The 50+ Best Janeane Garofalo Movies

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Updated May 15, 2024 58 items
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List of the best Janeane Garofalo movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Janeane Garofalo's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Janeane Garofalo movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Janeane Garofalo movies will be at the top of the list. Janeane Garofalo has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Janeane Garofalo movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Janeane Garofalo films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Janeane Garofalo role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Janeane Garofalo performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

This list has everything from Ratatouille to The Minus Man.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Janeane Garofalo movies?" and "What are the greatest Janeane Garofalo roles of all time?"

Janeane Garofalo is no stranger to working with popular directors, including Marc Forster, Richard Kelly and Danny Boyle.

Most divisive: 200 Cigarettes
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The 50+ Best Janeane Garofalo Movies
  • The Matchmaker
    1
    Janeane Garofalo, David O'Hara, Milo O'Shea
    20 votes
    Fearing that Sen. John McGlory (Jay O. Sanders) is in danger of losing the upcoming election, his assistant, Marcy Tizard (Janeane Garofalo), travels to Ireland to search for McGlory's relatives in the hope that a show of the senator's Celtic roots will boost his clout with Irish-Americans. But, as luck would have it, when Marcy arrives in the Irish town of Ballinagra, the residents are beginning matchmaking season. Marcy soon becomes a popular target for the men and a matchmaker (Milo O'Shea).
  • The Truth About Cats & Dogs
    2
    Uma Thurman, Janeane Garofalo, Ben Chaplin
    25 votes
    Abby (Janeane Garofalo) hosts a popular radio show about pets. When Brian (Ben Chaplin) calls in to ask about his quirky Great Dane, the two surprisingly hit it off. Brian pushes for a date with Abby, who is shy and a bit insecure, so she talks her ditzy neighbor Noelle (Uma Thurman) into taking her place. While the confused and oblivious Brian tries to figure out why his date is so different from the host he spoke to, Abby must work up the nerve to confess, as Noelle is also falling for Brian.
  • Dogma
    3
    Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Matt Damon
    19 votes
    In the provocative comedy-drama Dogma, fallen angels Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck) discover a theological loophole that could get them back into Heaven, potentially ending existence. Metatron (Alan Rickman), God's messenger, recruits Bethany Sloane (Linda Fiorentino), a disillusioned Catholic, to stop this disaster. As they embark on their mission, they encounter diverse characters like Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith), Rufus the 13th Apostle (Chris Rock), and Serendipity (Salma Hayek). Directed by Kevin Smith, Dogma is a bold exploration of faith and redemption wrapped in irreverent humor.
  • Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
    4
    Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow, Janeane Garofalo
    30 votes
    In the comedic romp, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Romy White (Mira Sorvino) and Michele Weinberger (Lisa Kudrow), two inseparable friends from high school, live together in sunny California. When they hear about their ten-year high school reunion, a wave of nostalgia sweeps them up. They decide to reinvent themselves as successful businesswomen to impress their former classmates. However, their façade soon starts to crumble under the weight of their own fabrications and the relentless scrutiny of their peers. The film takes a humorous dive into the absurdity of societal pressures, personal growth, and friendship. This light-hearted comedy was directed by David Mirkin.
  • Mystery Men
    5
    Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy
    22 votes
    In the offbeat superhero film Mystery Men, seven underdogs (William H. Macy, Hank Azaria, Ben Stiller and more) with unusual abilities band together to save their city. They, however, lack the conventional powers of typical comic book heroes. Instead, they boast peculiar skills like silverware hurling and flatulence control. When Champion City's real protector, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), is kidnapped by villain Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush), these misfit vigilantes must step in to fill his shoes. This quirky comedy combines both action and humor to create an entertaining parody of superhero tropes.
  • Ratatouille
    6
    Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano
    18 votes
    In the animated movie Ratatouille, Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt), a rat with an exceptional palate, dreams of becoming a chef. Living in Paris, he stumbles upon Gusteau's restaurant and forms an unlikely alliance with Linguini (Lou Romano), a clumsy garbage boy. Together, they defy societal norms and culinary traditions to serve up delectable dishes that challenge the status quo. Directed by Brad Bird, this Pixar production is an Oscar-winning blend of comedy and adventure that explores themes of friendship, ambition, and the joy of cooking.
