What To Watch
7 Remarkably Bright Sally Field Movies and Series
The two-time Oscar winner co-stars with Lewis Pullman in the adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s novel.
By Caitlin Busch
May 8, 2026
7 Sally Field Movies and Series Like Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix - Netflix Tudum
If you need a cinematic hug or a good cry, Sally Field’s filmography has you covered. Her latest outing, Remarkably Bright Creatures, fits this bill. The film, directed by Olivia Newman, stars Field as Tova, a widow living in the Pacific Northwest who works nights at a local aquarium. Her quiet, simple life changes forever when she develops bonds with a giant Pacific octopus and a wayward young musician.
Field’s work has been invoking the full spectrum of human emotion in audiences since she got her start in television in the ’60s. The hit sitcom The Flying Nun — in which Field played the titular airborne Sister Bertrille — led her to a swathe of similar series. But her part in 1976’s psychological drama Sybil, for which she won her first of three total Emmy Awards, broke the mold. Field has starred in everything from beloved comedies like Smokey and the Bandit and Mrs. Doubtfire to heart-wrenching dramas like Steel Magnolias and Forrest Gump. She also holds two Oscars and two Golden Globes for her work in Norma Rae and Places in the Heart.
Keep reading to learn more about Field’s movies and series on Netflix.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
This adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s novel, directed by Olivia Newman (Where the Crawdads Sing), stars Field as Tova, a grieving widow who works at a local aquarium. She forms unlikely bonds with a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina) and a wayward young man named Cameron (Lewis Pullman), who’s new in town. Together, they uncover a mystery that leads them to a life-changing discovery and restores their sense of wonder. This whimsical and quietly profound drama also stars Colm Meaney (Alan Partridge), Joan Chen (Tigertail), Kathy Baker (The Ranch), Beth Grant (Little Miss Sunshine), and Sofia Black-D’Elia (To All the Boys: Always and Forever).
Little Evil
When Gary Bloom (Adam Scott) marries the beautiful Samantha (Evangeline Lilly), he learns that his stepson, 5-year-old Lucas (Owen Atlas), is suspiciously linked to a pair of mysterious deaths. Upon digging into his new family’s past, Gary uncovers troubling information that leads him to suspect that Lucas might be the Antichrist. Field plays Miss Shaylock, a Child Protective Services employee, in this horror comedy written and directed by Eli Craig (Clown in a Cornfield) that also stars Bridget Everett (Somebody Somewhere), Clancy Brown (Starship Troopers), and Donald Faison (Scrubs).
Maniac
Emma Stone (Bugonia) and Jonah Hill (You People) lead this dark psychological dramedy about two strangers who meet while undergoing a trippy pharmaceutical trial set in a retro-futuristic New York City. Owen (Hill), the black sheep of his ultra-wealthy family, signs up for the trial after learning that it might help his schizophrenia — and banish the imaginary brother, Grimsson (Billy Magnussen), that he keeps hallucinating. While there, he meets Annie (Stone), who seems all too happy to play into his supposedly imagined world. Field co-stars as Dr. Greta Mantleray, a therapist involved with the trial. Justin Theroux (Running Point), Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina), Gabriel Byrne (Lost Girls), and Julia Garner (Inventing Anna) also star in this 10-episode series created by Patrick Somerville (Station Eleven) and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (No Time to Die).
Steel Magnolias
This tearjerker dramedy, directed by Herbert Ross (The Turning Point), is based on Robert Harling’s 1987 play of the same name and follows a close-knit group of women living in a small town in Louisiana. Field — who co-stars with Dolly Parton (9 to 5), Shirley MacLaine (The Last Word), Daryl Hannah (Splash), Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck), and Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman) — plays M’Lynn Eatenton. Her eldest daughter, Shelby (Roberts), is preparing for her wedding day. When a new girl, Annelle (Hannah), rolls into town, she gets a job at the local beauty parlor, run by the effervescent Truvy Jones (Parton). Truvy does her best to introduce Annelle to the community. When an unexpected tragedy strikes, the group must come together to process their grief and find a way to move forward. Roberts won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role.
Number of recommendations may vary by region.
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