TV 40 of the best and worst TV and movie bangs Whether its Uma Thurman in "Pulp Fiction" or Leonard Nimoy's Spock in "Star Trek," bangs are a bold choice. By Mary Sollosi Mary Sollosi Mary Sollosi is the former assistant features editor at Entertainment Weekly. She left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on August 29, 2022 10:35AM EDT Trending Videos Close this video player Audrey Tatou as Amélie, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, and Jennifer Aniston as Rachel. Photo: Miramax/Everett; CBS via Getty; Max/NBC Bangs are famously hit-and-miss. Sometimes you get the effortless cool of Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. Other times, you wind up with Courteney Cox in Scream. Either way, how bangs look on a character is a major decision. It can add dimension to the backstory of someone like Leonard Nimoy's half-human Spock, it can be played for laughs like Jim Carrey's Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber, or it can wind up like Daniel Day-Lewis' sweaty strands in Gangs of New York. EW is taking a trip down memory lane to find the best and worst bangs in entertainment history. You'll find all the bangs below, from Amélie to whatever keeps happening in Tim Burton movies. 01 of 40 BEST: Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) in Pulp Fiction Everett Collection You know you've found somebody really special when you can just shut the f--- up for a moment and admire their flawless blunt black bangs. 02 of 40 BEST: Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) in Amélie Everett Collection Amélie was way ahead of the hipster curve when her baby bangs first hit art house cinemas back in 2001, but none of the more recent copycats have pulled them off nearly as well as the fanciful Parisienne with le fabuleux destin. 03 of 40 BEST: Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) on Parks and Recreation Colleen Hayes/NBC/Getty Images Oh Ann, you poetic, noble land-mermaid. It comes as no surprise whatsoever that your bangs are literally perfect. 04 of 40 BEST: Andie Sachs (Anne Hathaway) in The Devil Wears Prada Everett Collection Stringy, halfhearted side-bangs are for sad people who wear lumpy cerulean sweaters. Shiny, well-trimmed full bangs are for fashionistas who wear thigh-high Chanel boots. 05 of 40 BEST: Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett) on Charlie's Angels Everett Collection Behold: real-life angel hair. 06 of 40 BEST: Anastasia Grey (née Steele) (Dakota Johnson) in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy Universal Pictures There's not actually room here for all the possible "bang"-related puns that are relevant to the discussion of the Fifty Shades movies, so just think of your favorite right now, as you admire Ana's hair. 07 of 40 BEST: Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) in Breakfast at Tiffany's Everett Collection If we could ever get a real-life tiny-banged haircut that made us feel like Audrey Hepburn, then we'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name! 08 of 40 BEST: Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) on New Girl Isabella Vosmikova/FOX Truly adorkable. 09 of 40 BEST: Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff) and Miranda Sanchez (Lalaine) on Lizzie McGuire Disney Channel More like Hill-FRINGE Junior High, amirite? 10 of 40 BEST: Eve (Tyra Banks) in Life-Size ABC/Getty Images How to save a dying fashion-doll empire? Shine bright, shine far, get some bangs like a star. 11 of 40 BEST: Ted Logan (Keanu Reeves) in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Everett Collection If Ted's totally Wyld hair gets a little windblown in time-transit, all the better. 12 of 40 BEST: Phyllis (Shelley Long) and Hannah Nefler (Jenny Lewis) in Troop Beverly Hills Everett Collection As a very wise Wilderness Girl troop leader once said, "Just because you're out in the woods, it's no excuse not to look your best." Clearly, Phyllis Nefler practices what she preaches—and taught her daughter Hannah to do the same. Not even a traumatic surprise perm can ruin her perfect bang game. 13 of 40 BEST: Natalie Portman in anything Everett Collection; Columbia Pictures Oscar winner, Harvard graduate, bangs icon. From her piecey-fringed big-screen debut in Léon the Professional to her bubblegum-tinted wig in Closer, Natalie Portman chooses her hairstyles just as carefully as she does her roles. 14 of 40 BEST: Spock (Leonard Nimoy) on Star Trek Everett Collection On most humans, these bangs would rank as the worst, but Spock's not most humans (technically, he's only half-human). It must be the eyebrows that make it work. Whatever the reason, this look has lived long and prospered in our pop cultural consciousness and we salute it. 15 of 40 BEST: Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman) in Practical Magic Everett Collection Just look at those enchanting bangs! What witchcraft is this?! 16 of 40 BEST: Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) on Friends NBC In Friends' final season, Jennifer Aniston updated the most iconic TV hairstyle of all time with a chic set of bangs. 17 of 40 BEST: Young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace Everett Collection Admittedly, the Star Wars prequels aren't great, and Phantom Menace isn't even the best of those. But just look at that little Tatooinian cherub! His hair is so big because it's full of midi-chlorians. 