  • Kiki's Delivery Service
    7
    Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Debbie Reynolds
    11 votes
    In this anime feature, 13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her village's tradition for witches in training. After learning to control her broomstick, Kiki sets up a flying courier service and soon becomes a fixture in the community. But when the insecure young witch begins questioning herself and loses her magic abilities, she must overcome her self-doubt to get her powers back.
  • Wet Hot American Summer
    8
    Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter
    18 votes
    In the eccentric comedy, Wet Hot American Summer, a group of camp counselors, led by Beth (Janeane Garofalo) and Coop (Michael Showalter), navigate their way through the last day at Camp Firewood in 1981. Misadventures abound as they deal with heartbreaks, rivalries, and a looming talent show. Their quirky journey is peppered with appearances from the likes of McKinley (Michael Ian Black) and Ben (Bradley Cooper). This offbeat romp, directed by David Wain, weaves an unpredictable tapestry of humor and nostalgia without resorting to clichés. The film has since garnered cult status for its unique comedic style and memorable characters.
  • Reality Bites
    9
    Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller
    20 votes
    In the heart of the 90s, Reality Bites blooms as a romantic comedy-drama, capturing the spirit of Generation X. Lelaina Pierce (Winona Ryder), an aspiring documentarian, grapples with post-college life alongside her roommate Vickie Miner (Janeane Garofalo). Their lives intertwine with Troy Dyer (Ethan Hawke), a brooding musician, and Michael Grates (Ben Stiller), an executive at an MTV-like network. As Lelaina documents their struggles and successes, love triangles emerge and friendships are tested. Directed by Ben Stiller, this film encapsulates the angst and uncertainty of young adulthood while offering sharp social commentary on the era's pop culture.
  • Half Baked
    10
    Dave Chappelle, Guillermo Díaz, Jim Breuer
    15 votes
    In the comedic realm, Half Baked stands as an emblem of stoner humor. The story orbits around three hapless New York City friends - Thurgood (Dave Chappelle), Scarface (Guillermo Diaz), and Brian (Jim Breuer) who hatch a half-baked plan to free their fellow pot-lover, Kenny (Harland Williams), from prison. Their scheme? Sell marijuana stolen from a top-secret laboratory. Navigating a maze of madcap adventures and hilarious mishaps, this quartet of misfits stumbles through NYC's underbelly, engaging with an array of eccentric characters. A comedy of highs and lows, Half Baked is a cult classic that paints a vibrant picture of friendship in the face of adversity.
  • Now and Then
    11
    Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Gaby Hoffmann
    12 votes
    In Now and Then, four childhood friends reunite in their small hometown, sparking a series of flashbacks to the pivotal summer of 1970. Samantha (Gaby Hoffmann/Demi Moore) is the introverted writer, Teeny (Thora Birch/Melanie Griffith) dreams of stardom, Roberta (Christina Ricci/Rosie O'Donnell) is tomboyish and brave, while Chrissy (Ashleigh Aston Moore/Rita Wilson) is naively sweet. This drama-comedy explores the girls' adventures, mysteries, and life-altering experiences during that memorable summer. The movie masterfully intertwines past and present, revealing how these formative events shaped the women they become.
  • The Laramie Project
    12
    Dylan Baker, Tom Bower, Clancy Brown
    5 votes
    "The Laramie Project" is set in and around Laramie, Wyoming, in the aftermath of the murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard. To create the stage version of "The Laramie Project," the eight-member New York-based Tectonic Theatre Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, recording hours of interviews with the town's citizens over a two-year period. The film adaptation dramatizes the troupe's visit, using the actual words from the transcripts to create a portrait of a town forced to confront itself.
  • Titan A.E.
    13
    Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill Pullman
    14 votes
    In the animated sci-fi adventure Titan A.E., Cale Tucker (voiced by Matt Damon) is thrust into an interstellar quest. Earth has been destroyed by the Drej, a malevolent alien race, and humanity's survival hinges on the Titan, a lost spaceship. Joined by Captain Korso (Bill Pullman), Akima (Drew Barrymore), and other ragtag survivors, Cale must unlock his father's secret maps that lead to the Titan. Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, this film blends traditional animation with computer-generated images for a visually striking odyssey. Despite its box office struggle, it was lauded for its imaginative storytelling and groundbreaking animation techniques.
