After making her screen debut as a child actor in 1979, Diane Lane steadily rose throughout the 1980s to become one of the most talented leading ladies in Hollywood. In addition to being a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola, who she worked with on four feature films, Lane earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in the 2002 romantic thriller Unfaithful.
Currently starring as Jennfier Brown in FX's new sci-fi series Y: The Last Man and recently appearing in Zack Synder's Justice League, Lane is enjoying a career resurgence of sorts that is worth going back to revisit her past cinematic gems.
My Dog Skip (2000) - 7.0
My Dog Skip is a heartwarming and tear-jerking family film about Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz), a boy coming of age in the 1940s American south with the help of his best friend, a Jack Russell Terrier named Skip. Lane plays Willie's loving mother, Ellen, a charming housewife who gives her son the puppy when his best friend is drafted.
While Lane helps shades the periphery of the story, the film is really a touching reminder of the profound bonds that can be made between animals and humans, and how much a pet dog can feel like a true family member. As such, the film has the same sort of lasting emotional impact as Old Yeller.
Man Of Steel (2013) - 7.0
Lane collaborated with Zack Snyder for the first time on Man of Steel, in which she plays the pivotal role of Clark Kent's (Henry Cavill) adoptive mother, Martha. According to Snyder via Collider, he was "thrilled to have Diane Lane in the role because she can convey the wisdom and the wonder of a woman whose son has powers beyond her imagination."
Indeed, for all the outlandish, high-flying superhero action seen in the film, Lane helps ground the drama in reality that makes the story as believable as can be. It's one of the reasons why a common IMDb refrain about Man of Steel posits that it's the best superhero movie for non-superhero film fans to come out in some time.
The Outsiders (1983) - 7.1
Lane gives an iconic performance as Cherry Valance in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, the popular member of the Socs, rich kids from the right side of the tracks. Despite their disparate backgrounds, Cherry forms a tender sympathetic bond with Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell), a Greaser from the poor part of town.
As the Greasers and Socs prepare for an all-out brawl, it's Cherry who becomes the de facto referee caught in the middle of the action, having her loyalties torn between her inherent upbringing and her true feelings for Ponyboy and his brothers. Lane gives a preciously soulful turn in the film, leading to Coppola casting her three more times.
Rumble Fish (1983) - 7.2
Also based on the acclaimed S.E. Hinton novel, Rumble Fish is Francis Ford Coppola's companion piece to The Outsiders. Released the same year and starring many of the same actors, Lane plays Patty, the manipulated girlfriend of protagonist Rusty James (Matt Dillon).
Less substantial than her work as Cherry Valance, Rumble Fish is more about the complicated kinship between James and his older brother, Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke), who James wants to be like but also be independent of as creates his own adult identity. Still, Lane always classes up any movie she's a part of and Rumble Fish is no exception.
Secretariat (2010) - 7.2
Based on the uplifting true story, Disney's Secretariat stars Lane as Penny Chenery Tweedy, the owner of the titular triple-crown winning racehorse who went on to become one of the greatest competitors of all time. A massive crowd-pleaser, the film celebrates how Penny navigated and ultimately triumphed in the male-dominated world of horseracing in the 1970s.
As one of the best racehorse films with broad appeal for the whole family to enjoy, the massive odds Penny overcomes to lead Secretariat to become the first triple crown winner in 25 years is a rousingly satisfying experience. While some have groused the story is more about Penny than Secretariat, it's the unbreakable bond between the two that makes the story so profound.
A Little Romance (1979) - 7.5
Lane's feature film debut still ranks among her best, according to IMDb users. A Little Romance is an enchanting rom-com about Lauren King (Lane), an American girl who falls for a local Parisian boy named Daniel (Thelonious Bernard) while living in the city of lights. Lane earned a Young Artist Award - Best Actress for her performance.
Praised for Lane's precocious performance and gorgeous European locations, the film was also hailed for being an original, intelligent, and delightfully breezy depiction of youthful innocence and the aching nostalgia of first love.
Chaplin (1992) - 7.5
Lane starred in four films released in 1992, none more acclaimed than Richard Attenborough's Hollywood biopic Chaplin. The sweeping life and movie career of Charlie Chapin (Robert Downey Jr.) is chronicled at great length, including the beloved entertainer's marriage to his third wife, Paulette Goddard (Lane).
The most fascinating aspect of Chaplin and Goddard's relationship is the contentious balance of business and pleasure. Goddard starred in Chaplin's successful movies Modern Times and The Great Dictator, but the production of the former caused a major rift in their marriage before it ultimately dissolved. Their marriage proved that Chaplin's love of cinema eclipsed all else.
Trumbo (2015) - 7.5
Lane played another real-life historical figure in Trumbo, portraying the acclaimed Hollywood writer's wife Cleo Fincher Trumbo. The movie entrails Dalton Trumbo's (Bryan Cranston) time on the Hollywood Blacklist, where he was boycotted after being named by HUAC for his communist beliefs.
While the film mainly focuses on Trumbo's circumnavigation of the strictures put in place, his relationship with Cleo underscores the personal price and emotional strain such a public event had on their family. Still, Cleo remained by Dalton's side until his death in 1976.
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) - 8.1
In the mega-popular Zack Snyder's Justice League, Lane reprises her role as Clark Kent's mother Martha. As an emotional anchor to the story, Martha is forced to sell off her Smallville farm when she can't afford the growing bank fees. When Bruce Wayne buys the farm back at the end, the sentimental reunion between mother and son strikes viewers to the core.
One major difference between Martha's role from each version is a scene in which Martian Manhunter poses as Martha to trick Lois Lane (Amy Adams) into rejoining society.
Inside Out (2015): 8.1
In one of her rare voice-0ver roles, Lane plays Riley's (Kaitlyn Dias) concerned Mom in Inside Out, Pixar's brilliantly conceived coming-of-age tale about the emotional inner workings of an adolescent mind. While the various emotions steal the show, it's the heartfelt care Mom and Dad (Kyle MacLachlan) give to Riley that help her find her footing in a new city.
Inside Out joins Pixar's rare artistic achievements that utterly transcend mere cartoon entertainment for children to make a profound statement on the human condition and the universal connection everyone shares. Lane's small but impacting contribution goes a long way in making the story resonate.