Celebrating Brittany Murphy: Looking back at her top five performances

4. Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)

Drew Barrymore stars in this biographical movie about a woman who deals with being a teenage mother. It is set between 1961 and 1986. Barrymore plays the main character Beverly and Murphy played one of her closest friends, Fay. Fay even tells everyone she’s pregnant along with Bev so that she isn’t alone in the ordeal.

It’s a hard film to watch at times since it is a drama, but Murphy is truly exceptional in the movie. Fay is a troubled girl in many of the same ways Bev is, so it’s easy to understand their friendship and also its complications.

3. Girl, Interrupted (1999)

When people think about Girl, Interrupted, they generally think about Angelina Jolie first. It’s no lie to say this movie was a huge breakout for Jolie but it was also an incredible film to showcase Murphy’s dramatic talents.

Despite how beloved the movie is by fans, critics actually didn’t like it that much when it first released. However, over the years it has found a more devote fanbase who loves the incredible cast featuring Murphy, Jolie, Elisabeth Moss, Clea DuVall, and Winona Ryder.

Murphy’s character, Daisy, is an abuse victim and she has to deal with heavy and traumatic content in this movie. There are a few notable scenes that truly prove Murphy was a force to be reckoned with on-screen, such as the intense fight between Lisa and Daisy.