Ranked The 20 Best Onscreen Makeover Moments We Still Can't Get Over

Everyone loves a good movie makeover, especially as it's so satisfying to watch as the main character succeeds in whatever they're setting out to do - be it winning over a group of friends, getting the significant other they're crushing on, or simply improving and bettering themselves. A popular trope in cinema is the transformation, the idea that you can have anything you want is an idyllic dream - a reason why people watch movies in the first place.

What's interesting to note is that as the times change, so do the reasons for these makeovers. What used to be shallow escapism would never fly today, as the way we view ourselves and our own self-confidence has changed since the time of teen makeover flicks of the early 90s. In a time when John Hughes' films dominated the scene, the idea of becoming someone else was surely the only solution to getting what you want. Now, in 2018, the ethos of being yourself and self-empowerment has never rung truer. As times have changed, so have these entries, from the days of Ally Sheedy's preppy makeover to become noticed by boys in The Breakfast Club, to the empowering moment of staying true to who you are in 2010's Easy A.

No matter what the reason behind these makeovers is, we've rounded up 20 of our favorite movie transformations, ranging from the most iconic to some lesser-known entries that are still important.

20 Tai's Preppy Makeover In 'Clueless'

Probably one of the most endearing move makeovers comes from Brittany Murphy's character Tai in Clueless, where Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and Dionne (Stacey Dash) take her under their wing and transform her into preppy perfection so she can match them in being the school's leading "it" girl.

The reason why this is absolutely adorable is that Tai is just having so much fun. With other makeovers, the character getting them done can look to be unimpressed, annoyed, or even in pain, but Tai is clearly so excited to be spending time with her new friends, they could be doing anything!

19 Ally's Hair Dye Scene, Which Is A Defining Moment In 'A Star Is Born'

A newer flick to make this list, A Star Is Born has a memorable mini-makeover that the movie cleverly uses as a plot tool to further the storyline perfectly. When veteran musician Jack (Bradley Cooper) discovers struggling artist Ally (Lady Gaga), he decides to take her under his wing and make her a star. When her record label decides to change her look and have her dye her hair a red color, it signifies their downfall, as Jack sees it as a loss of her personality and transition into mainstream music. Although it's a sort of negative makeover moment, we love it for the way it pushes the story forward!

18 Rachel Leigh Cook's Iconic Makeover & Tumble In 'She's All That'

Who could forget this iconic moment… The nerdy girl takes off her glasses, takes her hair out of its ponytail, she puts on a red dress, and voila! A popular girl is born! This moment is not only memorable thanks to Cook's epic makeover (that had us all putting on red dresses too) but also because we'll never forget how she tumbled down the stairs during her grand entrance.

17 Tracy's Transformation in 'Thirteen' Which Was Every Parent's Biggest Fear

When Thirteen came out in 2003, parents everywhere cringed and shuddered, hiding the movie from their daughters as it was so influential - in a bad way. The film centers around Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood), who has a troubling home life but still manages to maintain a good relationship with her mother. An honors student, Tracy suddenly befriends Evie (Nikki Reed), the popular girl at school who then takes Tracy under her wing and helps her start exploring with illegal substances, boys, and even pickpocketing strangers.

Definitely a negative transformation, it's still an important one and was truly an eye-opener to parents across the country when it came out.

16 Cady Becoming A True Plastic In 'Mean Girls'

When awkward new girl Cady (Lindsay Lohan) moves back to America with her family from Africa, she has no idea how to act in high school as she was homeschooled during her entire time away. With the help of two friends who ask her to go undercover and become one of the Plastics (the cool girls), she quickly learns how to dress and fits in perfectly, eventually losing some of her true friends in the process.

The movie that gave us a billion quotes (she doesn't even go here!), solidified Lindsay Lohan as a teen queen and quickly became the most-watched teen comedy in the early 2000s. Mean Girls is simply a cult classic.

15 Andy's Transformation Into Fashion Elite In 'The Devil Wears Prada'

The Devil Wears Prada is any fashion aficionado's dream. An average girl with absolutely no sense of style gets utterly transformed into a stylish maven, complete with a new hairstyle and shamelessly expensive frocks. A movie truly about the power of clothing and the weight it carries in the fashion industry, The Devil Wears Prada had a lot of thought go into exactly what sort of makeover Anne Hathaway's character Andy would have. According to News, costume designer Patricia Field explains why she picked Chanel as the first head-to-toe outfit after Andy's makeover. “The reason I chose Chanel is because, number one, I felt Anne Hathaway was a Chanel girl organically, as opposed to let's say a Versace [or Roberto Cavalli] girl."

