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After her major feature debut in 2005’s The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants, Blake Lively hopped over to television as the lead in Gossip Girl, the CW teen drama fixture that ran for six seasons. Though busy with the show, Lively was still able to turn in a few memorable appearances in films, like the Certified Fresh crime saga The Town, and Green Lantern, where she would meet future husband Ryan Reynolds.
Though Gossip Girl ended in 2012, it would be several years before her film career would resume in earnest, starting with the romantic fantasy The Age of Adaline. But it would be shark movie The Shallows that would propel her to movie stardom. 2018’s A Simple Favor, where she goes tête-à-tête with Anna Kendrick, was another critical and box office hit. Now, she's leading the cast in It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling book. Reviews are just starting to come in as of this writing, so while we wait for the final verdict, here's how Blake Lively's movies stack up on the Tomatometer.
14. Hick (2011)
Tomatometer: 5%
Audience Score: 36%
Synopsis: A pistol-packing teen (Chloë Grace Moretz) meets an unstable rebel (Eddie Redmayne) and a cocaine-snorting drifter (Blake Lively) as she hitchhikes her way out West.
Critics Consensus: Hick's talented young star is ill served by a film whose story wavers between discomfitingly inappropriate and simply muddled.
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Eddie Redmayne, Juliette Lewis, Rory Culkin
Directed By: Derick Martini
13. Green Lantern (2011)
Tomatometer: 25%
Audience Score: 45%
Synopsis: Sworn to preserve intergalactic order, the Green Lantern Corps has existed for centuries. Its newest recruit, Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), is the first human to join the ranks. The Green Lanterns have little regard for humans, who have thus far been unable to harness the powers of the ring each member wears. But Jordan, a gifted and cocky test pilot, may be the corps' only hope when a new enemy called Parallax threatens the universal balance of power.
Critics Consensus: Noisy, overproduced, and thinly written, Green Lantern squanders an impressive budget and decades of comics mythology.
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong
Directed By: Martin Campbell
12. All I See Is You (2016)
Tomatometer: 30%
Audience Score: 31%
Synopsis: Gina is a beautiful young woman who's still haunted by the accident that took her sight years earlier. Living in Bangkok with her husband, James, she undergoes a cutting-edge operation that restores the vision to her right eye. Now that Gina can see again, she slowly starts to realize that her newfound independence makes James feel jealous, threatened and insecure.
Critics Consensus: All I See Is You hints at a number of intriguing questions with its premise, but they dissolve in a stylish yet empty psychodrama that fails to connect.
Starring: Blake Lively, Jason Clarke, Ahna O'Reilly, Yvonne Strahovski
Directed By: Marc Forster
11. The Rhythm Section (2020)
Tomatometer: 29%
Audience Score: 44%
Synopsis: Stephanie Patrick veers down a path of self-destruction after a tragic plane crash kills her family. When Stephanie discovers it wasn't an accident, she turns to a former CIA operative who can help her find the culprits. But her quest to uncover the truth soon turns into a full-blown quest for revenge as Patrick decides to punish those responsible.
Critics Consensus: Blake Lively delivers an impressive lead performance, but The Rhythm Section plods predictably through a story that could have used some flashier riffs.
Starring: Blake Lively, Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown, Raza Jaffrey
Directed By: Reed Morano
10. Accepted (2006)
Tomatometer: 38%
Audience Score: 72%
Synopsis: After receiving his latest college rejection letter, senior Bartleby Gaines devises a novel way to fool everyone into thinking he is college-bound: Open his own university. Bartleby and his similarly stymied friends take over an abandoned building, create a fake Web site, hire a friend's uncle to pose as the dean, and -- presto -- a school is born. However, they do their jobs too well, and soon many other rejects try to gain admittance to the nonexistent South Harmon Institute of Technology.
Critics Consensus: Like its characters who aren't able to meet their potential, Accepted's inconsistent and ridiculous plot gets annoying, despite a few laughs.
Starring: Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Blake Lively, Maria Thayer
Directed By: Steve Pink
9. Savages (2012)
Tomatometer: 50%
Audience Score: 54%
Synopsis: California entrepreneurs Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch) run a lucrative business raising marijuana and share a one-of-a-kind love with beautiful O (Blake Lively). Life in Laguna Beach is idyllic for them, until Elena (Salma Hayek), the merciless leader of the Mexican Baja Cartel, moves in and demands a piece of the action. However, Elena underestimates the trio's unbreakable bond, and with the help of a shady DEA agent (John Travolta), Ben, Chon and O go to war.
Critics Consensus: It's undeniably messy, but Savages finds Oliver Stone returning to dark, fearlessly lurid form.
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Travolta
Directed By: Oliver Stone
8. The Age of Adaline (2015)
Tomatometer: 55%
Audience Score: 67%
Synopsis: Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) has miraculously remained a youthful 29 years of age for nearly eight decades, never allowing herself to get close to anyone lest they discover her secret. However, a chance encounter with a charismatic philanthropist named Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) reawakens Adaline's long-suppressed passion for life and romance. When a weekend with Ellis' parents threatens to expose the truth, Adaline makes a decision that changes her life forever.
