Beyond the Blockbusters: Scarlett Johansson's Hidden Gems You Need to Stream Right Now
Photo by Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash on Unsplash
Here's a challenge for you: name five Scarlett Johansson movies that aren't part of a franchise.
If you're drawing a blank after Lost in Translation, that's okay — you're not alone. The thing is, Johansson has one of the most genuinely diverse filmographies in modern Hollywood, full of smaller, weirder, more intimate work that tends to get buried under the avalanche of press that comes with every Marvel release. This weekend, we're fixing that.
Grab your snacks, fire up your streaming services, and let's take a tour through the Scarlett Johansson films that deserve way more love than they get.
A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) — For the Fans Who Love Southern Gothic Drama
Where to stream: Tubi, Peacock (check availability)
This one flew under the radar even when it came out, which is genuinely baffling given the performances involved. Johansson plays Pursy Will, a young woman who returns to New Orleans after her mother's death and finds the house she inherited is already occupied by two aging, hard-drinking literary types played by John Travolta and Gabriel Macht.
What unfolds is slow, moody, and completely absorbing. Johansson was just 19 when this was filmed, and she holds her own against Travolta in a way that should have been a much bigger deal at the time. The Louisiana atmosphere is thick enough to cut with a knife, and the film has a melancholy beauty that sticks with you. If you've ever loved a movie that feels like sitting on a porch at dusk in the heat, this is your film.
The Island (2005) — Underrated Sci-Fi That Deserves a Second Look
Where to stream: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi
Okay, hear us out. The Island got a rough critical reception when it dropped in 2005, and the Michael Bay directing credit has probably kept some people away ever since. But strip away the baggage and you've got a genuinely interesting sci-fi premise — clones living in a controlled facility, unaware of their true purpose — and a Johansson performance that's surprisingly nuanced given the action-heavy packaging.
She plays Jordan Two Delta, and there's a real vulnerability to her work here that prefigures the kind of emotional depth she'd bring to later roles. It's not a perfect movie, but it's a lot more interesting than its reputation suggests, and for Johansson completists it's essential viewing.
Match Point (2005) — Woody Allen's Darkest Thriller
Where to stream: HBO Max, Criterion Channel
This is arguably the most important film on this list in terms of what it revealed about Johansson's range. Woody Allen's Match Point is a cold, morally unsettling thriller set in London's upper-class social scene, and Johansson plays Nola Rice — an American actress whose affair with a married man spirals toward genuinely dark places.
It's a completely different register from anything she'd done before. No warmth, no relatability — just a character who exists at the intersection of desire and danger. The film itself is one of Allen's best of the 2000s (critics largely agreed on this one), and Johansson's performance is a huge part of why it works. If you haven't seen it, clear two hours this weekend.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) — Sun-Drenched and Surprisingly Complex
Where to stream: Tubi, Peacock
Another Woody Allen collaboration, and another side of Johansson you might not expect. In Vicky Cristina Barcelona, she plays the free-spirited Cristina, one half of a pair of American friends (the other is Rebecca Hall) who get swept up in a complicated romantic situation with a Spanish painter played by Javier Bardem — and eventually his volatile ex-wife, played by Penélope Cruz.
Cruz won the Oscar for her role, and rightfully so, but Johansson's work here is subtler and arguably harder — she's playing someone who doesn't quite know what she wants and is genuinely okay with that ambiguity. For a summer movie set in Spain, it's got a lot going on emotionally, and it rewards close watching.
Her (2013) — A Masterclass in Vocal Performance
Where to stream: Max (HBO Max)
Yes, you've probably heard of this one. But we'd bet a lot of you still haven't actually watched it, and that needs to change immediately. Spike Jonze's Her features Johansson in a role where she never appears on screen — she voices Samantha, an AI operating system that Joaquin Phoenix's lonely writer falls in love with.
The fact that she earned awards consideration for a purely vocal performance tells you everything you need to know. There's warmth, curiosity, growing self-awareness, and eventually something that feels genuinely like loss — all conveyed through voice alone. It's one of the most technically impressive and emotionally affecting performances of her career, and if you've been putting it off, this is your sign.
Under the Skin (2013) — The Most Unsettling Film on This List
Where to stream: Mubi, Kanopy
Fair warning: this one is not for everyone. Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin is an art-house science fiction film in which Johansson plays an alien entity taking human form and preying on men in Scotland. Large portions of it were filmed with hidden cameras, with real (non-actor) members of the public interacting with her without knowing they were being filmed.
The result is one of the strangest, most hypnotic films of the 2010s — and Johansson's performance is unlike anything else in her catalog. There's no warmth, no humor, no conventional emotional arc. It's deliberately alien, deliberately uncomfortable, and genuinely brilliant. If you want proof that she can do absolutely anything, this is exhibit A.
Jojo Rabbit (2019) — Funny, Heartbreaking, and Completely Unique
Where to stream: Disney+, Hulu
Taika Waititi's World War II satire gave Johansson one of her most purely joyful roles in years — a German mother hiding a Jewish girl in her walls while her ten-year-old son navigates a world that's been twisted by Nazi ideology. She's warm and funny and heartbreaking, sometimes all in the same scene, and she earned an Academy Award nomination for it.
This one has a bigger profile than most films on this list, but plenty of casual fans still haven't gotten around to it. Fix that this weekend. Bring tissues.
The Marvel movies are great — we're not here to tell you otherwise. But the Johansson you'll find in these films is often more surprising, more adventurous, and more revealing of just how much she's capable of. Set aside a few weekends, work through this list, and you'll come out the other side with a whole new appreciation for one of the most consistently interesting careers in modern cinema.
