Catherine O'Hara is one of Hollywood's greatest comedic treasures. The hilarious Second City TV alum has delivered memorable performances in some of the most popular comedies of all time, including Beetlejuice, Home Alone, Best in Show, and many more.
That said, O'Hara is somewhat underrated as a dramatic actor as well. Look no further than her weird and wacky role as Moira Rose on the hit comedy series Schitt's Creek, for which O'Hara recently earned a Primetime Emmy nomination. Yes, the part is humorous, but it's also a deeply immersed performance that O'Hara gives in the process. And since the show just aired its finale this week, it's high time we check out Catherine O'Hara's 10 Best Movies, According to IMDB.
10 Away We Go (2009) 7.0/10
Away We Go is a deeply human and heartfelt tale of a pregnant couple crossing the country to find the ideal place to raise their first child. John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph give tremendous performances as the couple in question as they meet a series of likable and unlikable relatives.
Square in the latter camp is O'Hara and Jeff Daniels as Krasinski's apathetic parents. When Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) visit his folks, the parents happily announce their plans to leave for Antwerp a month before their first grandchild is born. Seriously.
9 The Last Polka (1985) 7.1/10
Remember when John Candy mentions "Polka Polka Polka" as he gives mama McAllister (O'Hara) a ride back to Chicago at the end of Home Alone? Well, that's a direct reference to the 1985 TV-Movie The Last Polka starring both SCTV alums.
Not only that, but the film also stars O'Hara's longtime partner in crime, Eugene Levy, who co-wrote the film with Candy. Rick Moranis also stars in the Spinal Tap-like mockumentary depicting the final concert of the Happy Wanderers polka band.
8 A Mighty Wind (2003) 7.2/10
From the Happy Wanderers to Mitch and Mickey, the irony is too delicious. But indeed, O'Hara and Levy reunited nearly two-decades after The Last Polka to perform a soul-shattering folk duet of A Kiss At the end of the Rainbow in A Mighty Wind.
Christopher Guest's mockumentary about a folk music festival reunion banks on the electric chemistry between Levy and O'Hara. And like true pros, they respond by delivering a tear-jerking finale as the characters' past and present converge in one spine-tingling moment.
7 Best In Show (2000) 7.4/10
The O'Hara/Levy party continues with Best in Show, a knee-slapping satire of the National Dog Show directed by Christopher Guest at the top of his game.
Jerry and Cookie Fleck are a married couple stressed out over the prospect of entering their cute little Terrier into the National Dog Show competition. Cookie's promiscuous past comes back to haunt Jerry when she runs into a series of former lovers at the show. Meanwhile, when Cookie sprains her ankle, Jerry must trot out the Terrier with a pair of literal left feet!
6 Waiting For Guffman (1996) 7.5/10
In her first mockumentary collaboration with Christopher Guest, O'Hara plays Sheila Albertson, an enthusiastic Missourian hell-bent on stealing the show of her community theater production.
While O'Hara shares many scenes with her best pal Eugene Levy, Sheila is actually married to Ron Alberston (Fred Willard) in the film. Under the direction of quirky Corky St. James (Guest), the locals do their best to impress Guffman, a Broadway critic supposedly in attendance for the show's premiere.
5 Beetlejuice (1988) 7.5/10
Day-O. Day-ayy-O! No one in their right mind could ever forget the macabre dance O'Hara and her dinner guests perform during the climactic scene in Beetlejuice. No one!
In easily one of the most memorable turns of her career, O'Hara is hilariously loathsome as Delia Deetz, the horrid NYC artist who turns the quaint farmhouse in Beetlejuice to a swanky upscale museum of sorts. The action springs a vengeful plot for Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis), an unwitting deceased couple who work to rid their new tenants for good.
4 Home Alone (1990) 7.6/10
Kevin! In what is probably her most visible and popular role to date, O'Hara lived every mother's worst nightmare in the box-office shattering family comedy Home Alone. That is, leaving a child behind while on an international vacation!
We all know the details of the film. So instead, notice how the film was written by the late great John Hughes, who of course directed John Candy in Uncle Buck and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It stands to reason then that when it came time to cast Home Alone, Candy went to bat for his longtime pal O'Hara. Their polka scenes in the van on the way back to Chicago reinforce the theory.
3 When Marnie Was There (2014) 7.7/10
With her unmistakable vocal tone, O'Hara has wisely lent her voice to a number of animated movies over her career. However, with the exception of one to come, none have been more resonant than in When Marnie Was There.
In the English-language version of the acclaimed Japanese anime, O'Hara voices the role of Elderly Lady. Story-wise, the film follows a depressed 12-year-old girl who moves to the countryside to live with her relatives. Once there, young Anna meets the mysterious Marnie, a benevolent spirit that helps Anna cope with all of her problems.
2 After Hours (1985) 7.7/10
One of Marty Scorsese's best and most underrated films is After Hours, a hilarious pitch-black comedy about one man's miserable night in SoHo. Naturally, O'Hara is in the mix!
When boring copywriter Paul (Griffin Dunne) goes out for a date with a hot young lady, his night goes from bad to nightmarishly worse with each passing hour. Unable to get home, Paul has episodic run-ins with one sleazy and sordid character after another. O'Hara plays Gail, an ice-cream truck driver who rallies a mob to chase Paul out of town.
1 The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) 8.0/10
Without the aforesaid turn in Beetlejuice, O'Hara would likely never have been involved with the highest-rated film of career, according to IMDB. Oh, karma!
As it is, the Tim Burton-produced Nightmare Before Christmas has become a legit holiday classic since it was released in 1993. In the glorious fusion of Christmas and Halloween, O'Hara voices the roles of Sally and Shock. Of course, the film charts Jack Skellington's fervid attempt to have his fellow ghouls and goblins throw the most epic Christmas celebration of all time.
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