The 27 Best Gabrielle Union Movies of All Time
#4 will make you want to grab a set of pom-poms.
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At the age of 21, Gabrielle Union began acting in Black sitcoms such as Moesha, Family Matters, Sister, Sister, and Smart Guy. After making small film appearances in She's All That and 10 Things I Hate About You, Union finally caught her big break with the 2000 cheerleading comedy, Bring It On. That beloved film helped make the 46-year-old actress a household name, while simultaneously introducing phrases like "bring it!" and "spirit fingers" into the mainstream. Now, 19 years into her career, Union has worked on more than 25 movies and independent films, as well as hit TV shows such as BET's Being Mary Jane and the Bad Boys offshoot, L.A.'s Finest. It's this specific list, though, that made us want to cheer for Union, whether she's getting married in real life or taking down the bad guys on camera.
She's All That
Release date: January 29, 1999
Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachel Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Anna Paquin, Dulé Hill, Kevin Pollak, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, and Lil' Kim
Union's role: Katarina "Katie" Darlingson, the BFF of the most popular and narcissistic girl at school, Taylor Vaughan (O'Keefe). But beyond this memorable beach scene, a kickass house party, and a few struts around the high school, blink and you just might miss Union.
10 Things I Hate About You
Release date: March 31, 1999
Starring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, and Andrew Keegan
Union's role: Chastity Church, cheerleader and best friend of Bianca Straford (Oleynik). Union only appears in a few scenes in the adorable teen romantic comedy, which is loosely based on William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.
Love & Basketball
Release date: April 21, 2000
Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Debbi Morgan, Dennis Haysbert, and Alfre Woodard
Union's role: Shawnee, a sexy upperclassman who tries to persuade Monica Wright (Lathan) to hook her up with her best male friend, Quincy McCall (Epps).
Bring It On
Release date: August 25, 2000
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, Clare Kramer, Nicole Bilderback, Shamari Fears, Natina Reed, and Tsianina Joelson
Union's role: Isis, the cheerleading captain of a rival squad called the East Compton Clovers. When Isis discovers the white squad across town, the Toros, is stealing their routines, she fights back and leads her team to victory at their first national championship.
The Brothers
Release date: March 23, 2001
Starring: Morris Chestnut, D.L. Hughley, Bill Bellamy, Shemar Moore, Tatyana Ali, Jenifer Lewis, Tamala Jones, Clifton Powell, Vanessa Bell Calloway, and Julie Benz
Union's role: Denise Johnson, a beautiful woman who charms her way into the heart of a man who has a fear of commitment (Chestnut). The film marks the first time Union and Chestnut play love interests, but they also star opposite each other in Two Can Play That Game, Breakin' All the Rules, Being Mary Jane, and The Perfect Holiday.
Two Can Play That Game
Release date: September 7, 2001
Starring: Vivica A. Fox, Morris Chestnut, Anthony Anderson, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Tamala Jones, Mo'Nique, Dondre Whitfield, and Bobby Brown
Union's role: Conny Spalding, the sassy, ponytail-swinging hottie who comes between Keith Fenton (Chestnut) and Shanté Smith's (Fox) relationship. Her character is the muse for the iconic "hair flip" GIFs you've seen floating around the Internet.
Abandon
Release date: October 18, 2002
Starring: Katie Holmes, Benjamin Bratt, Charlie Hunnam, Zooey Deschanel, Tony Goldwyn, and Will McCormack
Union's role: Amanda Luttrell, the witty friend of the ambitious college senior, Katie (Holmes). Amanda's also not a fan of Katie's ex-boyfriend Embry (Hunnam), who, ironically, goes missing.
Welcome to Collinwood
Release date: October 18, 2002
Starring: William H. Macy, Isaiah Washington, Sam Rockwell, Michael Jeter, Luis Guzmán, George Clooney, Andrew Davoli, and Patricia Clarkson
Union's role: Michelle, the sister of Leon (Washington) and girlfriend of Basil (Davoli). Basil is part of a group of thieves from the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland, but he wants out of the business to live an honest life with Michelle.
Deliver Us From Eva
Release date: February 7, 2003
Starring: LL Cool J, Duane Martin, Essence Atkins, Meagan Good, and Mel Jackson
Union's role: Evangeline 'Eva' Dandrige, a bossy health inspector and overprotective sister. Eva's siblings pay Ray Adams (LL Cool J) to keep her distracted from meddling in their personal relationships.
Cradle 2 the Grave
Release date: February 28, 2003
Starring: Jet Li, DMX, Anthony Anderson, Tom Arnold, and Drag-On
Union's role: Daria, a loyal associate who works with Tony Fait (DMX) and Tommy (Anderson) to pull off a jewelry heist at the New York Diamond Exchange.
