Top 5: Jonathan Demme Movies

Jonathan Demme was a prime example of a director everyone knew and respected, but never developed a distinctive style. He helmed a diverse collection of films ranging from screwball comedies to hard-hitting dramas, earned an Academy Award for Best Director in 1991, and even directed Justin Timberlake's concert film last year. So in honor of his passing, we've picked five of Demme's best films.

#5 Married to the Mob

While the title might make the movie sound like a comedy version of Goodfellas, this good natured romance actually follows a former mob wife Angela (played by a gloriously accented Michelle Pfeiffer) looking to make it on her own after leaving her mafioso husband. What follows is an unexpected romantic comedy as the undercover F.B.I. agent assigned to her (Matthew Modine) sees Angela's good intentions and aims to defend her. It's the best kind of eighties cheese.

#4 Stop Making Sense

This Talking Heads concert film is one of the best music documentaries ever made, not simply because the audience gets to witness the iconic new wave band at the weight of their powers, but because of Demme's excellent shot selection, pumped up production values, and surprising new takes on Talking Heads' classic songs. There is also a large amount of awkward lanky white-boy dancing.

#3 Rachel Getting Married

The premise for Demme's collaboration with Anne Hathaway almost sounds like a sitcom episode, as a perpetual screwup sister arrives for her sister's wedding. But behind Hathway's acerbic Oscar nominated performance as Kym (noticing a trend yet?) and a script that refuses to pull punches, what the audience gets is an incredible look into the mind of a damaged person who can't help herself. Though the majority of the film is full of awkward interactions the film definitive high point is Kym's devestating confession in an addict's group. Not an easy watch, but certainly unforgettable.

#2 Philadelphia

At a time when AIDS was still largely misunderstood and gay rights were still struggling to gain traction, Philadelphia could've been an exploitative disaster. Thankfully it wasn't in no small part to the one two punch of Tom Hanks (in Oscar-winning fashion) and Denzel Washington. However, the film's defining attribute, and Demme's main appeal as a filmmaker, is Philadelphia's unshakable humanity makes the film both beautiful and heart-breaking.

#1 Silence of the Lambs

What else could it be? A movie so iconic even those who have never seen the film know its signature lines and what going to dinner with Hannibal Lecter could involve. The story is simple but intriguing as an F.B.I. trainee meets with a known cannibal to help profile and track a serial killer. But Demme's end result is far creepier, compelling, and memorable than a thousand other crime procedurals. And once again Demme directed Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins to Oscar nominated, and in this case winning, performances. A fitting definitive work for the multi-faceted director.