14 Sandy's Timeless Makeover In 'Grease'

A timeless movie makeover is 1978's Grease, where good girl Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) finally transforms into a dream girl for Danny (John Travolta), in order to impress him. The cutest thing about this makeover is that he also has one too, wanting to transform himself in order to be perfect for her. In what's the ultimate fairytale ending, the duo realizes that they can just be themselves, and drive off happily into the sunset together.

In an interview with Daily Mail, Olivia admits the leather pants in the final scene changed her life and catapulted her career, explaining they were so tight, she had to be sewn into them.

13 Gracie's Transformation Into Pageant Perfection In 'Miss Congeniality'

A box office hit when it originally came out, Miss Congeniality was an adorable yet smart comedy about Gracie (Sandra Bullock), an FBI agent who must go undercover at the Miss United States pageant as a contestant to stop a threat that endangered the lives of all there. Unfortunately, since she's the only female FBI agent who can look the part, she has to go an entire transformation to make her more lady-like and refined, in turn helping her get into the contest.

A fun fact about this movie is that Sandra Bullock actually was Miss Congeniality in real life, as she was voted "Most Likely To Brighten Your Day" by her high school class, according to Bustle.

12 Andie in 'Pretty In Pink', Who Gives Herself Her Own Prom Makeover

Mollie Ringwald's character in Pretty In Pink was one of director John Huges' most independent female leads. She was insecure yet confident, hard-working and beautiful - yet still a teenager who had a lesson to learn. The story follows Andie (Ringwald), a misfit at her Chicago high school along with her best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) who has a very obvious crush on her. She finds herself in a love triangle when one of the popular boys at school asks her out, thus furthering the plot. Her makeover moment slowly develops throughout the movie, as Andie doesn't come from wealth and has to make her own clothes. It's the prom scene that stands out the most, however, as we get to witness a memorable DIY dress on our adorable lead.

11 Katniss' Powerful Makeover In 'Hunger Games'

An empowering makeover to make this list is that of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in The Hunger Games series, who has to go through various beauty makeover transformations to turn her into a glamorous assassin, winning the hearts of the citizens watching the games and her interview on television before the start of the deadly contest.

One of the dresses she gets to wear is firey red - symbolizing her feisty nature, which, as she twirls in, catches fire and thrills the crowd. The dress was a hit with the real-life audience watching the movie as well, and InStyle magazine even rallied together a group of fashion designers to each create their version of the Girl on Fire dress. The people involved in sketching their ideas included Christian Siriano, Tommy Hilfiger, Rachel Roy, and Charlotte Ronson.

10 Marie, in 'Marie Antoinette', Who Finds Solace In Buying Herself Lavish Gowns And Living In Luxury

Sophia Coppola's films usually evoke an odd, dream-like state, with muted colors and costumes that are mesmerizing to the eyes. When she directed the historic movie, Marie Antoinette, she was met with mixed criticism about the portrayal of the divisive queen herself, played by Kristen Dunst.

A film that follows the life of Marie Antoinette herself and how she became queen sees her as the daughter of Austrian Empress Maria Teresa, who gets married off into French royalty. When she gets sent off, a traditional ceremony takes place where Marie has to give up everything from her Austrian life, including her clothes and jewelry. What follows is her transformation that includes lavish and elaborate French fashions that are truly breathtaking to see.

9 Evelyn's Makeover Into A Man In 'Salt'

A bizarre entry to make our list of makeovers is Angelina Jolie's character in Salt. She plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA officer who swore to protect her country no matter what. Once she suddenly finds herself as a fugitive, she has to go undercover to prove her innocence. This involves a bizarre makeover of making herself look like a man.

It's pretty impressive that one of Hollywood's most beautiful women turns out to actually play a pretty good-looking man. According to Daily Mail, Angelina spent hours in make-up donning fake ears, a fake nose, and a latex neck, which resulted in her own son Maddox not even recognizing her!

8 Josie's Iconic, Frilly And Preppy Makeover In 'Never Been Kissed'

An iconic end-of-the-decade makeover moment we adored starred none other than the 90s queen herself, Drew Barrymore. She plays Josie Geller in cult teen comedy Never Been Kissed, who is a copywriter at the Chicago Sun-Times. Posing as a student at her former high school to research contemporary teenage culture, Josie has to completely makeover her look so she can fit in with the popular clique. This involves a memorable outfit on her first day of school as a supposed 17-year-old senior, which included an all-white feathered number which ends up doing anything but let her slip under the radar.

