Kirsten Dunst makes all walks of acting look easy

At the mere age of 29, Kirsten Dunst has worked with such acclaimed directors as Cameron Crowe (“Elizabethtown”), Woody Allen (“New York Stories”) and Sofia Coppola (“The Virgin Suicides”, “Marie Antoinette”).

And now she adds to the list the controversial, yet brilliant Lars von Trier, whose film “Melancholia” — which comes out this weekend — she had the pleasure of most recently starring in and which has already earned her a Best Actress Award from the Cannes Festival. It looks as if she could be on her way to claiming a second Golden Globe nomination from her performance as well (her first stemming from her performance in “Interview With the Vampire” at the ripe old age of 12).

With the resurgence of Dunst back on the big screen — she’ll star in at least three movies next year — I thought I’d take a look back at some of my favorite Dunst films — pre-Spider-Man franchise, aka 2002. And here's to Dunst giving us many more stunning performances to come.

“The Virgin Suicides” (1999)

A beautiful piece of work directed by Sofia Coppola, and based on the book by Jeffrey Eugenides, “The Virgin Suicides” tells the story of the Lisbon sisters — five girls who live in an overly strict and religious household in the ’70s. After the youngest of the sisters commits suicide, the girls are secluded even more than before.

Dunst plays Lux Lisbon, the sister eager to break the rules. After the Lisbon parents allow the girls to go to a school dance, Lux stays out late with a boy, only for him to leave her high and dry, asleep on the football field. After this event, the girls are no longer allowed to step foot out of the house — even to attend school.

In the end, the sisters make a suicide pact — and on the same night, all take their lives in a different manner.

It’s a depressing story, for sure, but wonderfully told all the same. And Dunst plays the sister who holds the story together. She does a wonderful job at embodying a girl who puts on such a sweet visage, but under it all is hiding a rebellious, insecure and disturbed girl.

“Little Women” (1994)

In the movie adaptation of the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, Dunst plays young Amy March, along with an ensemble cast of Winona Ryder, Clair Danes, Christian Bale, Eric Stoltz and Susan Surandon.

Amy is the youngest of four sisters, and is the brat of the bunch — but she also has a strong heart. Dunst does a fabulous job at balancing these two traits — portraying strong emotions mature beyond her 12-year-old years, but also giving the character a mischievous side that makes Amy hard not to like.

“Jumanji” (1995)

Who doesn’t like “Jumanji”? It’s such a fun — and somewhat creepy — movie in which a young boy, Alan (Robin Williams) gets trapped inside a jungle board game. After 26 years, he is released after Dunst’s character Judy and her brother find the game in an attic, and dare to play it. From here, the creatures of the jungle invade the city and it is up to Judy and her brother, along with Alan and his former opponent, Sarah (Bonnie Hunt), to put an end to the chaos, but only by finishing the game they had started so many years ago.

It helps that Dunst has a great storyline to follow, and after two dramatic roles — “Interview With the Vampire” and “Little Women” — Dunst gets to have a bit more fun, and she manages to hold her own against Williams and Hunt while doing it.

“Drop Dead Gorgeous” (1999)

A dark comedy in nature, but fun all the same. “Drop Dead Gorgeous” is shot in mockumentary form and takes place during an annual beauty pageant in small-town, Minn. Amber Atkins (Dunst) is hoping that by winning the pageant she can escape the small town and rise to success. But not if Rebecca Leeman (Denise Richards) has anything to do about it. Leeman is the daughter of former winner and current head of the pageant committee, Gladys Leeman (Kirstie Alley). After a series of mysterious — and silly — killings occur, Amber wonders if it is all worth it.

It’s a lesser-known movie, but it’s filled with a cast of young talent, including Denise Richards, Brittany Murphy and Amy Adams. And Dunst fits in well among her newbie actor peers.

“Bring it On” (2000)

Dunst plays Torrance Shipman, the cheer captain of a high school team, who is in need of some new moves after finding out that the previous captain stole all their moves from another high school. In order to make it to the championships, the squad must reinvent themselves and save their reputation.

It’s a movie that spawned four sequels and a stage musical along the way, but the original is the only one worthy of attention. It’s somewhat a parody of competitive cheerleading, but Dunst keeps it fun but putting just the right amount of pep into her role, without taking herself too seriously.

And any movie that can conjure up a catchphrase that is still commonly used today gets a spot in my book. Approach the phrase “Brrr ...It’s cold in here” to any girl in her 20s — even some boys, I’m sure — and they’ll be able to finish it with “There must be some Toros in the atmosphere.” Guaranteed.