18 of 40 BEST: Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) in Cleopatra Everett Collection We would not recommend anyone try to recreate this look (or any studio try to recreate this movie, which nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox in 1963). But this is Elizabeth Taylor we're talking about, and so, the iconic bangs are unquestionably best. 19 of 40 BEST: Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) on Scandal Kelsey McNeal/ABC/Getty Images Olivia Pope got bangs in Scandal's second season, and wore them as only a gladiator could. 20 of 40 BEST: Matilda (Mara Wilson) in Matilda Everett Collection Ah, the young girl's timeless bow-and-bangs look. Also totally classic: telekinesis. 21 of 40 BEST: Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy) and Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald) in The Breakfast Club Everett Collection "Princess," "basket case," whatever. Each of them is an '80s-hair teen-style star. Does that answer your question? 22 of 40 BEST: Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) on Gilmore Girls Everett Collection It took seven seasons, but Rory Gilmore finally nailed her hair (goodbye, Chilton headbands) by the end of Gilmore Girls' original run. 23 of 40 BEST: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Everett Collection Apparently, if the Sorting Hat senses an adorable set of bangs on an 11-year-old head, it just throws that kid in Gryffindor without giving it a second thought. 24 of 40 BEST/WORST: Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) / Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) on Mad Men Michael Yarish/AMC; Craig Blankenhorn/AMC Joan, queen of the Sterling Cooper (Draper Pryce) offices—and probably of Madison Avenue in its entirety—experimented with a few different updo silhouettes for her brilliant red tresses over the course of Mad Men, but never fully abandoned her glamorous side-swept fringe. Meanwhile, Peggy…also had bangs. 25 of 40 WORST: Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams) on Dawson's Creek The WB Will it be yes or will it be sorry, you ask? It will be sorry. When it comes to these bangs, it is a resounding sorry. 26 of 40 WORST: Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis) in Gangs of New York Everett Collection Could someone please introduce Bill the Butcher and his slimy tresses to Bill the Barber? 27 of 40 WORST: Mary (Cameron Diaz) in There's Something About Mary Everett Collection Mary doesn't really have well-defined bangs until she puts some, uh, product in her hair and sculpts this unfortunate look. 28 of 40 WORST: Clare Arnold (Kathleen Robertson) on Beverly Hills, 90210 Everett Collection You'd have thought Clare might have learned something from her fellow 90210 residents about how to wear bangs in Beverly Hills. Alas, no. 29 of 40 WORST: Elena Sánchez (Salma Hayek) in Savages Universal Pictures Yes, Elena is the ruthless leader of a drug cartel, but the most savage thing about her has to be that blunt cut. 30 of 40 WORST: Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) in the Scream movies Everett Collection (2) Gale's bad-to-worse bangs evolution over the course of the Scream film series makes us want to…well, you know. 31 of 40 WORST: Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen) on Saved by the Bell Everett Collection Not even the bell could save this disaster. 32 of 40 WORST: Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) in Dumb and Dumber Everett Collection Dumb and dumber dudes. Bad and badder bangs. 33 of 40 WORST: Jeannie (Barbara Eden) on I Dream of Jeannie Everett Collection Jeannie may be dreamy, sure, but her faker-than-Barbie-hair bangs are enough to give us nightmares of plasticky blonde strands sprouting out of our foreheads with one cross of the arms and nod of the head. 34 of 40 WORST: Tim Burton movie bangs Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros. Cinematically speaking, Tim Burton is a master stylist. Bangs-wise, he is…not. 35 of 40 WORST: Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) in Double Indemnity Everett Collection Brought down by the fringe fatale. 36 of 40 WORST: Hannah Horvath (Lena Dunham) on Girls Jessica Miglio/HBO Let this be a lesson to you, kids. Do not, under any circumstances, cut your own bangs. Even if you punctured your eardrum with a Q-tip and shirtless Adam Driver is just a FaceTime away, it's not worth it. Not even then. 37 of 40 WORST: Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) in No Country for Old Men Everett Collection No, this vile-banged bowl cut wasn't a wig. It was Javier Bardem's actual hair. He earned that Oscar. 38 of 40 WORST: Jareth the Goblin King (David Bowie) in Labyrinth The Jim Henson Company Yikes, Jareth. Maybe stick to owl form. 39 of 40 WORST: D.J. Tanner (Candace Cameron Bure) on Full House Bob D'Amico/ABC via Getty Images Everywhere you look, it's more and more egregious '80s hair. Have mercy. 40 of 40 WORST: Disney Princess bangs Everett Collection (3) How is it that Disney—which has created the sparkling gowns and fanciful kingdoms and, yes, beautiful flowing hairstyles of our wildest dreams—is so bad at bangs? Who wants this much volume right on their forehead? How does a tiara even manage to peek out from behind a mountain of hair? How are we ever supposed to believe in magic when fairy godmothers are out there styling nightmares like this?