Sofia Coppola may come from film royalty, but she’s an artist all her own.
The daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola began her career as an infant — appearing as the newborn baby of Connie (Talia Shire) in the baptism scene of “The Godfather.” From there, she had a supporting role in his films “Peggy Sue Got Married” and the third “Godfather” film, filling in for the latter after original star Winona Ryder dropped out. Moving over to directing as an adult, she stunned critics with her 1999 debut feature “The Virgin Suicides,” an adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’ book about five mysterious sisters and their troubled home lives.
“The Virgin Suicides” was one of the most acclaimed indie films of the ‘90s, and established the visual style (a soft color palette and dreamy cinematography) as well as the thematic content (women unmoored in stifling lives, loneliness, wealth) that would define Coppola’s career, while teaming her up with one of her greatest collaborators in Kirsten Dunst. In 2003, she followed up “Virgin Suicides” with the even better received “Lost in Translation,” which marked the beginning of her other great partnership: Bill Murray. The sad romantic dramedy about two lost souls vacationing in Tokyo won her a Best Original Screenplay Oscar in 2004, firmly cementing Coppola as a director that was here to stay.
From that one-two punch, Coppola emerged as one of the 21st century’s most interesting and thought-provoking filmmakers. Many of her subsequent films — “Marie Antoinette,” “Somewhere,” “The Bling Ring” — drew strong reactions, polarizing critics and attracting critics and admirers alike. But love them or hate them, they’re movies that stick with you, throwing you into the ennui and isolation of their characters in a way that’s hard to shake.
And because Coppola takes fairly long breaks between projects (it’s been three years since her last, “On the Rocks,” hit Apple TV+ in 2020) a new film from her is always a bit of an event. And her latest may be one of her best. An A24 release, “Priscilla” tells the story of Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s marriage from the latter’s point of view, with Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi starring. The unconventional biopic premiered at the Venice Film Festival to critical acclaim and just premiered in American movie theaters this November.
Although traces of her father and other inspirations can be found in Coppola’s directing, she has a style that feels uniquely her own. Her films tend to be slow and patient, using hazy, feminine visuals to convey her character’s melancholic moods. Other directors go for the same vibe, but none do it quite like Coppola, which makes it all the more interesting to look at the movie that inspired her in her path to filmmaking.
Here’s a roundup of the films Coppola has shouted out as her favorites over the years, listed in no particular order.
[Editor’s note: This list was originally published May 2023, and has since been updated.]
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“Daddy’s Home” (2015)
Image Credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection In 2017, Coppola shared a list of her favorite films of the 21st century with The New York Times. The director listed several acclaimed movies, but one of her most surprising and unconventional choices was “Daddy’s Home,” a 2015 comedy starring Will Ferrell as a stepfather in a bitter rivalry with his stepkids’ biological father, played by Mark Wahlberg. In her notes for the list, Coppola explained she loves the film because she watches it with her children.
“The only film my kids and I equally enjoy together!” Coppola wrote. “I love Will Ferrell, and this movie is sweet and fun to watch with cracking-up kids.”
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“Force Majeure” (2014)
Image Credit: ©Magnolia Pictures / Everett Collection Another movie Coppola listed as one of her 21st-century favorites to The New York Times, the acclaimed Ruben Östlund black comedy “Force Majeure” follows a family that fractures when the husband abandons his wife and kids during a false-alarm avalanche.
“Great acting — I loved the little moments, the details that said so much,” Coppola said about the film.
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“The White Ribbon” (2009)
Image Credit: ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon” is one of the controversial Austrian director’s most acclaimed films, winning the Palm d’Or in 2009. Set in a German village just before World War I, the film focuses on a series of bizarre and mysterious pranks against the townspeople that grow increasingly brutal and harsh over time. Coppola included the film on her list of favorite films of the 21st century.
“I love ‘White Ribbon’ for its [black-and-white] photography; it felt so real to the period,” Coppola said.”
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“The Savages” (2007)
Image Credit: ©Fox Searchlight/Courtesy Everett Collection Directed by Tamara Jenkins, “The Savages” stars Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman as two writers and estranged siblings who must reunite and work together to care for their family after their father is placed in a nursing home. In her New York Times list of 21st-century favorite films, Coppola praised it “for the performances, and the mix of humor and sorrow.”