Critics Consensus: The Age of Adaline ruminates on mortality less compellingly than similarly themed films, but is set apart by memorable performances from Blake Lively and Harrison Ford.
Starring: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Kathy Baker, Harrison Ford
Directed By: Lee Toland Krieger
7. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)
Tomatometer: 66%
Audience Score: 66%
Synopsis: Following freshman year at college, best friends Tibby (Amber Tamblyn), Lena (Alexis Bledel), Carmen (America Ferrera) and Bridget (Blake Lively) find it increasingly difficult to stay in touch. As their lives take different paths, it may take more than a shared pair of well-worn blue jeans to keep their bonds from completely unraveling.
Critics Consensus: The workable chemistry among the four leads combined with the enriching message make for a winning Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.
Starring: Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively
Directed By: Sanaa Hamri
6. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
Tomatometer: 69%
Audience Score: 50%
Synopsis: Pippa Lee (Robin Wright Penn) is a middle-aged woman married to a much older man named Herb (Alan Arkin), a celebrated publisher. After she and Herb move to a retirement community, Pippa's troubled past bubbles to the surface. Though a neighbor's son (Keanu Reeves) acts as her confidante, Pippa slowly inches toward a nervous breakdown.
Critics Consensus: Reverential and offbeat, the road trip film Private lives of Pippa Lee takes emotional detours and is elevated by great performances, particularly that of Robin Wright-Penn.
Starring: Robin Wright, Keanu Reeves, Alan Arkin, Julianne Moore
Directed By: Rebecca Miller
5. Café Society (2016)
Tomatometer: 71%
Audience Score: 56%
Synopsis: Looking for an exciting career, young Bobby Dorfman leaves New York for the glitz and glamour of 1930s Hollywood. After landing a job with his uncle, Bobby falls for Vonnie, a charming woman who happens to be his employer's mistress. Settling for friendship but ultimately heartbroken, Bobby returns to the Bronx and begins working in a nightclub. Everything falls into place when he finds romance with a beautiful socialite, until Vonnie walks back into his life and captures his heart once again.
Critics Consensus: Café Society's lovely visuals and charming performances round out a lightweight late-period Allen comedy whose genuine pleasures offset its amiable predictability.
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Blake Lively
Directed By: Woody Allen
4. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
Tomatometer: 82%
Audience Score: 78%
Synopsis: Bridget (Blake Lively), Carmen (America Ferrera), Lena (Alexis Bledel) and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) are best friends living in Maryland. After many summers together, the four are finally going their separate ways for a few months: while Bridget heads to Mexico, and Lena visits family in Greece, Carmen and Tibby stay closer to home. No matter where they are, they are connected by a pair of jeans that they take turns sharing -- pants that fit all four girls and exemplify their tight bond.
Critics Consensus: With surprisingly touching earnestness, The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants follows four best friends as they try on adulthood — and though it isn't an easy fit, their journey becomes bearable thanks to the threads they share.
Starring: Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively
Directed By: Ken Kwapis
3. The Shallows (2016)
Tomatometer: 79%
Audience Score: 59%
Synopsis: Still reeling from the loss of her mother, medical student Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) travels to a secluded beach for some much-needed solace. Despite the danger of surfing alone, Nancy decides to soak up the sun and hit the waves. Suddenly, a great white shark attacks, forcing her to swim to a giant rock for safety. Left injured and stranded 200 yards from shore, the frightened young woman must fight for her life as the deadly predator circles her in its feeding ground.
Critics Consensus: Lean and solidly crafted, The Shallows transcends tired shark-attack tropes with nasty thrills and a powerful performance from Blake Lively.
Starring: Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Brett Cullen, Sedona Legge
Directed By: Jaume Collet-Serra
2. A Simple Favor (2018)
Tomatometer: 84%
Audience Score: 73%
Synopsis: Stephanie is a widowed, single mother who works as a vlogger in Connecticut. Her best friend, Emily, seems to have it all -- a successful career, a loving family and a glamorous lifestyle. When Emily mysteriously disappears one day, Stephanie launches her own investigation by digging into her friend's past -- and finding a few surprises along the way.
Critics Consensus: Twisty, twisted, and above all simply fun, A Simple Favor casts a stylish mommy noir spell strengthened by potent performances from Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively.
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Ian Ho
Directed By: Paul Feig
1. The Town (2010)
Tomatometer: 92%
Audience Score: 85%
Synopsis: Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) leads a band of ruthless bank robbers and has no real attachments except for James (Jeremy Renner), who -- despite his dangerous temper -- is like a brother. Everything changes for Doug when James briefly takes a hostage, bank employee Claire Keesey. Learning that she lives in the gang's neighborhood, Doug seeks her out to discover what she knows, and he falls in love. As the romance deepens, he wants out of his criminal life, but that could threaten Claire.
Critics Consensus: Tense, smartly written, and wonderfully cast, The Town proves that Ben Affleck has rediscovered his muse -- and that he's a director to be reckoned with.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner
Directed By: Ben Affleck
