15 Best Selena Gomez Movies and TV Shows, Ranked According to IMDb

A-list actress and musician Selena Gomez is a beloved star of her generation. Gomez got her start acting on the children’s television series Barney & Friends before her career took off from her time on Disney Channel. She starred on the hit show Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007 to 2012, but was also featured on numerous other Disney projects. Gomez has since developed a very successful music career, has produced her own projects, and owns multiple businesses.

Though all of Selena Gomez’s professional ventures gained mass amounts of support from her fans, her work in television has always been particularly praised. Gomez now stars in the well-respected Hulu original series Only Murders in the Building. As viewers wait for the third season to premiere, there are many other options for how to watch the actress-singer on screen.

15 ‘Hannah Montana’ (2007)

IMDb Score 5.4/10

One of the most popular and hit teen sitcoms of the 2000s, Disney’s Hannah Montana centers on Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), a teenage girl who lives a double life as pop star Hannah Montana, an alter ego she adopts to maintain her anonymity and live like a normal teenager. Featuring a huge rotating cast, the series explores the social and personal struggles of Miley as she navigates adolescence and the complexities of her secret identity. Using music as the overarching theme, Hannah Montana addresses teenage identity crisis, self-discovery, and friendships.

Selena Gomez stars as Mikayla Skeech, a rival pop star quite similar in talent and popularity to Hannah. Mikayla and Hannah go through the entire cycle of foes-turned-friends, where they set off with severe competition against each other, but eventually, Mikayla decides on friendship rather than rivalry. Though Mikayla appears in only three Hannah Montana episodes in Season 2, her role is significant in delivering the show’s message. – Maddie P

14 ‘Spring Breakers’ (2013)

IMDb Score 5.3/10

A crime comedy film directed by Harmony Korine, Spring Breakers follows four college girls Candy, Brit, Cotty, and Faith who steal from a diner and go to St. Petersburg, Florida on a spring break. When they are arrested in Florida, a local drug dealer and hustler named Alien (James Franco) bails them out. Their fun and wild girls’ trip soon turns into a nightmare when they find themselves involved in Alien’s dangerous world of drugs, crimes, and violence, with a lot of crazy.

In this comedy film, Gomez plays the character of Faith, a college girl and friend to best friends Candy, Brit, and Cotty. Faith tries to be a devout Christian but also likes to tag along with the trio of party girls. Gomez stars alongside Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, and, Vanessa Hudgens, and the entire female ensemble was awarded the Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for their roles. Despite its cliched college trip trope, Spring Breakers is a fun, college romp that Selenators might enjoy. – Maddie P

13 ‘Monte Carlo’ (2011)

IMDb Score 5.8/10

Directed by Thomas Bezucha, Monte Carlo is based on the 2001 novel, Headhunters by Jules Bass. The adventure romantic comedy film follows best friends Grace and Emma who go on a girls’ trip to Paris with Grace’s stepsister, Meg Kelly. Following a disappointing start to the trip, the girls seek shelter in a lavish hotel where Grace gets mistaken for a spoiled British socialite named Cordelia Winthrop-Scott, and the three of them get flown to Monaco. In a world of champagne, yacht parties, and galas, the girls have a series of exciting experiences as they try to keep their real identities hidden.

Gomez leads the cast of Monte Carlo as Grace Bennett/Cordelia Winthrop-Scott, along with Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy as her friends. Just like the film itself, Grace’s character is charming, adorably silly, and an innocent depiction of a young woman discovering herself. The comedy film also features a “Who Says” by Selena Gomez & the Scene. – Maddie P

12 ‘The Dead Don’t Die’ (2019)

IMDb Score 5.5/10

Filmmaker-composer and Strangers in Paradise director, Jim Jarmusch writes and directs this absurdist comedy film about a zombie apocalypse. The Dead Don’t Die is set in the fictional town of Centerville, where its peaceful and ordinary life is upended when the town suddenly experiences a zombie invasion and the town’s small police force tries to combat the apocalypse. The film boasts a huge ensemble cast featuring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Tilda Swinton, Tom Waits, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, Carol Kane, RZA, Austin Butler, and Selena Gomez in various roles.

