No one can denyLady Gaga’s influence when it comes to the world of music, finding success as a pop artist who rose to prominence in the late 2000s and has remained popular ever since. Some of hermusic videos were particularly cinematic, and thereby foreshadowed her eventual success as an actress, or at least suggested that might be a direction she’d eventually head in. Of course, there was also the whole matter of her being inThe Sopranosvery briefly,as “Girl at Swimming Pool #2,”but that’s not much more than a fun piece of trivia (you’re welcome).
What’s a little saddening is the fact that Lady Gaga hasonly been utilized in one film so far that wasn’t either a sequel or a remake, and though she continually brings her A-game, some of her film projects so far have been more than a little underwhelming. Still, she’s often good even when the movie around her isn’t so much, and she’s only appeared in six films to date, so there’s still plenty of potential for further/greater movies down the track. Not including any documentaries or TV work, what follows is a ranking of all the films Lady Gaga has appeared in to date, whether they were cameos or more prominent lead roles.
6’Machete Kills' (2013)
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Within therather up-and-down filmography ofRobert Rodriguez, nothing represents the “down” side of things better thanMachete Kills. This is a sequel to the honestly not bad firstMachete, from 2010, but the spark’s gone at this point, andMachete Killsdoes little to build or further things, and it doesn’t even work as just “moreMachete.” The plot goes bigger, feeling a little more like a grindhouseJames Bondfilm, but it’s not very funny and the action’s all underwhelming.
At least for Lady Gaga, it’s all up from this point, because it was her debut and is likely to remain her worst movie; something would have to be pretty bad to top this in terms of sloppiness. She plays one identity of a character known as the Chameleón, who has a pretty useless subplot throughout the whole movie. As a gimmick, the other identities, besides Lady Gaga’s, are played by actors as varied asWalton Goggins,Cuba Gooding Jr., andAntonio Banderas. It’s all just a waste of time and talent.
Machete Kills
5’Sin City: A Dame to Kill For' (2014)
Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
It feels almost like Robert Rodriguez was trying to tank Lady Gaga’s chances at becoming an actress right from the start, because her second movie role saw her collaborating with the filmmaker once more. That movie wasSin City: A Dame to Kill For, though Rodriguez can be let off the hook to some extent, only to make room on that hook to placeFrank Millerthere beside him, given both were credited as co-directors for this visually bold but disappointing sequel toSin City.
It’s like theMachete Killssituation, in terms of Rodriguez being behind an underwhelming sequel and dragging Lady Gaga into it. Her role is small, though; debatably more of a cameo.A Dame to Kill Fordoes nothing better than the first movie, and fails to add much beyondonce again looking quite nice and stylish(though it’s less of a surprise to see a movie look like this when it was already done before, back in 2005).There’s no reason to watch this one when the option is always there just to rewatchSin Cityinstead.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
4’Joker: Folie à Deux' (2024)
Director: Todd Phillips
Jokerwas a film that made a stir back in 2019, but for all its flaws, it was a consistent movie that had a purpose, and wasundeniably a great showcase forJoaquin Phoenixin the lead role. It wasstupidly successful at the box office, which is what led to an unfortunately inevitable sequel that missed the mark, trying to make even more of a stir but not having anything by way of consistency or a vision. That sequel wasJoker: Folie à Deux, and though Robert Rodriguez had nothing to do with this one, Lady Gaga sure did.
It can join the list of sequels she’s been part of that fell flat. Lady Gaga’s not terrible inJoker: Folie à Deux, but she is kind of wasted, with this version of Harley Quinn given little to do. There are musical numbers that aren’t executed well, but Lady Gaga’s voice is as good as ever, at least. Elsewhere, the film looks striking in places and has a good score,but it just feels needlessly cynical and half-assed, for lack of a better word (and not cynical or downbeat in a good way, which the first film arguably was). It has more recognizable decent qualities than those other sequels Lady Gaga’s been featured in, but it’s also more disappointing than those; perhaps the definitive disappointment of 2024, in all honesty.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Watch in theaters
3’Muppets Most Wanted' (2014)
Director: James Bobin
Is it a little ridiculous to countMuppets Most Wantedas a Lady Gaga movie? Admittedly, yes, because she’s in this for about 10 to 15 seconds at most, and plays herself in what amounts to one of many brief cameos found in the film. It’s veryMuppets, though, to have celebrity cameos, with Lady Gaga appearing near the start of the film alongsideTony Bennett, also as himself (the pair recorded two studio albums together, includingCheek to Cheek, which was released the same year asMuppets Most Wanted).
It’s not as good as 2011’sThe Muppets, but still holds up aswhat is surprisingly the best sequelLady Gaga has appeared in to date.If you like the kind of anarchic yet family-friendly humor associated withThe Muppets, thenMost Wantedshould be a pretty good time. If you’re looking out for Lady Gaga screen time specifically, though, look elsewhere.
Muppets Most Wanted
2’House of Gucci' (2021)
Director: Ridley Scott
So,House of Gucciis probably a weaker film thanMuppets Most Wanted, but it is one that puts Lady Gaga front and center, and is perhaps a littlebetter overall than some give it credit for.House of Guccifalters because of how long it drags on for, being a film that’s fun for a while, but not fun enough to sustain a runtime of 158 minutes. If it had been about 2/3s that long, it could’ve been easier to recommend, because the campy and over-the-top approach to the crime genre is entertaining for at least an hour and a half, maybe even a little longer.
Everyone inHouse of Guccigoes big, with Lady Gaga,Adam Driver,Jeremy Irons,Jared Leto(infamously), andAl Pacino(a true king of ham)all taking big swings with their performances. The true-crime story being retold is also an interesting one on paper, but the whole film does run out of steam at a point. Still, before it does,House of Guccican be pretty enjoyable, andit’s fun seeing Lady Gaga chew scenery alongside a bunch of other high-profile actorsall more than willing to do the same.
House of Gucci
1’A Star Is Born' (2018)
Director: Bradley Cooper
An overall stronger musical(of sorts) thanJoker: Folie à deux,A Star Is Bornwas the first big starring role for Lady Gaga, and remains to date easily the best film she’s appeared in. It’s not entirely original, given it’s the fourth major movie to tackle the well-wornA Star Is Bornstory, but there’s a reason it’s endured over the decades and has been remade every generation or so. Indeed,it helped that there was a more than 40-year gap between the 1976 version and this 2018 one.
A tear-jerking story about one person rising to fame while another falls further from the spotlight,A Star Is Borngets aroundthe familiarity of the storyby featuring two very strong lead performances, courtesy ofBradley Cooper(also the film’s director) and Lady Gaga. And, though it might’ve been overplayed at a point, “Shallow” was a memorable anthem, winning Lady Gaga – alongsideMark Ronson,Anthony Rossomando, andAndrew Wyatt– an Oscar for Best Original Song.
