Marisa Tomei is a wonderful actress with serious comedic firepower, who can also play restrained and dramatic when necessary. She received significant attention with her star turn as Mona Lisa Vito in My Cousin Vinny in 1992 and has been working prolifically ever since. After a string of projects in the '90s with mixed success, Tomei received further acclaim for her work in In the Bedroom and The Wrestler, as well as appearing in several hit comedies and ultimately joining the MCU as Aunt May.

Over the course of her career, Tomei has received three Oscar nominations and one win, and appeared in some of the highest-grossing films of all time. She even performed a reading at Barack Obama's first inauguration. Not for nothing, Lady Gaga once said she wanted Tomei to play her in a biopic. Tomei is always one of the stronger elements in whatever movie she's in, and these are her best projects.

10 'Happy Accidents' (2000)

Director: Brad Anderson

Happy Accidents is one of the more successful hybrids of a rom-com and time-travel flick. Tomei plays Ruby Weaver who, after a string of failed relationships, starts dating the charming Sam Deed (Vincent D'Onofrio). Things get a little complicated when Sam claims to be a time traveler from the year 2439. He tells her that in his timeline the world has survived two ice ages and most people are clones. He says that he came back to find Ruby and save her from certain death.

This is a silly premise that could easily have crashed and burned, but it works thanks to the endless likability of the leads. They're both great at balancing quirkiness and believability. D'Onofrio, in particular, does a great job of playing Sam as restrained and realistic, rather than over-the-top. This makes his claims of being from the future seem all the more plausible. By contrast, Tomei is delightfully neurotic, with a ton of hilarious moments (including a memorable, top-of-her-lungs yell which, given the circumstances, is fully justified).

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9 'Slums of Beverly Hills' (1998)

Director: Tamara Jenkins

Set in 1976, this comedy revolves around the Abramowitz family. They are struggling financially, constantly moving around Beverly Hills, wanting to stay in the area so that daughter Vivian (Natasha Lyonne in a breakout role) and her brothers can keep attending their prestigious school. On top of dealing with the usual challenges of adolescence, Vivian's world is disrupted by the appearance of her pregnant cousin Rita (Tomei), who has escaped from rehab.

Although Slums of Beverly Hills touches on some darker themes, the humor is central. Tomei flexes her comedic powers, imbuing Rita with vibrancy, ditzy-ness, and a dash of vulnerability. She and Lyonne have some wonderful moments together, like speaking in gibberish and a scene where they dance around while tossing a vibrator back and forth. Although not a hit on release, the film has become something of a cult classic. Its fans cherish it for its light and warmhearted portrait of growing up.

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8 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' (2011)

Director: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

"Tell her she's the perfect combination of sexy and cute, asshole!" Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is devastated when his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) leaves him. Eventually, womanizer Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) takes pity on Cal and offers his services as a dating coach. So begins Cal's journey of transformation. Though it may not reinvent the wheel, Crazy, Stupid, Love is a smart and breezy romantic-comedy, anchored by killer performances from its talented cast.

Carell is a comedy legend, but Tomei goes toe-to-toe with him here. She plays Kate, the first woman to show interest in Cal after his divorce. This could easily have been a disposable bit-part, but instead, their scenes together are a clear highlight. Kate, a recovering alcoholic, is a whirlwind of zany energy, and she sets up some of Cal's funniest lines. Tomei is also hilariously furious when Kate confronts Cal later after it transpires that she is his son's teacher.​​​​

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7 'The Lincoln Lawyer' (2011)

Director: Brad Furman

"There's no client as scary as an innocent man." Matthew McConaughey is wise-guy defense attorney Mick Haller, who conducts his business from the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car. After being hired to defend Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a wealthy young man accused of assault and attempted murder, Haller notices surprising parallels between this case and one from his past and begins digging further.

Here, Tomei is once again in the courtroom, but this time on the other side of the witness stand. She plays Haller's ex-wife and frequent courtroom opponent, Maggie, also a defense attorney. They have a daughter together and Maggie remains in his life. She's possibly the best friend he's got (even if she disapproves of his choice of clientele). Her performance is solid and dependable, contributing towards what is a well-crafted and enjoyable legal thriller. The Lincoln Lawyer's success spawned a TV series remake starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Neve Campbell.

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6 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' (2007)

Director: Sidney Lumet

This crime drama was a late-career highlight for legendary director Sidney Lumet. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke lead the cast as Andy and Hank, two brothers who plan a seemingly foolproof heist on their parents' jewelry store to alleviate their financial woes. However, the heist goes awry, leading to a series of catastrophic events that spiral out of control. Tomei plays the role of Gina, Hank's wife, who is caught in the web of deceit and familial discord.

