Elle Woods is definitely her most iconic performance. Tracey Flick is definitely her best performance. She was fine in Walk the Line, but I would've given her the Oscar for Election, for sure. 

Frankly, I haven't LOVED anything from her since, like, 2004 (though Big Little Lies was okay). Kind of waiting on something that feels just as fun as her old stuff. 

Today is Reese Witherspoon's birthday (she's 46 which seems...impossible) and she has one of the most impressive resumes in Hollywood if we're being honest. She's definitely become something of a brand these days, but at the core, she's still just a really great actress. 

I got to thinking about what is her best performance, maybe not necessarily her most iconic (I'd argue that's her work as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde) but her overall best acting. 

My first instinct was to say her performance as Cheryl Strayed in Wild because it's an emotional and physical triumph and she makes me cry like a baby every time I watch it. But honestly, pound for pound, it's her performance as Type A lunatic Tracy Flick in the dark comedy Election. That character is so hilarious and scary and ridiculous and she makes her into a fully realized person. It's a really daring performance and she goes all in.

What do you think is Reese's best work on the big screen? (Her amazing work on TV could be its own separate post.) Is it her Oscar-winning turn as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line? Her performance in the underrated gem Pleasantville? Or, let's be real, is it just Elle Woods and Legally Blonde all day everyday?

Best Reese Witherspoon performance?