  • Cop Land
    14
    Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta
    13 votes
    When hotheaded Superboy (Michael Rapaport) accidentally gets involved in an ugly racially-motivated incident, his uncle Ray Donlan (Harvey Keitel), a corrupt New York City cop, attempts to sweep it under the rug by helping fake his nephew's death. The bungled cover-up leads to investigations by idealistic Internal Affairs officer Moe Tilden (Robert De Niro) and Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone), sheriff of the suburban New Jersey town where Donlan and his fellow crooked policemen live.
  • The Cable Guy
    15
    Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann
    13 votes
    Oddball cable installer Chip Douglas (Jim Carrey) attempts to strike up a friendship with customer Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick) by offering him premium channels at no cost. When Steven rebuffs Chip's frequent need for companionship, Chip goes from a mildly eccentric acquaintance to a full-fledged psycho stalker. Though it's increasingly apparent to Steven that the cable guy is dangerous, convincing his friends, family and the authorities of that is another matter entirely.
  • Steal This Movie!
    16
    Vincent D'Onofrio, Janeane Garofalo, Jeanne Tripplehorn
    10 votes
    "Steal This Movie" charts the rise and fall of Abbie Hoffman -- activist, radical, fugitive, lover -- and leads us through the maze of music, politics and personal struggle of the late sixties and seventies. Abbie's story reflects a culture that abandoned comfort for freedom, money for passion, complacency for instinct. He recognized an enlightened breed of renegade soldiers in this hippie generation. They were young, bold, defiant, reactive.
  • Clay Pigeons
    17
    Vince Vaughn, Janeane Garofalo, Joaquin Phoenix
    13 votes
    In a small Montana town, Clay Bidwell (Joaquin Phoenix) finds himself increasingly surrounded by dead bodies, making him the chief suspect of an FBI murder investigation. First, his best friend kills himself during a hunting trip after discovering Clay is having an affair with his wife, Amanda (Georgina Cates). A remorseful Clay starts dating waitress Gloria (Nikki Arlyn), who is killed by the vengeful Amanda. Meanwhile, Clay becomes friends with serial killer Lester Long (Vince Vaughn).
  • Big Trouble
    18
    Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Stanley Tucci
    11 votes
    Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry's best-selling first novel, "Big Trouble" tells the story of how a mysterious suitcase brings together, and changes, the lives of a divorced dad, an unhappy housewife, two hitmen, a pair of street thugs, two love struck teens, two FBI men and a psychedelic toad.
  • The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
    19
    Rene Russo, Jason Alexander, Piper Perabo
    11 votes
    Popular cartoon characters Rocky and Bullwinkle make their big-screen debut in this adventure tale that combines animation with live action. Years after their television show was canceled, Rocky and Bullwinkle are still living off the residuals. This time, when three cartoon villains enter the real world as real people, they decide to take over the United States.
  • Bye Bye Love
    20
    Eliza Dushku, Jack Black, Janeane Garofalo
    9 votes
    Bye Bye Love is a 1995 American comedy-drama film that deals with the central issue of divorce. It was directed by Sam Weisman and written by Gary David Goldberg and Brad Hall. It stars Matthew Modine, Randy Quaid, Paul Reiser, Janeane Garofalo, Amy Brenneman, Eliza Dushku, Rob Reiner, Amber Benson, and Lindsay Crouse. Production costs were heavily underwritten by McDonald's product placement. Goldberg and Hall stated that they included in the script several fictionalized accounts of events that had happened to divorced friends of theirs. Also acting in the film were Jayne Brook, and Ed Flanders in his last movie role. A not-yet-famous Jack Black has one line as a disc jockey at a party. Co-stars Amber Benson and Eliza Dushku went on to play main roles on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as did Lindsay Crouse. While Benson shared episodes with both Dushku and Crouse, the three actresses never spoke lines to or were featured in the same scenes as each other.
  • Southland Tales
    21
    Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar
    9 votes
    With the United States under the threat of nuclear attack, the lives of several people converge in a dystopian Los Angeles. Movie star Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson) plans his next film with the help of ambitious porn actress Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and troubled policeman Roland Taverner (Seann William Scott). Meanwhile, Marxist revolutionaries, greedy corporations and secretive government agencies pursue their separate agendas among a paranoid populace.
