These Iconic Jane Fonda Movies Prove Her Talent Is Timeless
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Throughout her 50-year career, actress Jane Fonda has undoubtedly worn many hats. She made her acting debut in the 1960s with Tall Story—and she hasn’t slowed down since. From thrillers like Klute (for which Fonda won her first Oscar for Best Actress) to recent comedies like Book Club, she’s inspired generations of women, whether she’s playing a rebellious secretary, a former first lady, or a smitten newlywed.
And her films only get better with age. Here, we’ve compiled the eight best Jane Fonda movies of all time. Revisit them when you find yourself in need of inspiration, a good cry, a good laugh, or all three in the same film.
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Tall Story
Based on the popular Broadway play, Tall Story was Fonda’s big break in the entertainment industry. The young actress played June Ryder, a new student at Custer College with one goal in mind: to find a husband. She decides Ray Blent (played by Anthony Perkins)—an honor student and star basketball player—is the perfect candidate and does everything in her power to get his attention. Rumor has it that Fonda hated the play when she first saw it, but now she can thank the comedy for the significant acting career that followed.
Coming Home
Fonda and Jon Voight both delivered powerhouse performances in this romantic war drama. Fonda plays Sally Hyde, a military wife who develops a relationship with Voight’s paraplegic and traumatized veteran she meets while volunteering at a VA hospital while her husband is still in Vietnam. Even in a challenging part, Fonda feels effortless in the character and handles it as gracefully as you’d expect.
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Barefoot in the Park
Based on the 1963 play by Neil Simon, Barefoot in the Park tells the story of two newlyweds: free-spirited Corie (played by Fonda) and Paul Bratter (played by Robert Redford), a conservative lawyer. The couple moves into a tiny, fifth-floor apartment in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Trouble arises shortly after when Corie tries to set her mother up with one of their new neighbors during a double date.
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They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Based on Horace McCoy’s 1935 novel of the same name, Fonda earned her first Oscar nomination for her role as Gloria Beatty in this relentless psychological roller-coaster ride. She played one of many contestants in a Santa Monica dance marathon, where couples are trying to win a $1,500 grand prize and get spotted by Hollywood talent scouts in the audience. As the movie goes on, the building exhaustion and desperation of these dancers produce a unique horror you won’t expect as you start this film.
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Youth
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, Youth is a comedy-drama starring a rogue’s gallery of acting greats including Fonda, Harvey Keitel, Michael Caine, Rachel Weisz, and Paul Dano. She plays Brenda Morel, an aging film star who is up for the role Keitel’s character—screenwriter Mick Boyle—has written. Fonda seems to have a lot of fun with this supporting character and pops even given her limited screen time.
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Klute
A break from Fonda's typical light-hearted flicks, Klute is a thriller that follows the story of Bree Daniels (played by Fonda), a Manhattan call girl being stalked by a psychopath. Her path crosses with detective John Klute (played by Donald Sutherland) who is investigating the disappearance of Tom Gruneman, a Pennsylvania chemical company executive. An obscene letter addressed to Daniels was found in his office, so Klute starts to follow her every move. But eventually, the two develop a relationship. Klute realizes that the person responsible for Gruneman’s disappearance may be after Daniels next. Can he stop the stalker before it’s too late?
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Fun with Dick and Jane
Manager Dick Harper (played by George Segal) and his young wife Jane (played by Fonda) were used to a lavish lifestyle. They had just built a new pool in their backyard and things were seemingly perfect. Suddenly, Harper loses his job and the couple is $70,000 in debt. The two turn to robbing drug stores to pay their dues in Fun with Dick and Jane—but it’s not as easy as it looks. A remake starring Jim Cary and Alec Baldwin hit theaters in 2005.
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9 to 5
9 to 5 is a 1980 comedy with a serious message. Three female secretaries—played by Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin—grew tired of the sexism they experienced from their “egotistical, hypocritical” boss at work (played by Dabney Coleman). After a night of laughter and drug-induced fantasies about getting rid of him for good, they begin to panic that they actually had carried out the plan. (Rumor has it that the iconic trio might reunite in season 6 of Grace and Frankie on Netflix.)
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On Golden Pond
Two generations of Fondas, Jane and her father Henry Fonda, appeared and were Oscar-nominated for this drama where they play an estranged father and daughter. Henry Fonda took home the Best Actor award, though Jane was just as worthy of the trophy even if she didn’t win Best Supporting Actress. On Golden Pond was directed by Mark Rydell and written by Ernest Thompson, who adapted it from his play of the same name.
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Monster-In-Law
This Jane Fonda movie features another star we know and love: Jennifer Lopez! In Monster-In-Law, Charlotte (played by Lopez) falls madly in love with Dr. Kevin Fields (played by Michael Vartan). The two get engaged, and it’s time to meet the family. Charlotte was excited to meet the parents who raised her husband-to-be, until she learns Viola (played by Fonda) is anything but thrilled to welcome a new member into the family.
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Lee Daniels’ The Butler
Inspired by a true story, Lee Daniels’ The Butler tells the heartwarming tale of a butler named Cecil (played by Forest Whitaker) who leaves the south and lands the job of a lifetime as a butler serving an array of U.S. presidents throughout the 20th century. After three decades, Cecil learns the inner workings of the White House and the processes behind government decisions made during the Civil Rights movement. Among other stars—like Oprah Winfrey, Robbin Williams, and Mariah Carey—Fonda plays Nancy Reagan, wife of former president Ronald Reagan.
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Book Club
In Book Club, Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen join forces to play a group of friends who are navigating the challenges of late adulthood. Whether it’s divorce, the single life, or an unexciting marriage, everyone is in agreement: They’re in a slump. What better way to spice things up than to power through Fifty Shades of Grey for their next book club meeting?
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