The 17 Best Diane Lane Movies That Prove She's A Hollywood Treasure
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Vote up the Diane Lane movies that make you appreciate her even more.
When you hear the name “Diane Lane,” you know you're in for a great movie. Despite starring in some acclaimed movies and receiving award recognition, the star has always been grounded and down-to-earth, which explains why people connect with her characters. Lane is known for bringing an air of authenticity to her performances, no matter what type of character she's playing. A warm mother figure? She's got it. A villain in a thriller? Can do. A rock singer in a beautifully bizarre cult hit? Absolutely. Nothing's off the table.
From rollicking musicals to thought-provoking dramas to superhero blockbusters, Lane’s body of work is diverse and riveting. With that in mind, here are some of the cinematic roles that established her as an understated Hollywood gem.
- 1543 VOTES
Premise: Frances is a San Francisco writer who needs a change. Her husband has just filed for divorce, and to make matters worse, she can’t overcome the writer’s block that’s holding up her new book. So, she heads to sunny Tuscany hoping to find inspiration, love, and a newfound sense of purpose.
Her Role: Lane stars as Frances, and she brings effortless charm as well as depth the down-on-her-luck writer facing an existential crisis. It isn't all depressing, though, as Frances knows how to laugh at her own misery.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Under the Tuscan Sun is pure escapism and the perfect movie for those who like lush scenery with their drama. Lane’s performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
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Premise: This steamy psychological thriller follows Connie, a married woman who starts an affair with a hunky Frenchman named Paul (Olivier Martinez). Connie tries to keep her newfound erotic pastime a secret, but her husband (Richard Gere) eventually finds out, and he isn’t willing to let it slide.
Her Role: Lane brings passion to the forefront as Connie, a woman forced to grapple with guilt and passion as she’s torn between a boring marriage and an exciting escape from her mundane life.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Unfaithful is a must-see for fans of dramas about dysfunctional relationships and sizzling scenes. The film boasts a couple of unexpected twists, too, and Lane’s performance is a highlight throughout.
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- 3339 VOTES
Premise: Despite being clueless about horse racing, Penny Chenery takes charge of her father’s stable and tries to turn a stallion into a champion. Meanwhile, she also needs to raise a few million dollars to pay a high tax bill and save her family’s estate.
Her Role: Lane takes center stage as Penny, a humble family woman who must navigate a male-dominated business and turn a young steed into a champion.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Secretariat is a heartwarming underdog story, and Lane delivers a performance that makes her character easy to root for. By no means does the film rewrite the formula for biographical sports movies, but who doesn't love a rousing, inspirational tale about horse racing and sticking it to the establishment?
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- 4336 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros. Pictures
Premise: A crew of fishermen, led by Captain Billy Tyne (George Clooney), sail into the North Atlantic hoping to end a streak of bad luck. Little do they know that severe weather conditions are about to force them into a fight for their lives.
Her Role: Diane Lane plays Christina, the girlfriend of one of the sailors, Bobby (Mark Wahlberg). She has a bad feeling about the expedition before it even begins, and her worries don’t ease when she sees the weather reports.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Unlike other disaster movies that favor over-the-top spectacle, Wolfgang Petersen's effort is based on the true story of the doomed crew of the Andrea Gail, who were lost at sea in 1991. The true-to-life element adds more emotional weight to the proceedings, making the impressive set pieces even more intense.
- 5268 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros. Pictures
Premise: Set in 1960s Oklahoma, this coming-of-age drama tells the story of two biker gangs - the Greasers and the Socs - who live on opposite sides of the tracks. What initially begins as petty rivalry spirals into a vicious chain of events after a gang member gets eliminated, causing the young characters’ lives to be changed forever.
Her Role: Lane plays Cherry Valance, a member of the Socs who gets caught in the middle of the conflict after she befriends one of their enemies. The Outsiders is a story about class warfare and tribalism, but Cherry the voice of reason who wants peace and unity between the bikers.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: While the movie is entertaining, the star power in The Outsiders is insane. In addition to Lane, Francis Ford Coppola’s drama features Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, and even more performers who became household names afterward. This movie helped establish their careers, and the rest is history.
