9 Best Mike Nichols Films, Ranked
From acid wit to earnest truths, this director bridged Broadway and Hollywood.
'The Birdcage'
Did you know that Mike Nichols once turned down major films like Chinatown and The Exorcist?
Bold, sure, but when you’ve made The Graduate, you’ve already reshaped cinema. Nichols was a master of emotion and razor-sharp wit, blending laughter, heartbreak, and truth, often in the same breath. His films were cultural touchstones.
So grab some popcorn (or a stiff drink—Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf might demand it) as we rank the nine best films from a filmmaker who entertained and left a mark.
9 Best Mike Nichols Movies
9. Wit (2001)
- YouTube A witty scene from the brilliant and criminally forgotten Wit (2001).
Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson) is a brilliant but emotionally distant English professor dealing with terminal cancer with the same cerebral zeal she usually dedicates to John Donne’s poetry—except, this time, it’s laced with morphine and existential dread.
As she undergoes rigorous chemotherapy, her cerebral shields begin to erode, revealing the emotional emptiness she has always avoided.
Wit is a remarkable combination of comedy and emotion, particularly in Thompson’s (fourth-wall-breaking) monologues that mix clinical facts with poetic reflection. Nichols avoids dramatization, allowing Thompson’s performance to shine as Vivian grapples with grief, shame, and fleeting human connections.
The film’s beauty is in its contrast of cold medical vocabulary and Donne’s lyrical metaphors, which leave you with bittersweet emotions. Fun fact: Thompson shaved her head herself. If that’s not a commitment, I don’t know what is.
Nichols trusts the material and his actor enough to hold the frame steady, showing how much can be said by simply letting a moment breathe.
8. Carnal Knowledge (1971)
Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkel (yes, that Garfunkel) play Jonathan and Sandy, two college friends whose romantic escapades over 25 years are an antithesis to “how to be emotionally mature.”
Nicholson’s Jonathan evolves from charmingly arrogant to bitterly misogynistic, while Garfunkel’s Sandy clings to romantic ideals, both hilariously and tragically failing at love. Their toxic masculinity and stunted growth are exposed, with Ann-Margaret stealing the show in an Oscar-nominated performance.
Nichols’ Carnal Knowledge is a cutting, razor-sharp satire on sexual politics, with language so candid that it triggered obscenity bans and a Supreme Court ruling. Nichols’ comedic timing and Jules Feiffer’s writing make the harsh truth strike home, proving that mistaking ownership for love never ends well.
Interestingly, the film was banned for obscenity but won a Supreme Court case in 1974. Drama on and off-screen!
It’s a sharp example of how tension, discomfort, and humor can coexist in a single frame when a director knows exactly where to put the camera and when not to move it.
7. Closer (2004)
Set in London, the film follows Anna, Dan, Alice, and Larry (played by Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen) as they navigate chance meetings, steamy affairs, and soul-crushing betrayals.
It’s a critical examination of modern love, where truth and desire collide, and emotional intimacy is as elusive as a happy ending. The cast delivers career-best performances. Owen and Portman even snagged Oscar nods. It’s two hours of ridiculously beautiful people saying terrible things, and you won’t be able to look away.
Adapted from Patrick Marber’s play, Closer is a masterclass in emotional warfare. Nichols’ direction is so intimate, you feel like you are eavesdropping on the most devastating therapy session ever. Love hurts, but damn, does it look good doing it.
Nichols, in Closer, reminds us that the power of a story often lies in the complexities of character dynamics and dialogue. His ability to capture raw, painful moments with such precision demonstrates the lasting impact of well-crafted relationships on screen.
6. Working Girl (1988)
Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith), a Staten Island secretary with Wall Street ambitions, discovers that her boss (Sigourney Weaver, delightfully wicked) stole her big idea. When the boss breaks her leg skiing, Tess seizes the opportunity, acting as an executive and teaming up with a charming banker (Harrison Ford) to broker a major deal. It’s corporate espionage meets rom-com.
Working Girl is the ultimate '80s Cinderella story, except instead of glass slippers, it has power suits. Nichols delivers a sharp commentary on class, gender, and ambition, while also nailing one of the era’s excesses, shoulder pads.
Griffith’s rise from secretary to executive is both hilarious and inspiring, Ford flexes his comedic chops, and Weaver steals scenes as the villain you love to hate. Nichols reportedly hired real Wall Street executives as extras, many of whom took pay cuts just to share the screen with Ford. It’s a film that’s as smart as it is entertaining.
Working Girl is a testament to the fact that the willingness to take risks (such as blending a corporate drama with rom-com elements) and challenging expectations elevate both characters and storytelling. Nichols shows how, by mixing humor, drama, and social commentary, even the most familiar plots can be reinvented.
5. Silkwood (1983)
Silkwood is a gripping drama (based on a true story) about Karen Silkwood, an Oklahoma-based nuclear plant whistleblower who exposes dangerous safety violations. What begins as a workplace snooze-fest quickly transforms into a chilling thriller as Karen risks it all—her job, her relationships, and even her life—to expose corporate corruption. Think Erin Brockovich, but swap the sassy skirts for radiation suits.
Meryl Streep’s quietly defiant performance, backed up by a brilliant ensemble (including Cher, who’s fab), propels the film along, while Nichols expertly builds tension without melodrama.