To further complicate matters, Gina has been having an affair with Andy, the truth of which threatens to spill out any moment. It's possible that she has an unconscious desire to blow the whole situation up. After all, she's aimless and frustrated, consumed by anger and disappointed by the men in her life. When asked if she used a body double for her opening sex scene, Tomei quipped, "No, no, no, that was me. I practice."

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5 'Chaplin' (1992)

Director: Richard Attenborough

Robert Downey Jr. delivers one of his very best performances in this biopic as Charlie Chaplin. The film charts Chaplin's tumultuous life and career, from his impoverished childhood in London to global stardom. Although the film itself received only middling reviews, RDJ was widely praised. He doesn't so much play Chaplin as become him, down to the posture, mannerisms, and infectious spirit.

This was an early role that showed Tomei pushing herself out of her comfort zone. She plays actress and director Mabel Normand, one of Chaplin's frequent collaborators. They often played on-screen couples, and she appeared with him in his very first film as the Tramp, in 1914. Here, Mabel serves mostly as comic relief, with the movie poking fun at her supposedly terrible directing skills. The way Chaplin tells it, it was Chaplin's irritation at being directed by Mabel that spurred him to start directing himself.

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4 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021)

Director: Jon Watts

"This what we do. We help people." After a spell goes awry, villains and heroes from across the multiverse are brought together. This is the set-up for the grandest live-action Spider-Man spectacle yet, delighting fans by uniting Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire on-screen. Beginning with Civil War, Tomei took over the role of Aunt May to Holland's Peter Parker. She has a more substantial and emotional portrayal compared to the previous films, making up for the absence of Uncle Ben.

Aunt May acts as more of a moral guide to Peter, for instance, uttering the iconic phrase usually spoken by Uncle Ben: "With great power, there must also come great responsibility". The fact that she was much younger than previous iterations of the character drew some backlash, and the script could've leaned more into her role as Peter's confidant, but Tomei's performance is great. She succeeds in putting her own stamp on the character.

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3 'In The Bedroom' (2001)

Director: Todd Field

This family drama is one of only three films directed by Todd Field, the others being Little Children and Tár. It revolves around the seemingly content married couple Matt (Tom Wilkinson) and Ruth Fowler (Sissy Spacek). Ruth's only real concern is over their son Frank (Nick Stahl), a recent college graduate, who is dating Natalie (Tomei), a divorcee who is considerably older than him.

Matt and Ruth's lives are soon upended by a tragedy, and they are left to pick up the pieces. Their sorrow leads them to turn on each other, tearing into the other's deepest vulnerabilities in a way that can be tough to watch. By contrast, Natalie is more kind and open in her grief. She loved Frank and was protective of him, and is also reeling from the loss, though Ruth treats her with scorn. Tomei's performance here is layered and heartbreaking, rightfully earning her an Oscar nod.

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2 'The Wrestler' (2008)

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Mickey Rourke turned in a comeback performance of note here as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a once-iconic professional wrestler struggling with the harsh realities of aging and the toll his career has taken on his body. Tomei joins him as Cassidy, an empathetic stripper whom Randy befriends. They have a lot in common. Both use their physicality to earn a living and both are at a personal crossroads. Randy starts falling for her, but she rejects his advances.

Cassidy is kind through and through, and she provides a stabilizing presence in Randy's life. She encourages him to reach out to his daughter and urges him not to wrestle again because of the health risks it poses. Her support is no match for Randy's self-destructiveness, of course. Tomei holds her own alongside Rourke's intense, career-best performance, and received nominations from most of the major awards. She has described the role as an intriguing challenge, saying, "[Cassidy] couldn't be farther from me.

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1 'My Cousin Vinny' (1992)

Director: Jonathan Lynn

"Imagine you're a deer." After pals Bill (Ralph Macchio) and Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) are charged with a robbery and murder they didn't commit, they turn to Bill's cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci), a personal injury lawyer from Brooklyn, for help. He and his fiancée Mona Lisa Vito (Tomei) arrive in Alabama for the case, where they face an uphill legal battle and suspicion from the locals. Vinny's brash style and Mona Lisa's quirkiness lead to a near-constant stream of hilarious interactions.

The script may stumble at times and the plot gets a little formulaic, but Pesci and Tomei have amazing comedic chemistry, bouncing energy off one another. Tomei is the real scene-stealer. Beneath her street-wise exterior, Mona Lisa has potential as a lawyer, which shines through in her climactic courtroom scene. It's a refreshingly modern take on a classic screwball performance, perhaps channeling Tomei's idol Barbara Stanwyck. Her appearance received rave reviews and placed her firmly on the Hollywood map.

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