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- 6315 VOTESPhoto: Miramax Films
Premise: In the 1960s, Jewish housewife Pearl Kantrowitz is frustrated with her marriage. She barely sees her husband (who's busy repairing TV sets ahead of the 1969 moon landing) and needs to take care of their children. However, she discovers some excitement again when they go on their annual vacation, where she begins a passionate affair with a traveling salesman, Walker Jerome (Viggo Mortensen).
Her Role: Lane delivers the goods as Pearl, depicting the difficulty of to choosing between her unsatisfying marriage or starting a new life with her irresistible lover.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: A Walk on the Moon is a nuanced story about a woman who’s torn between her desire for freedom and the life she knows. Despite telling a story about infidelity, the film doesn’t cast any moral judgments on its characters. Instead, it invites viewers to ponder its themes and think for themselves.
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- 7294 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros. Pictures
Premise: This rom-com follows Sarah Nolan, a divorced school teacher, as she tries out online dating after her sister makes her a profile on a dating website. She goes through some ups and downs of dating, but eventually meets her match in another divorcée who’s cynical about love.
Her Role: Lane gives a hilarious leading performance as Sarah as she learn to re-navigate the dating world. She's great as a rom-com protagonist and has stellar chemistry with the actors who play her various love interests, including Dermot Mulroney and John Cusack.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Rom-coms are comfort viewing, and you can’t go wrong with this one. That said, Must Love Dogs is interesting as it explored the topic of online dating long before apps like Tinder made it the default mode of meeting people. Furthermore, the story is centered around characters who’ve experienced the trials and tribulations of life, as opposed to the lovers with fairytale romances that typically populate movies of this ilk.
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- 8267 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros. Pictures
Premise: The film, based on Nicholas Sparks’s novel of the same name, follows Adrienne Willis as she visits a coastal town to forget about her divorce. Upon arrival, she meets a handsome surgeon named Paul (Richard Gere), who has some problems of his own. They kindle a deep love, only for tragedy to strike when Adrienne least expects it.
Her Role: Lane gives a captivating performance as the protagonist, Adrienne, as she learns to open up and embrace love again - even if that means getting hurt.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Nights in Rodanthe is a moving romantic drama that tugs at the heartstrings. Lane and Gere have excellent chemistry, and Lane also pulls off a wrenching performance of grief.
- 9220 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
Premise: A singer gets nabbed by an evil biker gang, forcing her soldier ex-boyfriend to return to town and save the day. Bring on the sledgehammer fights and riveting musical numbers.
Her Role: Diane Lane plays Ellen Aim, the rock singer targeted by the motorcycle-riding maniacs. This was one of her first big roles, and it unfortunately stalled her career due to the film's lack of commercial success.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Part rock opera, part action movie, Walter Hill’s flop is now regarded as a cult classic due to its unique style. It’s a genre-mashing treat that takes some big swings while boasting a killer soundtrack. Turn this one up loud and rock out.
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Premise: A teenager and her younger brother lose their parents in a car accident, so they’re welcomed in by their seemingly kind neighbors. However, things take a turn when their new guardians discover that the kids have inherited a lot of money.
Her Role: Diane Lane explores her darker side as Dr. Erin Glass, one half of the greedy couple that welcomes in the grieving youngsters. Erin isn’t as bad as her husband (Stellan Skarsgård), but she’s still mixed up in some questionable stuff.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: The majority of Lane’s most acclaimed movies are dramas and romances. The Glass House, on the other, is an entertaining pulpy thriller that lets her sink her teeth into a character who’s difficult to root for. Still, Lane’s performance is so good that some viewers will want to see Erin and her hubby rob the kids of their trust fund.
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- 11145 VOTES
A Streetcar Named Desire
Photo: CBSPremise: An adaptation of Tennesee Williams’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, this 1995 television film follows Blanche DuBois (Jessica Lange), who moves in with her younger sister and brother-in-law after she’s banished from her hometown for seducing someone she shouldn’t have.
Her Role: Diane Lane portrays Stella, the younger sibling of Jessica Lange’s ostracized protagonist. She lives in a run-down apartment and is far more modest than Blanche, which provides an interesting balance of personalities.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: There are three incredible lead performances to enjoy here, with Lange and Lane joined by Alec Baldwin as Stanley. This adaptation proves a solid adaptation of the legendary play.
