American actress Mila Kunis turns 39 today, so there’s no better time to look back at her most memorable film roles.
Although it won’t be included in this list, Kunis rose to prominence for voicing Meg Griffin in the popular animated sitcom Family Guy, replacing Lacey Chabert. However, she kick-started her career with a role as Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series That ’70s Show, having landed the part at the age of 14. Before that, her first television role was on Days of Our Lives in 1994.
Kunis made her breakout feature-film debut in 2008 with the romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. From there, she gained further recognition with a role in Black Swan (2010), for which she received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress. Despite being American, Kunis was born to a Ukrainian Jewish family and her mother tongue is Russian.
As Kunis has slowly established herself within the modern film industry, she has been frequently typecast for comedy roles. Perhaps one of her most famous is Amy Mitchell in Bad Moms, which (spoiler!) subsequently makes this list. There are way too many Kunis roles to choose from, but we’re going to narrow it down to the most well-known based on name value alone.
Ted (Lori Collins)
Starring the voice of Seth MacFarlane and an ensemble cast including Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Barth, and Giovanni Ribisi, the raunchy Ted sees Mila Kunis playing Lori Collins, the girlfriend of the main character, John Bennett (Wahlberg). When John was eight years old, he makes a wish for his teddy bear, named Ted, to come to life and become his best friend. Much to the horror of his parents, John’s wish comes true in the form of a foul-mouthed, sex-and-drug-obsessed alcoholic. Ted follows the misadventures of John (as an adult) and Ted as they navigate adulthood together, including a rocky relationship with John’s girlfriend, Lori, and complications arising from a super-fan named Donny, who kidnaps Ted. Despite its crude nature, Ted was a massive hit and helped put Kunis on the map for a modern audience. It also generated buzz around Kunis’ name and helped her land more roles in the future.
Oz the Great and Powerful (Theodora / The Wicked Witch of the West)
Although it can be considered a children’s film, Oz the Great and Powerful is a magic-filled delight for audiences of all ages. Directed by Sam Raimi, Oz follows a magician and con-artist of the same name. Oz’s hot air balloon is whipped up by a tornado and transported to the land of Oz, wherein its inhabitants believe him to be the long-lost wizard destined to free them from the Wicked Witch of the West. Oz is also prophesied to become King of Oz, therefore inheriting untold riches. Motivated by the prospect of wealth and sovereignty, Oz journeys to the Emerald City. Along the way, he meets Theodora (Kunis) who quickly falls in love with him, but Oz fails to reciprocate those feelings. When Theodora believes Oz to be choosing her sister Glinda over her, the jealousy prompts her transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West. Although it performed poorly at the commercial box office, Oz has become a cult-classic in its own right. It has heartfelt moments that make it easy to overlook the obvious flaws in concept development and narrative progression.
Friends with Benefits (Jamie Rellis)
Starring the dynamic duo of Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, Friends with Benefits needs little explanation. The romantic comedy follows Dylan and Jamie, New York residents who meet by chance and believe that adding sex to their friendship won’t be met with repercussions. Eventually, they develop romantic feelings for one another, but continuously deny it in favor of avoiding commitment and continuing to be “friends with benefits.” There’s some captivating on-screen chemistry between Timberlake and Kunis here, so much so that it’s easy to mistake them for a real-life couple. The film was a box office hit and is still highly praised even 10 years after its successful theatrical run. Although it boasts a well-worn rom-com formula, Friends with Benefits adds a bit of spice to a tired concept, for which Timberlake and Kunis are due excessive credit.
Bad Moms / A Bad Moms Christmas (Amy Mitchell)
The Bad Moms series is one-of-a-kind in every way. Rather than women demeaning themselves for the sake of comedy, Bad Moms sees Kunis team-up with fellow comedic actors Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Bell to portray three middle-aged mothers on the brink of breakdowns from the strains of motherhood. Suggesting that motherhood shouldn’t dictate their lives, Amy Mitchell (Kunis) runs for PTA president against fellow competitor Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) to make effective changes to the lifestyles of Chicago-suburb mothers. Joined by Kiki (Bell) and Karla (Hahn), Amy wins the election and encourages overworked moms to take breaks and allow themselves to make mistakes, ignoring societal expectations for mothers. In the Bad Moms sequel, A Bad Moms Christmas, the cast returns to navigate a stressful Christmas and give their children the most magical holiday season, all while battling issues with their own mothers. Mila Kunis steals the spotlight in Bad Moms and shares glorious comedic moments with Bell and Hahn, who also deserve partial credit for Bad Moms becoming a must-see all year round.
The Spy Who Dumped Me (Audrey Stockman)
Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon star in this James Bond-esque buddy comedy, so that should be enough convincing. The Spy Who Dumped Me stars Kunis and McKinnon as Audrey and Morgan, respectively, two best friends who become undercover spies after being tasked with delivering a fantasy football trophy that contains a USB flash drive encrypted with top-secret information. When Audrey’s ex-boyfriend turns out to be a CIA agent hiding from assassins, Audrey and Morgan are pursued across Europe by unsavory types who wish to steal the coveted trophy for themselves. It’s a very tried-and-true formula, but it works. Not only is it heavily feminist, which is always refreshing to see, but The Spy Who Dumped Me owes its compulsively watchable success to Kunis and McKinnon, two outstanding actresses with impeccable on-screen chemistry and comedic timing. If you enjoy car chases, shootouts and knife fights, this Kunis-McKinnon production is an absolute must-see as far as showcasing Kunis’ talent.
American Psycho 2 (Rachael Newman)
Taking a trip down memory lane to 2002, American Psycho 2, is the stand-alone sequel to American Psycho (2000) and an adaptation of a script titled, The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die. The movie stars Mila Kunis as Rachael Newman, a wannabe serial killer learning all about existing professionals in her trade. Directed by Morgan J. Freeman, American Psycho 2 originally had no conceptual similarity to American Psycho, but this decision was overturned during production. William Shatner stars as Robert Starkman, a college professor and former FBI agent. Both Kunis and Shatner dominate the screen in what feels like a millennial remake of The Silence of the Lambs. The film earned critical acclaim and performed well in theaters, but it wasn’t well-received afterwards. Although Kunis’ delivers a top-notch performance, she wasn’t expecting American Psycho 2 to relate to its predecessor and was under the impression that the film would be a different project. She expressed embarrassment over the re-edits, telling MTV, “Please—somebody stop this. Write a petition. When I did the second one, I didn’t know it would be American Psycho II. It was supposed to be a different project, and it was re-edited, but, ooh … I don’t know. Bad.”
Happy Birthday, Mila Kunis!
