Catherine O’Hara's 7 Most Criminally Forgotten Movies, Ranked

5 days ago 11

Catherine O'Hara as Cookie Fleck in 'Best in Show'

Published Feb 6, 2026, 2:39 PM EST

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On January 30th, 2026, we lost a legendary actress and comedian in Catherine O’Hara. When news of her death broke, it came as quite a shock to everyone in the entertainment world. Starting her career in sketch comedy, O'Hara would go on to portray a myriad of characters in every genre, and she will be greatly missed. While many may remember O'Hara for her iconic roles, including Kate McCallister in the Home Alone movies and Moira Rose on the CBC sitcom Schitt's Creek, her roles weren't really confined to just comedic movie roles.

In fact, when looking at her filmography, the one thing that sticks out is her acting portfolio is quite vast, so much so that there are plenty of roles that have gone unnoticed by general audiences. So while we continue to celebrate the life of Catherine O’Hara, we wanted to do something a little different. Instead of ranking her most famous film projects, we wanted to do something of a deep dive into her film catalog and rank O’Hara's most criminally forgotten movies, from the least-known to the film that should have been more well-known, but isn't.

7 'Home Fries' (1998)

Two women looking and smiling in 'Home Fries'

We're kicking things off with a deep, deep cut from O’Hara's film catalog, a movie that, before doing research for this piece, I totally forgot that this movie even existed. Directed by Dean Parisot, Home Fries is a comedy-drama that not a lot of critics liked. It holds a 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and I was hesitant to include this film on the list. But after rewatching the movie, I thought it was criminally misunderstood and underrated.

We'll be honest here, Home Fries has a pretty convoluted plot, with the film involving a waitress (Drew Barrymore) who falls for the stepson (Luke Wilson) of her baby's father, who also happens to be deceased. O'Hara portrays Beatrice Lever, a mother who hires her sons, one of which is Barrymore's love interest, to intimidate her husband, and winds up causing him to have a heart attack. Home Fries is a movie that didn't really know what it wanted to be. Did it want to be a comedy? A dark thriller? A twisted romantic movie? You really couldn't tell; but, you'll enjoy the zanniest thing that's on your screen, and come away with the same thinking I did; that Home Fries is an underrated film that isn't meant to be understood, it's meant to be enjoyed.

6 'Orange County' (2002)

When you think about it long enough, you'll realize that Catherine O'Hara can really play a great mom. Think about it. When she left Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), she moved mountains to get back to Chicago; and as Moria Rose, she was very supportive of her two adult children. She also played a mom in the 2002 movie Orange County, but she is the opposite of the type of mom that she typically played.

Here, she portrayed Cindy Brumder, the mother of Shaun Brumder (Colin Hanks), who didn't provide him with a stable homelife. In fact, she was the face of Shaun's chaotic family life that nearly ruined his chances of getting into Stanford, his dream college. Even though she would come around in the end, it was kind of weird seeing her play an unstable mom, but, as always, she was fantastic in the role. Orange County is a very underrated comedy, and to this day, I still can't believe that it's been lost to time, until now, that is.

5 'Best in Show' (2000)

The main reason why Schitt's Creek worked so well was the chemistry between O'Hara and Eugene Levy, a fellow comedic legend. However, you would be surprised that this wasn't the first time O'Hara and Levy teamed up to bring people laughs. 15 years before Schitt's Creek premiered, they starred in the forgotten 2000 comedy Best in Show. Surprisingly, O'Hara and Levy also played a married couple, the Flecks, a couple who compete in dog shows.

Best in Show was filmed in a mockumentary style, and it was kind of ahead of its time. The genre wasn't widespread at the time, and filming a movie that looked like a documentary about dog show competitors gave the movie a more earnest feel. Comedy always works best when it's presented in a realistic light, and that is certainly the case when it comes to Best in Show. The movie, however, wasn't a box office hit, barely making its budget back, and has become a relic of the 2000s. But now, with fans looking to revisit O'Hara's catalog, maybe people will revisit this lost comedy and give it the flowers it deserves.

4 'Wyatt Earp' (1994)

American history is filled with iconic lawmen, but none holds a candle to Wyatt Earp, the famous Old West lawman who played a pivotal role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. His life was begging to be told in feature film form, and in 1994, it was with Wyatt Earp, starring Kevin Costner as the titular character and Catherine O'Hara portraying Allie Earp, the wife of Virgil Earp (Michael Madsen); and while her part was relatively small, O'Hara portrayed the role really well. Most people are used to her comedies, but Wyatt Earp proved that she had tremendous range as an actress.

Director Lawrence Kasdan didn't pull any punches with this film, as it aimed to tell the story of his entire life, so much so that this film is 190 minutes long. However, given the fact that most movies these days are routinely over two hours long, this really shouldn't be a problem; plus, the movie is one of the most underrated biopics ever made. So, while Wyatt Earp was technically a box office bomb, it's since gained a cult following, and rightfully so.

3 'Heartburn' (1986)

It's amazing how many movies from the 1980s that were once box office hits, have become forgotten today. Case in point is Heartburn, the 1986 comedy-drama starring two titans, Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. The movie follows Rachel Samstat (Streep), who falls in love with a D.C. political columnist, Mark Forman (Nicholson). O'Hara has a supporting role here as Betty, and she proves that you don't need a lot of screentime to have a nice impact on the screen.

Heartburn is a classic love story that didn't stray too far off the rom-com path. We see the love that blossoms between our protagonist, the trust that's built, and the betrayal that leads to turbulence between Samsat and Forman. Heartburn was a box office hit when it was released, grossing over $52 million at the box office. But, few people actually remember this film, and it's a shame. It was one of the best rom-coms of the '80s, and hopefully this film is rediscovered.

2 'The Paper' (1994)

As a person who used to work for years at newspapers, I can concur that a newsroom is very hectic, especially if you're an editor. That's what 1994's The Paper strives to showcase, with Catherine O'Hara playing the role of Susan, who provided a scene-stealing moment with a particularly fast-talking interaction with Maratha Hackett (Marisa Tomei). In fact, it was this scene that perfectly illustrated what life was like in a newsroom in the '90s.

The Paper follows the day-in-the-life of Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton), the metro editor of The New York Sun who has begun to begrudge the long hours and low pay of his job. While it's billed as a comedy-drama, the film can also act as a trauma-inducing look at the pressure writers and editors were under at a big city newspaper, and the race to get the scoop on a big story before your competitors. The Paper moves fast, just like Susan's lunch convo with Martha, and it was well-received when it was released, but somehow, The Paper slipped through the cracks. But The Paper is a worthy movie to check out from O’Hara's vast catalog.

1 'Dick Tracy' (1990)

We can name countless blockbusters that have gone on to become forgotten relics of their time, and Dick Tracy was one of them. Directed by Warren Beatty, Dick Tracy had a stacked cast, from Al Pacino to Madonna, all starring alongside O'Hara. Dick Tracy was a film that was made to be a summer blockbuster, and it was, grossing over $162 million during its run. But people hardly talk about the film today, despite the fact that the visuals were certainly top-notch (for the '90s, anyway).

Dick Tracy is based on the 1930s comic strip, and follows the titular detective (Beatty) as he faces off against "Big Boy" Caprice (Pacino), the main crime boss of the city. By Caprice's side was "Texie" Garcia (O'Hara), a criminal who willingly submits to Caprice. Although her role was small, O'Hara nevertheless played a part in helping bring the world of Dick Tracy to life. So, if you only have time for one of these movies on this deep-cut list, Dick Tracy should definitely be the movie to watch.