7 Jenna's Fun Makeover After Her Childhood Wish Comes True In '13 Going On 30'

What's essentially the female version of 1988's Big starring Tom Hanks, 13 Going On 30 centers around 13-year-old Jenna (Jennifer Garner), who after she gets some magic dust fall on top of her, wakes up as a gorgeous 30-year-old. When the shock subsides, she decides to give herself a makeover before going out one night. The point behind the makeover is that teen Jenna wants to indulge in all the things adult Jenna has, basically transforming her look with clothes she already had in her wardrobe but wasn't wearing.

An adorable story that ultimately makes Jenna a better person, we love that this makeover represents letting loose, and being able to have some fun - even if you're an adult.

6 Allison's Preppy Makeover In 'The Breakfast Club'

In what's John Hughes' most beloved coming-of-age movie, The Breakfast Club follows five high school students from different social backgrounds and cliques as they get clumped together on a Saturday in detention. The group includes Allison (Ally Sheedy) who is a social outcast and gets made over by popular queen Claire (Molly Ringwald). After her transformation, suddenly the boys in the group show interest in her - a superficial plot twist that would never work today.

Years later, Ally Sheedy spoke to Huffington Post about her transformation, "They would have left her alone, and the onus would have been on him ― on Emilio's character ― to break through and to see what was inside,” she said. “I didn't have to change my look to get him to suddenly see it. But that's where we were then.”

5 Vivian's Transformation Into An Absolute Lady In 'Pretty Woman'

Julia Roberts' makeover from street floozy to utter lady in Pretty Woman is a timeless delight of the early 90s. A modern update on Cinderella, Edward (Richard Gere) transforms Vivian (Julia Roberts) into sophisticated perfection. However, as they spend more time together, the duo discovers various hurdles they must overcome as they try and forget their two very different worlds they come from.

We love the empowering aspect of Pretty Woman - especially the makeover scene where Vivian goes back to the awful salesperson who was rude to her a previous day and rubs her wealth in her face by spending copious amounts of money on new, lavish frocks.

4 Elle Becoming A Preppy Yet Sophisticated Harvard Queen In 'Legally Blonde'

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) from Legally Blonde is an iconic character of early 2000s rom-coms. Strong-willed and determined, she decides to prove her boyfriend who dumped her wrong and get into Harvard, as a means to show him she's more than just a just a blonde - and ultimately win him back.

The makeover in Legally Blonde is memorable because it doesn't last, and signifies how true to herself Elle decides to be in the end. When she decides to buckle down and get into Harvard, you see her suddenly in ultra-preppy cardigans and glasses, looking completely academic. When he ultimately breaks her heart and she realizes she's trying to be something that she's not, she ultimately goes back to being ravishing in pink, just how she should be.

3 Mia's Transformation Into A Beautiful Princess In 'Princess Diaries'

The Princess Diaries catapulted Anne Hathaway's career into Hollywood's elite as her role as teenager Mia Thermopolis, a shy, nerdy girl who out of the blue learns is a real-life princess. Since she needs to be transformed into royalty to impress her grandmother who happens to be a queen, she's given "princess lessons", which along with changing her mannerisms, also transform her entire look and way she dresses. Not the first time Anne Hathaway gets a makeover in a movie (she later has one in The Devil Wears Prada, too), she looks absolutely classy and elegant after her transformation is complete!

2 Olive's Rebellious Makeover In 'Easy A'

As makeovers in movies hit a lull after the early 2000s, Easy A came onto the scene with a powerful message, to boot. When clean-cut Olive (Emma Stone) tells a little lie to her friend at school to make herself seem more interesting, it gets overheard by the school gossip queen, who spreads it all over campus. A modern adaptation of The Scarlett Letter, Easy A is clever, as Olive decides to forge her own path and give herself a makeover to look like the girl her lie is about. The movie gives various nods to John Hughes' movies over the 80s, where Olive even muses that chivalry only seems to happen in '80s movies and her life, in fact, was not directed by a Hughes' film.

1 Daniel's Iconic Transformation Into The Wonderful Mrs. Doubtfire

A movie that deserves an honorable mention on this list of iconic makeovers is none other than Robin Williams' transformation into Mrs. Doubtfire in the eponymous film of the early 90s. After a horrible custody battle, Daniel (Robin Williams) comes to the conclusion that the only way to see his children is by being their nanny. An endearing makeover montage where he quite literally tries to make himself as feminine as possible, we just love the story of a dad who simply wants to spend time with his kids!

The most hilarious part of the makeover scene is the song playing in the background, as it's "Luck Be a Lady" by Frank Sinatra.

References: News, Daily Mail, Bustle, Huffington Post, InStyle, Daily Mail