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“Head-On” (2004)
Image Credit: ©Strand Releasing/Courtesy Everett Collection The winner of the Golden Bear at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival, Fatih Akin’s “Head-On” stars Birol Ünel and Sibel Kekilli as two Turkish people in Germany who meet in a mental institution and enter a marriage of convenience. Coppola listed the film as one of her favorites of the 21st-century in her New York Times list.
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“Under the Skin” (2014)
Image Credit: A24/Courtesy Everett Collection Jonathan Glazer’s enigmatic and acclaimed sci-fi film stars Scarlett Johansson as an unnamed woman of alien origin who travels around Scottland, preying upon unsuspecting men. In her New York Times list of her favorite 21st-century films, Coppola praised Johansson’s performance.
“It was so weird and innovative the way they shot it and incorporated real people. I thought that movie should have gotten more recognition,” Coppola said.
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“Uncut Gems” (2019)
Image Credit: A24 In 2019, Sofia Coppola told IndieWire that one of her favorite movies of the year was “Uncut Gems,” the Safdie brothers’ hyperactive crime thriller starring Adam Sandler as a jewler and gambling addict struggling to pay off his debts. Coppola specifically singled out Sandler for his performance in the film.
“I totally believed he was that guy and you felt his heart underneath all the hectic energy,” Coppola told IndieWire.
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“Sixteen Candles” (1984)
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Coppola’s films about young women going through the pains of adolescence tend to run a bit edgier than John Hughes’ beloved “Sixteen Candles.” But Coppola, who was 12 when the film first premiered, revealed to Rotten Tomatoes that she grew up with the ’80s touchstone about a teen girl approaching her 16th birthday, and it remains one of her favorites.
“That was one of my favorite films growing up, and I’ll still watch it every time it’s on,” Coppola said.
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“Breathless” (1960)
Image Credit: Criterion Collection Arguably the single most famous French New Wave film of all time, Jean-Luc Godard’s crime drama “Breathless” — about a wandering criminal and his American lover — has been named as an inspiration by numerous directors. Coppola told Rotten Tomatoes in 2010 that Godard’s distinctive use of jump cuts helped inspire her while making “Somewhere.”
“I guess I was going through that whole New Wave thing…coming from a documentary background,” Coppola said.
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“Lolita” (1962)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Although the original Vladimir Nabokov book is widely regarded as a masterpiece, Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of “Lolita” is one of the legendary director’s most polarizing works, drawing some criticism for its more comedic take on the Nabokov’s wrenching story. The film still has its fans though, and Coppola is one of them, praising the adaptation in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes.
“I love Kubrick. I love the way he put that film together, the way it’s filmed,” Coppola said.
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“In the Mood for Love” (2000)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection “In the Mood for Love” — the 2000 romantic drama and middle chapter in director Wong Kar-Wai’s loose trilogy also including “Days of Being Wild” and “2046” — portrays the burgeoning romance of two jilted lovers (Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung) and their unrequited passion, set against the betrayal of their spouses in ’60s Hong Kong. The film placed fifth on the 2022 Sight & Sound ballot, thanks to voters like Coppola.
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“A Place in the Sun” (1951)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection George Stevens adapted Theodore Dreiser’s 1925 novel “An American Tragedy” into his 1951 film “A Place in the Sun”: an aching story of a love triangle played out with dazzling leads Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelley Winters. It won big at the Oscars, taking home Best Director for Stevens; Best Screenplay for writers Michael Wilson and Harry Brown; and four more categories in cinematography, costuming, editing, and scoring. Clift and Winters were also nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
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“Rumble Fish” (1983)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection It should come as no surprise that one of Francis Ford Coppola’s films appeared on his daughter’s 2022 Sight & Sound ballot. Starring Mickey Rourke and Matt Dillon, the tragic “Rumble Fish” is anchored in the strained dynamic of two brothers: the mysterious “Motorcycle Boy” and his restless younger brother Rusty. Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Nicolas Cage, and more also appear.
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“The Piano” (1993)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Jane Campion’s “The Piano,” another selection from Coppola’s 2022 Sight & Sound poll, stars Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel as a mute musician and a retired sailor who fall into a tense attraction over piano lessons in 19th century New Zealand. At the Academy Awards, the filmed earned five nominations and two wins: Best Actress for Hunter and Best Supporting Actress for Anna Paquin, who was 11 at the time. (Tatum O’Neal remains the youngest ever Oscar winner, having won the category for her work in 1973’s “Paper Moon.”)
