The Best Kaitlyn Dever Movies And TV Shows And How To Watch Them
Everyone should save time to watch this actor's best work so far.
I find myself both surprised and disappointed that I feel I have to ask if Kaitlyn Dever is considered a household name yet? If not, I think that is a sign of a major fracture in the Hollywood hierarchy because her stunning talent and trusting versatility deserve all the recognition she can get. You will surely understand what I mean after taking a look at these picks for the best Kaitlyn Dever movies and TV shows streaming (or available on digital) now — starting with her latest leading role.
No One Will Save You (2023)
A young woman’s (Dever) safe, isolated existence is interrupted by otherworldly creatures encroaching on her property and her life.
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: For the first time, Dever shows she has what it takes to be an action star in No One Will Save You — a uniquely crafted, thoroughly terrifying take on the alien invasion genre from writer and director Brian Duffield.
Last Man Standing (2011-2021)
A married sporting goods store marketing director (former Home Improvement cast lead Tim Allen) with three daughters struggles to maintain his manhood at home.
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: Following guest appearances on shows like Modern Family and The Mentalist, Dever made a breakthrough when she landed a part in the Last Man Standing cast as the tomboyish Eve Baxter. This was a main role that became a recurring part after the first six seasons of the long-running sitcom.
Justified (2011-2015)
A no-nonsense U.S. Marshall (Emmy nominee Timothy Olyphant) is relocated from Miami to his hometown in Kentucky, where he cleans things up with his old-fashioned approach to crimefighting.
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: Another one of Dever’s first and most acclaimed TV roles was a recurring part in the Justified cast as Loretta McReady — a troubled youth who finds a father figure in Olyphant’s Raylan Givens after her real dad’s murder on the hit Neo-Western TV show from FX.
Bad Teacher (2011)
A sleazy middle school teacher (Cameron Diaz) begins to step up her game in hopes of winning the heart of a committed, handsome new staff member (Justin Timberlake).
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: At the same time she was making waves on the small screen, Dever made her big screen debut in Bad Teacher — director Jake Kasdan’s raunchy take on the school movie genre from the point of view of a reluctant educator.
Short Term 12 (2013)
A young woman (Academy Award winner Brie Larson) struggles to balance her career as a residential facility employee with her relationship with her co-worker and longtime boyfriend (John Gallagher Jr.).
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: For her second collaboration with Larson after The Spectacular Now, Dever landed a much more prominent role and gave a stunning performance in writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton’s powerful drama, Short Term 12. She played a girl with a troubling past named Jayden.
Detroit (2017)
In 1967, a deadly police raid on innocent Black people at the Algiers Motel became the inciting incident leading to a historical race riot.
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: In writer Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow’s historical drama, Detroit, Dever stars as a young woman named Karen Malloy. Showing off her skills as a dramatic actress, she played a character who became a first-hand witness of the killings alongside her friend Julie Delaney, who was involved with the production and recalled her side of the film’s shocking true events to the Detroit Free Press in 2017.
The Front Runner (2018)
A married family man and U.S. Senator from Colorado (Hugh Jackman, in one of his best roles outside of Wolverine) leads a very promising presidential campaign that descends into a downward spiral after the media catches wind of his affair with a young woman (Sara Paxton).
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: Just a year after starring in Detroit, Dever played yet another real-life person named Andrea Hart — the daughter of U.S. Senator, Gary Hart — in director Jason Reitman’s scandalous political docudrama, The Front Runner.
Beautiful Boy (2018)
A newly separated father (Academy Award nominee Steve Carell) tries to help his teenage son (Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet) overcome his drug addiction.
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: Dever is mesmerizing in her otherwise brief, but pivotal, part as Lauren — a fellow young addict with a romantic connection to Chalamet’s role — in Beautiful Boy, Amazon’s heartbreaking adaptation of the memoirs by Nic Sheff and his son, David.
Booksmart (2019)
A pair of introverted best friends (Dever and Beanie Feldstein) decide to take their one and only chance to make an impression on their high school’s social scene before graduation.
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: Dever absolutely kills it in Booksmart, her first leading role in a feature film. Her comedic timing is on point, and her chemistry with Feldstein is electric. It's an instant party movie classic with a thrilling pace and sharp Gen Z social commentary from first-time director Olivia Wilde.
Unbelievable (2020)
After a teenage girl (Dever) is accused of falsifying an attack against her, two FBI agents (Toni Collette and Merritt Wever) search after an elusive rapist to find evidence that uncovers the truth.
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: Dever gives one of the most acclaimed performances of her career so far (and her first to earn a Golden Globe nomination) as real-life sexual assault victim, Marie Adler, in Unbelievable — a shocking, Netflix original true crime miniseries from showrunner Susannah Grant.
Monsterland (2020)
A socially challenged teen experiences a strange unwelcome encounter, a restaurant server at a dire crossroads, a grief-stricken married couple desperate for some form of solace, and more bizarre, thought-provoking tales of redemption make up this anthology series based on Nathan Ballingrud's book of short stories, North American Lake Monsters.
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: In the same year she earned raves for Netflix’s Unbelievable, Dever switched streaming platforms to star in Monsterland — a Hulu-exclusive horror TV show in which she appears in three episodes — more than any other cast member — as a server named Toni.
Ticket To Paradise (2022)
After learning their daughter (Dever) is suddenly engaged in Bali, a divorced couple (George Clooney and Julia Roberts) agree to work together to prevent her from repeating their own mistake.
Why it is one of Kaitlyn Dever’s best: In addition to reuniting with her Booksmart co-star and friend, Billie Lourd, the fun rom-com, Ticket to Paradise, sees Dever holding her own alongside two Hollywood legends, Roberts and Clooney, as she plays their daughter.
No One Will Save You is just one of many great Kaitlyn Dever movies and TV shows we have selected here.