6. Wendy The Ice Storm (1997)
Ang Lees adaptation of Rick Moodys novel gave Ricci far and away her most mature role to date. As an ensemble piece exploring the secrets and lies of a seemingly idyllic middle class family, its easy to view the film as something of a dry run for Sam Mendes 1999 breakthrough American Beauty, and by setting the action against the revelations of the 1973 Watergate scandal and the heavy winter storm which hit New England at the time, these intimate domestic dramas are lent an epic, near-mythic quality. Riccis Wendy Hood is a precocious young teenager, tentatively exploring her burgeoning sexuality with the sons of her parents friends (one of them being Elijah Wood), but with an unfortunate habit of being caught in the act. The stern admonishments she receives both from both her own father (Kevin Kline) and the mother of the boys (Sigourney Weaver) underline the hypocrisy of the adults, given the two of them are in engaged in affair which the children might very well be aware of. Having not long since been passed over for other high profile young female roles in Interview with the Vampire (which went to Kirsten Dunst) and Lolita (which went to Dominique Swain), Ricci has reportedly said The Ice Storm was the first time shed been cast in a role shed really wanted to get. She stands proud amongst a very illustrious cast including Joan Allen and Tobey Maguire and the image of her offering herself to Elijah Wood whilst wearing a Richard Nixon mask is not easily forgotten.