Bad Boys II
Release date: July 18, 2003
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jordi Mollà, Theresa Randle, Michael Shannon, and Joe Pantoliano
Union's role: Sydney "Syd" Burnett, the sister of Marcus Burnet (Lawrence). Syd is keeping two secrets from her brother. One, she's an undercover DEA agent, laundering money for a Cuban drug lord (Mollà). Two, she's dating his best friend and fellow detective, Mike Lowrey (Smith).
Breakin' All the Rules
Release date: May 14, 2004
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Morris Chestnut, Jennifer Esposito, Bianca Lawson, and Peter MacNicol
Union's role: Nicky Callas, a woman caught in a messy love triangle between self-help book author Quincy Watson (Foxx) and his best friend Evan Fields (Chestnut).
Neo Ned
Release date: April 22, 2005
Starring: Jeremy Renner, David E. Allen, Blaine Gray, and Michael Shamus Wiles, and Lyndon Smith
Union's role: Rachael, a Black woman who is "crazy in love" with a neo-Nazi skinhead. The two meet at a mental institution. But that's not the most farfetched part of the story. Rachael also believes she's possessed by the ghost of the leader of the Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler.
The Honeymooners
Release date: June 10, 2005
Starring: Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps, Regina Hall, Eric Stoltz, and John Leguizamo
Union's role: Alice Kramden, a waitress at a local diner and best friend of Trixie Norton (Hall). The BFFs are next door neighbors who just happened to be married to friends Ralph Kramden (Cedric the Entertainer) and Ed Norton (Epps). In this film adaptation of the beloved TV series, Ralph and Ed come up with insane get-rich-quick schemes to buy new houses for their wives.
Running With Scissors
Release date: October 27, 2006
Starring: Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Evan Rachel Wood, Alec Baldwin, Joseph Cross, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kristin Chenoweth
Union's role: Dorothy Ambrose, the lesbian companion of Deirdre Burroughs (Bening). In this Ryan Murphy-drama, based on Augusten Burroughs' 2002 memoir of the same name, Dorothy serves as a source of comfort and stability for the mentally ill Deirdre.
Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls
Release date: February 14, 2007
Starring: Idris Elba, Louis Gossett Jr., Tasha Smith, Tracee Ellis Ross, Malinda Williams, Terri J. Vaughn, and Cassi Davis
Union's role: Julia, a successful attorney who helps a single father and mechanic, Monty (Elba), get sole custody of his three daughters. Of course, Julia ends up falling for Monty throughout the legal process, even though her friends don't approve because of their different backgrounds.
The Perfect Holiday
Release date: December 12, 2007
Starring: Morris Chestnut, Faizon Love, Charlie Murphy, Katt Williams, Jill Marie Jones, Rachel True, Queen Latifah, and Terrance Howard
Union's role: Nancy, a single mother left to raise three kids while their hip-hop artist father prioritizes music over family. When Nancy's daughter Emily (Khail Bryant) tells Santa (Chestnut) her holiday wish is for her mom to find love, Santa makes her wish come true. Santa ends up being the man of both Nancy and Emily's dreams.
Meet Dave
Release date: July 11, 2008
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks, Scott Caan, Kevin Hart, and Ed Helms
Union's role: No. 3 Cultural Officer, a woman from Earth who develops feelings for Dave (Murphy). But Dave isn't human. He's actually the captain of a starship carrying miniature aliens from the planet Nil.
Cadillac Records
Release date: December 5, 2008
Starring: Adrien Brody, Cedric the Entertainer, Beyoncé, Columbus Short, Jeffrey Wright, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Yasiin Bey, and Eamonn Walker
Union's role: Geneva Wade, the wife of legendary blues singer Muddy Waters. Geneva, much like Union, struggles with infertility issues and keeping her family together while her husband is on the road recording, romancing other women, and singing in nightclubs.
Think Like a Man
Release date: April 20, 2012
Starring: Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart, Meagan Good, Jerry Ferrara, Regina Hall, Romany Malco, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Jenkins, Jenifer Lewis, Lala Anthony
Union's role: Kristen, a woman who reads a self-help book designed to help women get the man they deserve. She takes the advice to heart, hoping to get her immature live-in boyfriend to commit to her. The 2012 rom-com is based on Steve Harvey's book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.
Michelle is the Culture & News Writer for OprahMag.com, where she writes about celebrities (she considers herself an expert on Beyoncé and Reese Witherspoon), plus the latest in pop-culture news, binge-worthy TV shows, and movies. The transplanted Southerner turned ambitious New Yorker lives her best life by listening to hip-hop and Pod Save America, watching The Office on repeat, quoting Oprah-isms, eating dessert before dinner, and avoiding avocado. Seriously, she doesn’t get the hype.
It should say, “Michelle is the former Culture & News Writer for Oprahmag.com...”
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