Idina Menzel is one of the great Broadway performers of our generation and has successfully been able to translate her immense talent to both the small and big screens. In the theater world, Idina is best known for playing iconic roles like Elphaba in Wicked and Maureen in Rent.
Her powerhouse and extremely recognizable voice is one of the most sought after in the industry and the heart she brings to each role draws audiences in time after time. In addition to Broadway, Idina Menzel has given some pretty memorable performances in television and on film. Here are here 10 best performances, according to IMDb users.
10 Beaches (2017) – 5.4
This made-for-television movie is a remake of the classic film by the same name, which was released in 1988 and starred Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey. The films tells the story of two young girls, who meet on a beach as children and become life-long friends.
In the film, Idina Menzel plays CC Bloom, the part originated by Better Midler. CC is an aspiring singer trying to navigate love and career with the help and advice of her best friend, Hillary. She famously sings, “Wind Beneath My Wings”, about her best friend.
9 Ask The Dust (2006) – 5.8
Ask the Dust, an American-German romance drama, starred Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek, with big names like Donald Sutherland and Idina Menzel rounding out the supporting cast. Tom Cruise served as one of the film’s producers, which had a very limited release in March of 2006 and screened at the Moscow International Film Festival.
The film tells the story of an unlikely romance during the Great Depression. Despite the all-star cast, Ask the Dust received mostly negative reviews from critics and audiences, calling it overall, one dimensional and missing important cinematic elements.
8 Private Practice (2007-2013) – 6.6
Private Practice was a hit medical drama and a spin-off series to the incredibly successful Grey’s Anatomy, both shows were created by the mega-producer/showrunner, Shonda Rhimes. The series lasted six seasons and can still be viewed in syndication today on local ABC networks.
Idina Menzel appeared in two episodes of season two of the show. Here, she played Lisa King, who brings her son Ben into the practice and hits it off with Dr. Pete Wilder, played by Tim Daly.
7 Glee (2009-2015) – 6.7
Glee, the musical smash hit of the 2000s, seems to be the perfect series to showcase all of Idina Menzel’s talents. Part comedy, part musical, and part drama, Glee had incredible success during the six seasons that it was on air.
Idina Menzel is featured in the first four seasons of the series as Shelby Corcoran, the vocal coach for our Glee club’s rivals, Vocal Adrenaline. Idina appears in twelve episodes altogether and carries a heavy storyline as Quinn’s baby, Beth’s adopted mother, and then later is revealed to be lead character, Rachel’s biological mother.
6 Rent (2005) – 6.9
This film, based on the original, hit Broadway musical with the same name, brought together the original Broadway cast to bring the nostalgic show to the big screen and reach an even larger audience. Idina plays Maureen, the ex-girlfriend of Mark and current girlfriend of Joanne.
She is an artist and a heartbreaker with a powerful voice who sings iconic songs like “Take Me or Leave Me” and “Over the Moon.” This role on Broadway originally put Idina on the map, and her revival of the character in the play’s cinematic adaptation solidified her place in the industry.
5 Enchanted (2007) – 7.0
This is one of the few films Idina has starred in thus far, where she doesn’t sing at all and focuses instead on delivering a compelling performance as an actress. In this satirical love letter to Disney films, Idina plays Nancy Tremaine, the girlfriend of Robert Philip (played by Patrick Dempsey).
When Robert meets Giselle, there is instant chemistry and Robert’s serious girlfriend, Nancy, can sense it. She initially and understandably is upset with Robert, but eventually realizes that this is not her love story and lets Robert go so he can be with Giselle.
4 Frozen II (2019) – 7.0
The follow up to one of Disney’s most successful and highest grossing animated features of all time, Frozen, Frozen II continues the story and brings back all of our favorite characters, including Elsa, voiced once more by Idina Menzel.
In this adventure, it’s been three years since our previous story and Elsa, along with her sister Anna, her husband, Kristoff, and their friends, Olaf and Sven, go off to explore beyond Arendelle, in hopes of learning where Elsa’s powers originated and why she has them. The sequel was praised for just about everything, particularly the lore’s expansion and the soundtrack.
3 Ralph Breaks The Internet (2018) – 7.1
This Disney 3D computer-animated feature is the sequel to Wreck-It Ralph, which the story about a video game villain finding what his real purpose in life was. Ralph Breaks The Internet was Disney’s 57th animated feature and highly anticipated by both fans of the original film as well as Disney fans in general because for the first time, every Disney princess ever known was shown in a single scene.
There’s one scene where we get to see all of the princesses chilling in a rec room, interacting with one another and it is definitely a dream come true for Disney’s die-hard fans. Of course, the princess gang wouldn’t be complete without an appearance by everyone’s favorite ice queen, Elsa, voiced once more by Menzel.
2 Frozen (2013) – 7.5
This mega-hit quickly become one of the highest grossing films of all time, earning a worldwide total of over $1.2 billion dollars. At its peak, it was the high-grossing film of 2013, the fifth highest-grossing film of all time, the third highest-grossing animated feature, and the fifth highest-grossing film distributed by Disney.
Frozen earned $110 million dollars in its opening weekend and after calculating production costs, it was estimated that the film made a profit of $400 million dollars. Idina Menzel voiced Elsa, the ice queen who has become the face of the Frozen movies. Menzel is also the voice behind the song “Let It Go,” which many consider to be not just Frozen’s best songs but one of the most iconic ones of the 2010s.
1 Uncut Gems (2019) – 7.6
Uncut Gems was considered to be one of the biggest Oscar snubs of 2019 and had fans rallying around the film’s lead actor, Adam Sandler, when he received almost zero recognition from both the Academy and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The film tells the story of Howard Ratner, a jeweler and a gambling addict living in New York City. After finding himself in a bit of gambling debt, he must retrieve a rare gem to pay his dues before it’s too late. In this film directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, Idina Menzel plays Dinah Ratner, Howard’s wife. Like almost everyone in Howard’s life, Dinah has had it with his terrible personality and endless excuses. In a particularly memorable scene, she all but scares him into submission after discovering his affair.
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