  • Dog Park
    22
    Natasha Henstridge, Luke Wilson, Kathleen Robertson
    5 votes
    Andy (Luke Wilson), a frequenter of a local dog park, experiences a series of breakups, betrayals and flings. First, his girlfriend, Cheryl (Kathleen Robertson), leaves him for another man and takes the couple's loyal dog with her. Then, he meets TV personality Lorna (Natasha Henstridge), but she's so preoccupied with her own canine pal that she has little time for love. Andy soon realizes that he prefers the company of man's best friend over women -- but romance isn't done with him yet.
  • The Wild
    23
    Kiefer Sutherland, Eddie Izzard, Jim Belushi
    5 votes
    An adolescent lion (Kiefer Sutherland) who was raised in captivity finds himself accidentally plucked from the New York Zoo and deposited in Africa. Meanwhile, the friends he left behind at the zoo must put aside their differences to help bring him home safely.
  • Stay
    24
    Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling
    5 votes
    Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor), a psychiatrist, has a new patient, Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling), who claims to be suicidal. In trying to diagnose him, Sam visits Henry's prior therapist (Janeane Garofalo) and also finds Henry's mother -- even though Henry has said that he murdered both of his parents. As reality starts to contradict fact, Sam spirals into an unstable mental state. Then he finds a clue as to how and when Henry may try to kill himself, and races to try to stop him.
  • 200 Cigarettes
    25
    Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Dave Chappelle
    14 votes
    This ensemble comedy follows an array of young people in New York City on New Year's Eve. Among the numerous characters looking for love and fun are impulsive artist Ellie (Janeane Garofalo) and punks Tom (Casey Affleck) and Dave (Guillermo Diaz), who meet up with Stephie (Gaby Hoffmann) and Val (Christina Ricci), two girls from Long Island. Also interacting with various partygoers are a pensive bartender (Ben Affleck) and a taxi driver (Dave Chappelle) who operates a disco in his cab.
  • Wonderland
    26
    Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, Lisa Kudrow
    10 votes
    In this fact-based film, John Holmes (Val Kilmer) is one of the most successful porn stars of all time. But, when his rampant drug abuse forces him into prostitution, both his disapproving wife, Sharon (Lisa Kudrow), and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Dawn (Kate Bosworth), are on the verge of leaving him. As John sinks lower and lower into Hollywood, Calif.'s criminal underworld, he meets a seedy drug lord (Eric Bogosian) and finds himself caught up in a tragic chain of events.
  • Permanent Midnight
    27
    Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Hurley, Maria Bello
    8 votes
    As television writer Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller) becomes more successful, his heroin habit grows worse. Already using when he comes to Los Angeles, Stahl finds his problems intensify when he moves in with his friend Nicky (Owen Wilson), also an addict. Eventually, Stahl marries producer Sandra (Elizabeth Hurley) to help her get a green card, and she gets him jobs on top television shows. However, more and more, he is unable to separate his addiction from his working life.
  • What Planet Are You From?
    28
    Garry Shandling, Annette Bening, Greg Kinnear
    8 votes
    Harold is sent to Earth on a mission to impregnate a woman and have a child. Harold befriends Perry Gordon, a horny, morally challenged specimen of the human male, and together they scope Phoenix for women. On the prowl for the ideal woman with whom he can mate, the alien encounters a wide spectrum of potential candidates.
  • Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy
    29
    Brendan Fraser, Janeane Garofalo, Dave Foley
    3 votes
    Kids in the Hall Brain Candy is a 1996 comedy film directed by Kelly Makin.
  • Labor Pains
    30
    Lindsay Lohan, Bridgit Mendler, Janeane Garofalo
    3 votes
    Labor Pains is a 2009 romantic comedy film written by Stacy Kramer and starring Lindsay Lohan, Bridgit Mendler, Luke Kirby, Chris Parnell, Cheryl Hines and Kevin Covais. The film received a television premiere on ABC Family on July 19, 2009. It was originally scheduled to be released in theatres. The film was directed by Lara Shapiro and was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 4 and 31 in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively. The film drew 2.1 million viewers, a better-than-average prime-time audience for ABC Family, and per the network, was the week's top cable film among coveted female demographic groups. The film received a theatrical release in countries such as Russia, Romania, Spain, the U.A.E., Ecuador, and Mexico.