Nichols balances this environmental thriller with a nuanced character study. Karen isn’t painted as a saint. She’s flawed, fierce, and human. Kurt Russell and Cher play her chosen family, adding heart and humor.
The plot climaxes with Karen’s mysterious car crash on her way to meet a reporter, leaving you to wonder: accident or murder? It’s worth knowing that the real plant closed a year after the film’s release, and the real Silkwood’s estate later won a $1.38 million settlement.
Silkwood is a prime example of the most impactful stories emerging from the smallest, most human moments. Nichols’ ability to ground a tense political narrative in raw personal stakes is a valuable reminder that compelling drama can come from deeply authentic character explorations.
4. Angels in America (2003)
- YouTube Sort of a funny moment from a rather melancholic mini-series. Guys, he is the Marlboro man!
The HBO miniseries follows interconnected lives: Prior, an AIDS patient turned prophet; Louis, his lover who flees to Joe, a closeted Republican lawyer and a Mormon; Joe’s Valium-addled wife Harper; and Roy Cohn, a real-life lawyer denying his sexuality while dying of AIDS.
It’s intimate, epic, tragic, and darkly funny, with angels crashing through ceilings and Meryl Streep playing a rabbi—yes, with a white beard and all.
Angels in America, Nichols’ adaptation of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer-winning play, is a sprawling mix of AIDS crisis drama, Reagan-era politics, and literal angels. Nichols blends theater and film, striking a balance between gritty realism and jaw-dropping fantasy.
He even convinced Kushner to tweak the play because some scenes worked better on screen. The cast, led by Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Emma Thompson, shines, often playing multiple roles across gender, race, and even species. It swept the Emmys with 11 wins.
In Angels in America, Nichols embraces the complexity of human experience, even in fantastical settings, and allows the story to resonate deeply with its audience. By doing so, he shows the power of thoughtful adaptation and the importance of trusting both the material and the actors to bring it to life.
3. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)
- YouTube It doesn't get much better than this! George vs Martha/Burton vs Taylor.
Based on Edward Albee’s absurdist drama, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf follows an evening when a dysfunctional middle-aged couple, George (Richard Burton) and Martha (Elizabeth Taylor), host a younger couple, Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis).
What transpires is a boozy and brutal psychological war zone, where secrets spill and illusions shatter. Nichols, in his directorial debut, crafts the whole experience into the image of a slow-motion car crash. Taylor delivers a career-defining performance. Taylor gained 30 pounds for the role.
Taylor and Burton blur the lines between their explosive real-life romance and their characters’ toxic marriage, making every barbed quip sting. The black-and-white cinematography adds to the bleakness, while Nichols’ comedic timing turns verbal warfare into art. Scandalous, tragic, and weirdly hilarious.
Aspiring filmmakers should learn from this movie to trust the moments of emotional honesty in their stories, where the complexities of human nature are exposed through the smallest gestures and words. This is how every frame and interaction can amplify the emotional stakes of a narrative.
2. The Birdcage (1996)
The Birdcage is a riotous comedy in which Robin Williams and Nathan Lane play Armand and Albert, a middle-aged gay couple who run a Miami drag club. Their lives go haywire when their son announces he is marrying the daughter of a conservative senator, prompting them to masquerade as a “normal” family for a disastrous dinner.
Lane’s flamboyant Albert steals the show, while Williams plays his “butch” counterpart. It’s said Williams and Lane improvised so much that the crew couldn’t stop laughing! The fact that we get to see Gene Hackman’s conservative senator in drag is pure gold.
This remake of La Cage aux Folles is a comedic gem, blending slapstick with sharp satire. Nichols’ hilarious yet heartfelt take on family, love, and drag queens is a treat for the cinephiles. This '90s classic is hilarious and remains highly relevant.
With The Birdcage, Nichols demonstrates how a comedy can serve as both a vehicle for humor and a means to address deeper societal themes. His ability to balance outrageous moments with genuine emotional beats is a testament to the power of storytelling that resonates across generations.
1. The Graduate (1967)
- YouTube The famous scene from The Graduate.
Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a clueless college graduate, gets seduced by the iconic Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), only to fall for her daughter Elaine. What follows is awkwardness, sabotage, and a mad dash to stop Elaine’s wedding. The Graduate is the ultimate coming-of-age tale, but with more cringeworthy pool parties and middle-aged affairs than your average teen drama.
Nichols nails it with every frame. Think iconic leg shots and that hauntingly ambiguous ending. Simon & Garfunkel’s soundtrack seals the deal. It’s a timeless mix of humor, melancholy, and generational angst.
Hoffman’s Benjamin is the ultimate anti-hero, awkward and uncertain, but determined to break free from his parents’ materialistic world. From the opening airport walkway to the final bus scene, The Graduate revolutionized cinema.
In crafting the tension between Benjamin’s internal struggle and the world around him, Nichols offers a valuable lesson: a character’s journey often thrives not just in action, but in the moments of discomfort that reveal deeper truths. The subtlety of his direction should encourage filmmakers to find significance in the smallest, seemingly insignificant details.
Conclusion
Mike Nichols was a master of blending humor, discomfort, and deep insight. His improvisational comedy background sharpened his dialogue skills, while his immigrant experience provided him with a unique perspective on the contradictions of American life.
Whether exploring marriage, the workplace, or societal challenges, Nichols captured the essence of human motivations. These nine films are not only great but also cultural milestones, and his influence will endure as long as films continue to reflect human experiences.