Selena Gomez stars as Zoe, a young traveler who is passing through the town along with her fellow travelers, Jack (Butler) and Zack (Luka Sabbat). Her brief but memorable role of Zoe along with the rest of the cast’s performance is what makes Jarmusch’s eclectic and eccentric horror film quite witty and amusing. – Maddie P

11 ‘The Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex’ (2013)

IMDb Score 6.3/10

In this TV movie following the finale of Wizards of Waverly Place, the Russo family is back and traveling to Italy. Conflict arises when Alex accidentally conjures two versions of herself: a Good Alex and an Evil Alex. Hijinks ensue in The Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex that show the cast still knows how to have fun and embrace their nostalgic characters.

Evil Alex joins forces with a young wizard on his quest to take over the world. Good Alex must then find a way to stop the evil version of herself before it’s too late. Wizards of Waverly Place fans were stoked to find out that the cast would reunite to continue the Russo family story.

Watch on Disney+

10 ‘Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana’ (2009)

IMDb Score: 6.4/10

Disney Channel is notorious for having beloved crossovers between shows. Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana is a collaboration between the shows Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life on Deck, and Hannah Montana. The characters of Gomez’s show and Miley Cyrus‘ Hannah Montana end up on the S.S. Tipton cruise ship at the same time.

Fans of Wizards of Waverly Place are likely to have heard of The Suite Life on Deck and Hannah Montana, as they all aired on Disney Channel at around the same years. This movie is thus a great and unique opportunity to see the stories of many fan-favorite shows joined together.

Buy on Amazon

9 ‘A Rainy Day in New York’ (2019)

IMDb Score: 6.5/10

University student Gatsby Welles (Timothée Chalamet) and Ashleigh Enright (Elle Fanning) travel to Manhattan together for Ashleigh to interview director Roland Pollard (Liev Schreiber) for the college paper. Ashleigh then attends Pollard’s new film screening while Gatsby explores the city.

Selena Gomez’s time in A Rainy Day in New York is relatively brief, but impactful to Gatsby’s storyline, with the actress fully embracing her small but crucial role. Gomez plays Chan Tyrell, the younger sister of Gatsby’s ex-girlfriend. Gatsby agrees to participate in a kiss scene with her for his film student friend’s project.

Watch on Amazon Prime

8 ‘Ramona and Beezus’ (2010)

IMDb Score: 6.5/10

Ramona and Beezus follows a young girl named Ramona (Joey King) who seeks to help her family overcome the debt they fall into when her father (John Corbett) loses his job. Ramona’s efforts are amusing but often interfere with her parents’, sister’s (Selena Gomez), and aunt’s (Ginnifer Goodwin) own lives.

Like the relationship of many sisters worldwide, Ramona and Selena’s character Beezus often argue and struggle to spend time together. The film is a heartwarming exploration of the bond between sisters. Selena Gomez and Joey King have great chemistry on-screen and do well to depict how complicated sisterhood can be in the movie.

7 ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’ (2015)

IMDb Score: 6.6/10

Hotel Transylvania 2 immediately shares that Mavis and Johnny’s relationship has progressed spectacularly since the first film. They get married and Mavis announces to her father that she’s pregnant. Dracula is thrilled, but complications arise when the half-vampire and half-human baby has difficulties connecting to his vampire side.

Dracula makes it his mission to keep the baby close and protected, but Mavis considers if moving away would be better for her son. Gomez reprises her role as the lovable Mavis, whose complex journey continues to evolve. The movie also features the voices of Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade and Keegan-Michael Key.

6 ‘Emilia Perez’ (2024)

IMDb Score: 7.0/10

The French musical crime comedy film from French filmmaker Jacques Audiard is based on his opera libretto of the same name, which is in turn loosely adapted from Boris Razon‘s 2018 novel Écoute. Set in Mexico, Emilia Perez follows a disgruntled lawyer, Rita (Zoe Saldaña), who is hired by a notorious cartel boss, Juan “Small Hands” Del Monte to help him escape and undergo sex reassignment surgery to both evade the authorities and affirm her gender. The title refers to Small Hands’ new identity of Emilia Perez, a woman that Juan always dreamed of becoming.

