, Don Hammer, and Barry Nelson.

9. Love N’ Dancing (2008)

In this 2008 film, Jessica Donovan played by and her dance instructor played by Tom Malloy fall in love but they can’t act on their feelings because they are both in complicated relationships. Meanwhile, they spend a lot of time together rehearsing for a World Dance Championship. The film also stars Billy Zane as Jessica’s fiancé and features Betty White as Irene.

The audience review revealed that while some like the dance part, the other parts are a tad underwhelming. Critics seemed to like the movie even less, Hollywood Reporter’s Kirk Honeycutt says it feels more like an infomercial than a romantic comedy, and this was one of the warm reviews. Words like amateurish, bland, cliché, overplayed and ‘not very good’ were also used to describe the drama. As if having a Tomatometer count of 9% isn’t bad enough, it grossed a little over $73,000 worldwide because it was released in very few theatres.

10. The Third Wish (2005)

Jenna Mattison, Armand Assante, and Sean Maguire star in the supposed comedy as Maggie, Benefactor, and Brandon respectively and Bettie White plays a minor character, Lettie in the film. When Maggie who works in a Scrawny Book Shop, discovers a rare Charles Dickens book, she believes she will be granted three wishes. Meanwhile, a Benefactor is pulling the strings behind the scenes.

As far as Betty White’s film credits go, it is believed that none of her works so far can replace The Third Wish as her worst movie. An audience gave the movie 1 and 1/2 star out of 5 and wrote that the star is for Betty White who tried to salvage the image of the film despite her small role and the remaining half is for what’s left of the movie. Film critic Christopher Null just wanted his 90 minutes back. On film rating sites, The Third Wish has an audience score of 5% based on 93 ratings on the Rotten Tomatoes review website and an IMDB rating of 4.3 based on 313 users’ reviews.

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