- 12143 VOTESPhoto: TriStar Pictures
Premise: Starring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role, Sir Richard Attenborough’s biopic chronicles the rags-to-riches story of Hollywood icon Charle Chaplin, the comedian and filmmaker behind hits like Modern Times and The Great Dictator.
Her Role: Lane soars as Paulette Goddard, an actress and socialite who was married to Chaplin and appeared as the leading lady in some of his most popular works.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Chaplin is one of the best biopics out there, boasting an Academy Award-nominated performance from Robert Downey Jr. Critics have also praised the film’s lavish production values, with Roger Ebert describing the period details as “meticulously convincing.”
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Premise: You all know this story: an alien from the planet Krypton winds up on a Kentucky farm and grows up to become Earth’s greatest hero. His friends call him Clark Kent, while others refer to him as Kal-El or Superman. That said, Zack Snyder’s opus isn’t the type of squeaky-clean Superman story that turned the hero into a household name in the first place.
Her Role: Lane is at her maternal best as Martha Kent, Superman’s adoptive mother. Snyder said that he cast Lane in this pivotal supporting role as she epitomizes all of the wisdom that’s required to convey her understanding and awe of Clark's power.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Man of Steel is one of the more polarizing superhero movies of the 21st century, but it’s undeniably the work of a blockbuster auteur with a specific vision. Snyder’s fans have hailed it as a masterpiece, while the film’s naysayers believe that it’s too cynical for a Superman story. Everyone should check it out and form their own opinions, but most viewers will agree that Lane is great in the role of Martha Kent.
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Premise: A tribute to the titular New York nightclub - a popular spot during the Prohibition era - Francis Ford Coppola's musical tells the story of a jazz musician who befriends mobsters and falls for one of their girlfriends. What could possibly go wrong?
Her Role: Lane is Vera, the main mobster’s mistress and the object of the jazz singer’s forbidden desires.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: The Cotton Club is a musical with a Mafioso twist and a good old-fashioned love triangle thrown in for good measure. In a filmography that includes The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, this won’t go down in history as Coppola’s best outing. That said, it deserves more recognition due to its sheer ambition and enjoyability factor.
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Premise: A story about man’s best friend, My Dog Skip follows a young boy growing up in Mississippi and embarking on adventures with his trustworthy pooch. The tale is set against the backdrop of the segregation era, but Skip’s friendliest extends to everyone, regardless of their color or creed.
Her Role: Lane plays Ellen, the matriarch of the family. It's yet another role that proves why she's so good at playing movie moms.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: My Dog Skip provides wholesome entertainment for the whole family, and it’s a must-see for anyone who understands the joys of having a furry friend. There are some scenes that tug at the heartstrings, too, so it might be good to have some tissues nearby.
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- 1681 VOTES
Premise: A young girl, Riley, learns that her parents are moving the family to San Francisco, and she isn’t happy about it. With big changes on the horizon, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness - must band together and figure out how to guide her through the challenges that come with early adolescence.
Her Role: Diane Lane voices Mrs. Anderson, the mother of the film’s troubled protagonist.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Anyone who says children’s animated movies aren’t smart needs to watch Inside Out. Pixar’s masterpiece is a coming-of-age story that reminds viewers that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes. Change can be scary, but it’s all going to be fine. Naturally, as with any Pixar project, it’s full of colorful characters who bring humor, heart, and soul to a story that’s full of originality and themes most humans can relate to.
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Premise: This historical drama follows the life of Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston), a successful screenwriter working in 1940s Hollywood, is blacklisted and imprisoned for having communist political beliefs. This forces him to write under a pseudonym to make ends meet, but his financial and personal hardships strain his marriage.
Her Role: Lane has a key role as Cleo Trumbo, the wife of the titular exiled screenwriter. Interestingly, the actress also learned how to juggle to impress director Jay Roach, as she’s a big fan of his work and really wanted this part.
Why It’s Worth a Watch: Any role that inspires Diane Lane to learn juggling deserves people’s attention. However, Trumbo is a gripping tale that dramatizes the experiences of a real-life family during a dark time in American history. Bryan Cranston received notable acclaim for his leading performance, as well.
