5 Best Dolly Parton Movies Of All Time, Ranked

Walt Disney Studios

Dolly Parton was and will forever be a singular presence and performer. Losing her at the age of 80, after a career that spanned seven decades, still feels like a woman gone too soon, but we are blessed to have 50 albums and countless interviews and on-screen appearances to keep her alive forever. Rightfully known as the Queen of Country Music, Parton was also a well-respected actress in her own right and appeared in a number of fantastic films and TV shows over the years. 

Whether it was an episode of "Hannah Montana" alongside her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, or her many holiday specials ("Christmas on the Square" hive, rise up!), Parton found plenty of ways to keep her star shining brightly. In honor of the passing of the Iron Butterfly and to celebrate a filmography that reflected who she was as a person as much as it spoke to her sensibilities as a musical storyteller, here are the five best Dolly Parton movies of all time, ranked.

Warner Bros.

I am not a God-fearing soul, but I don't need to be a church-goer to recognize the charm of the 2012 gospel comedy starring Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, and Jeremy Jordan (in his feature film debut), "Joyful Noise." The story centers on a small town in Georgia where two strong-willed women (Queen Latifah and Dolly, obviously) must work together to win a national competition that could provide them with enough money to save their church. Parton wrote a dozen songs for the film, and the soundtrack topped the Billboard Soundtrack chart. Story-wise, "Joyful Noise" is a saccharine, feel-good underdog about a down-on-its-luck small town persevering against the odds, but with a cast as undeniably charismatic as this one, "Joyful Noise" elevates beyond what's written on the page.

Look, I know some of you are going to immediately run to Rotten Tomatoes, see that the film has a 32%, and write it off, but I need you to trust me on this. I am doing my best not to spoil how genuinely wild the viewing experience is, knowing that most people reading this have not seen the film. Of all the films on this list, Parton has the least amount of screen time, but whenever she pops in to drop a nugget of wisdom or talk some smack with Queen Latifah, they spin gold. People misuse the word "camp" all the time, but "Joyful Noise" is true camp — because it was never intended to be. If you've ever wanted to see the religious baby of "Glee" and a movie for Lifetime from 1994, this is your ticket to greatness.

Walt Disney Studios

I have a soft spot for '90s-era Dolly Parton, and I love that "Straight Talk" exists to immortalize her in this charming romantic comedy co-starring James Woods, Griffin Dunne, and Michael Madsen. Parton plays Shirlee Kenyon, a dance instructor from Arkansas who is fired (for giving her clients advice rather than teaching them dance) and moves to Chicago in the hopes of starting a new life. It's in the Windy City that she accidentally becomes a successful radio talk show host, after she's mistaken for the station's new call-in therapist.

The film follows similar rom-com beats somewhere between "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "She's All That" (itself an adaptation of "Pygmalion"), but Parton is so damn charismatic as her Dr. Shirlee radio persona, giving genuinely thoughtful advice to the listeners, that her performance feels like an extension of who Parton was as a person. Not for nothing, there's also a shockingly progressive and trans-affirming moment during the film's end credits that proves Parton was always ahead of the curve with her activism.

Tri-Star Pictures

One of the ultimate "watch with your mom and cry on a Sunday afternoon" movies, the Louisiana-set "Steel Magnolias" is a stone-cold classic dramedy beloved by generations. Based on the stage play of the same name by Robert Harling, "Steel Magnolias" is a laugh-out-loud hangout movie starring some of the greatest actresses to ever do it, only to rip your heart out and leave you a sobbing mess toward the end. Dolly Parton, Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Daryl Hannah, Shirley MacLaine, and Olympia Dukakis all deliver some of their most memorable performances of their respective careers (inconsistent Southern dialects notwithstanding), and deliver a masterclass in what makes a good ensemble tick.

"Steel Magnolias" has remained a staple because, at its core, it's a movie about how difficult life can be for all of us. Sometimes other people get us down, and sometimes we hurt our own feelings. But through it all, we can make it if we surround ourselves with people to laugh with, cry with, eat with, and maybe even ask them to do our hair. If you need a good cry in the wake of Dolly's passing, this one will surely do the trick.

Universal Pictures

Not only is "The Best Little Wh*rehouse in Texas" one of the best Burt Reynolds films of all time, but it's also home to an absolutely stellar performance from Dolly Parton. The cinematic adaptation of the Carol Hall musical of the same name stars Parton as Miss Mona Stangley, the feisty and flirtatious owner of the Chicken Ranch brothel in Gilbert, Texas. The locals and law enforcement are mostly unbothered by the brothel's presence, but when a pious reporter (Dom DeLuise) brings unwanted attention from outside naysayers, it's up to Miss Mona and Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd (Reynolds) to save the Chicken Ranch.

The film that finally dethroned "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" from the top spot at the box office after six weeks, Reynolds and Parton are absolute dynamite, and their chemistry is so palpable that it sparked rumors that the two were replicating their characters' dynamics and having a real-life affair. It wasn't true; they were both just giving truly fantastic performances. "The Best Little Wh*rehouse in Texas" is an absolute delight from start to finish, and the music is still as catchy as ever. While it's most remembered for including a version of her 1973 hit "I Will Always Love You," the duet Parton and Reynolds performed, "Sneakin' Around," is an absolute gem.

20th Century Studios

If you're not waking up every day by tumbling out of bed and stumbling to the kitchen to pour yourself a cup of ambition, what are you even doing with your life? Dolly Parton's acting breakthrough wasn't some gimmicky nonsense; it was starring as Doralee Rhodes alongside Jane Fonda's Judy Bernly and Lily Tomlin's Violet Newstead in one of the most perfect comedies ever crafted, "9 to 5." As the most popular Letterboxd review rightfully states, "feminism is getting stoned with your gal pals and fantasizing about how you'd murder your misogynistic boss."

A workplace satire about three secretaries who plot revenge against their tyrannical, bigoted, sexist boss (played perfectly by Dabney Coleman), "9 to 5" was so influential that it inspired genuine activist movements to improve workplace conditions for women. It's also ridiculously funny, with Fonda, Tomlin, and Parton embodying one of cinema history's greatest comedy trios. It's impossible to overhype this movie, and while the ridiculously catchy title track (famously crafted with Dolly Parton's fake nails as percussion) became Dolly's biggest solo hit after reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the movie deserves just as much praise.

As her very first film role, everyone underestimated the performing prowess Dolly Parton would bring to the role, but that's who Dolly was at her core. An Appalachian woman from a large family who styled herself with over-the-top glam and consistently proved everyone's expectations of her wrong. Dolly played Doralee as well as she did because she was her and understood her struggle on a cellular level. Never underestimate Dolly Parton, because she's going to make you look like a fool for doing so every damn time.