In her latest film role, Selena Gomez stars as Jessi Del Monte, Juan’s wife and mother of his children. Though Jessi only appears towards the end of the film, she occupies a significant place in the final act of Emilia Perez. Her performance amid a stellar ensemble cast has earned critical acclaim, and the film’s female cast including Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz, and Gomez won the Best Actress Award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. – Maddie P

Emilia Perez is currently not available to stream, rent, or purchase in the U.S.

5 ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ (2007-2012)

IMDb Score: 6.9/10

Any Selena Gomez or Disney Channel fan would instantly recognize the name Wizards of Waverly Place. Gomez plays protagonist Alex Russo in the show about a family of wizards living within the already crazy New York City. Gomez stars alongside David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, and Jennifer Stone in the nostalgic show.

Wizards of Waverly Place is easily one of Gomez’s most popular projects to date and was a massive contributor to her fame. Gomez’s portrayal of the young wizard is widely beloved and still referenced frequently. The show was a staple in the childhoods of countless young adults and was one of Disney Channel’s most popular series.

4 ‘Hotel Transylvania’ (2012)

IMDb Score: 7.0/10

The family-friendly Hotel Transylvania follows Dracula (Adam Sandler), who runs a five-star resort where monsters can be safe from human civilization. But when a human traveler named Jonathan (Andy Samberg) accidentally stumbles across the hotel, Dracula must scramble to hide him from the guests and save the monsters from the threat of discovery. Even worse than that, Dracula is horrified when Jonathan falls in love with his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez).

Mavis is an incredibly kind-hearted and curious 118-year-old vampire, brought to life by Gomez’s voice acting. She wishes to explore the outside world and combats her father’s cynical perspective of humankind. Hotel Transylvania is a fun film for families and children, but even adults will find themselves chuckling at the many hilarious characters.

3 ‘The Fundamentals of Caring’ (2016)

IMDb Score: 7.3/10

Lost in life, avoiding a divorce from his wife and still grieving the death of his son, Ben (Paul Rudd) becomes teen Trevor’s (Craig Roberts) caregiver. Ben and Trevor go on an impromptu road trip together and meet a hitchhiker named Dot (Selena Gomez) who is Trevor’s age. Dot joins them on their journey, and along the way, they learn about the meaning of friendship, family, and hope.

The Fundamentals of Caring sees Selena Gomez portray an independent and headstrong young woman with a sarcastic sense of humor. Her curiosity and bluntness make her a lovable character who creates an amusing dynamic between the film’s leads.

2 ‘Rudderless’ (2014)

IMDb Score: 7.4/10

Rudderless is a music-drama film about a grieving father named Sam (Billy Crudup) who finds a box of his late son’s demo tapes. Sam performs one of his son’s songs at an open mic night at a bar. When audience member Quentin (Anton Yelchin) expresses the potential he sees in the musical performance, Sam creates a band in hopes of finding peace with his son’s passing.

In the film, Selena Gomez plays Kate, who was the girlfriend of Sam’s son before his passing. Adult Gomez fans who have only seen her in family-friendly movies and shows would be intrigued to watch her in this darker drama with an unexpected twist.

1 ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (2021-)

IMDb Score: 8.1/10

Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) are three strangers who all share a love for true-crime podcasts. A gruesome death occurs inside their apartment building in the Upper West Side of New York and the trio join forces to investigate what they suspect was a murder.

Selena Gomez’s character Mabel was friends with the murder victim of the first season and thus finds herself personally invested in the exploration of his death. As a lead character in the comedy series, any Gomez fan would be pleased with the amount of time the actress spends on screen in Only Murders in the Building. Besides being a star on the Emmy-winning show, Selena Gomez is also an executive producer.

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