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“La notte” (1961)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Legendary Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni delivers an unconventional portrait of a rocky marriage in the mesmeric “La Notte.” Told over the course a single night in a couple’s lives, the tragic meditation considers the duality of betrayal and indifference through stars Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau. Coppola selected the film as one of the best ever made in her 2022 Sight & Sound poll.
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“Purple Rain” (1984)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Coppola selected Albert Magnoli’s beloved 1984 rock musical starring Prince and The Revolution for her 2022 Sight & Sound ballot. The late high priest of pop plays The Kid: a tortured frontman to a Minneapolis band, whose girlfriend Apollonia (the real singer Apollonia Kotero) is pitted against him when she forms a nightclub act rivaling his. Prince won the Oscar for Best Original Song Score at the 1985 Academy Awards.
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“Lost in America” (1985)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Albert Brooks’ well-loved road trip comedy from 1985 co-stars him and “Airplane!” leading lady Julie Hagerty as a couple abandoning their lives in Los Angeles to explore the continental United States by Winnebago. The quintessential fish-out-of-water tale combines with the beats of a troubled marriage story to deliver brilliant satirization of bored suburbanites risking it all, but not thinking it through. Coppoloa voted for the film on her 2022 Sight & Sound ballot.
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“Bugsy Malone” (1976)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Jack-of-all-trades writer/director Alan Parker made his feature directorial debut in 1976 with “Bugsy Malone”: a musical comedy starring child actors as gangster embroiled in a Prohibition era turf war. Brandishing whipcream instead of bullets, then just children Scott Baio and Jodie Foster appear in the film, selected by Coppoloa on her 2022 Sight & Sound ballot.
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“The Seven Samurai” (1954)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Akira Kurosawa’s masterful “Seven Samurai” — a 1954 Japanese war epic shot in stunning black and white — just made the top 20 for 2022’s Sight & Sound ballot. Coppola voted for the film, which tells the story of a farming village hiring masterless samurai to protect their people and crops. The prolific actor Takashi Shimura leads the film.
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“The Last Picture Show” (1971)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Peter Bogdanovich’s 1971 coming-of-age drama seems a natural suggestions coming from the director of the “Virgin Suicides,” who recommended five films to Goop. (Chris Rock’s standup special “Never Scared” is not included here, and “The Heartbreak Kid” also appeared on her 2022 Sight & Sound ballot.) The ’50s-set films tells the melancholy story of teenagers in a declining Texas town grappling with heartbreak, first-time sex, and grief.
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“The Heartbreak Kid” (1972)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Listed both on Coppola’s 2022 Sight & Sound ballot, and recommended by the director to Goop, “The Heartbreak Kid” is among Elaine May’s most cherished filmography. Now in her 90s (among the oldest living feature film directors), May adapted a short story from humorist Bruce Jay Friedman about a self-centered husband (Charles Grodin) who abruptly abandons his new wife (May’s daughter Jeannie Berlin) when he meets a beautiful young woman (Cybill Shepherd) during his Miami honeymoon. The film was remade in 2007 with Ben Stiller as its star.
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“Tootsie” (1982)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Dustin Hoffman delivers a beautifully nuanced and compelling lead performance in “Tootsie”: Sydney Pollack’s 1982 romantic comedy also starring Jessica Lange. When an out-of-work actor dons drag to score a role in a soap opera, he’s forced to keep up the ruse while falling for one of his co-stars. Coppola included the film in her recommendations for Goop.
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“Let the Right One In” (2008)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection A standout even in the supersaturated vampire romance subgenre, director Tomas Alfredson’s “Let the Right One In” appeared among Coppola’s recommendations for Goop. Child actors Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson deliver astonishing performances as a sensitive young boy and the strange girl who moves into his neighborhood against a slew of grisly murders.
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“Darling” (1965)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Coppola has a particular fondness for 1965’s “Darling,” a British romance directed by John Schlesinger and written by Frederic Raphael. It stars Julie Christie as a winsome young woman whose slippery ways get her and her lovers caught up in a tumultuos cityscape mired in regret and revenge. —AF
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“Fish Tank” (2009)
Image Credit: ©IFC Films/Courtesy Everett Collection Speaking with Edith Bowan for BBC’s Life Cinematic, Coppola listed writer/director Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank” amonger favorite films. It tells the story of a troubled 15-year-old in East Lonndon and stars Katie Jarvis alongside Kierston Wareing, Michael Fassbender, and more. —AF
