Alexis Bledel is best known for portraying Gilmore Girls‘ Rory Gilmore, but an underrated Walt Disney movie features Bledel in a role that’s just as worthy of attention. Gilmore Girls centers around the lives of teenager Rory and her mother Lorelai (Lauren Graham) in the fictional town of Stars Hollow. The series earned consistent praise for its witty and fast-paced dialogue, pop culture references, and masterful balance of comedy and drama. Gilmore Girls was Bledel’s TV debut, and just a few years later, she made her feature film debut with an underrated role that’s among some of her best work.

Bledel stars opposite Jonathan Jackson in Walt Disney Pictures’ Tuck Everlasting, based on Natalie Babbitt’s 1975 children’s fantasy novel. Although it is certainly not as well-known as her other projects, such as Gilmore Girls or The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Tuck Everlasting is among Bledel’s best films. Bledel’s character in Tuck Everlasting, Winnie Foster, is quite different from Rory Gilmore, but Bledel brings the same amount of heart and wonder to the role, easily winning over audiences and pulling them into the fantastical world of the film.

Alexis Bledel Stars In Disney’s Deeply Underrated Movie Tuck Everlasting

Bledel’s Performance Is Endearing And Strengthens The Film’s Charm

Tuck Everlasting follows Bledel’s Winnie Foster as she searches for independence and her purpose in life away from her overbearing household. After running away from home, Winnie stumbles into the forest and meets the enigmatic, magical Tuck family. Thanks to magic water from a nearby spring, the Tuck family does not age, which introduces a dilemma for Winnie when she falls in love with the Tuck’s son, Jesse (Jackson). Though Tuck Everlasting has earned mostly positive critical reviews throughout the years, the film remains widely underrated.

While the film’s pace does tend to drag at times and its ending might not be satisfactory for everyone, there’s still a lot to appreciate about Tuck Everlasting, and much of it has to do with Bledel’s character. Tuck Everlasting explores surprisingly mature topics such as immortality, the cycle of life, and finding one’s purpose in life. Such themes are addressed with a heavy amount of sentimentality, but are still lighthearted enough to keep audiences engaged. Bledel’s performance plays a significant part in this, as she deftly captures the naivety and optimism of a long-sheltered Winnie.

Why Disney’s Tuck Everlasting Is Even Better Than The Book It’s Based On

Aging Winnie Up Supports The Movie’s Romance And Core Themes

The original ending and central themes of Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting are kept intact in the Disney adaptation. However, as is the case with many great book-to-movie adaptations, Tuck Everlasting makes a few changes to the events of Babbitt’s novel, with such alterations making the story even better. One of the biggest differences between Babbitt’s novel and the Disney film is the age of Winnie. In the book, Winnie is 10 years old, but in the movie she is 15.

Bumping up Winnie’s age not only introduces a compelling romantic connection between her and Jesse, but it also strengthens the film’s core message. Being 15, Winnie is at a turning point in her life. Before meeting the Tuck family, Winnie was already yearning for independence and the chance to be in control of her life, breaking away from her sheltered, upper-class upbringing.

When Winnie has a heart-to-heart with the Tucks’ father, Angus (William Hurt), she’s told that life, strangely enough, comes to a stop when one is given the chance to live forever. Encouraged by Angus to live life, gain experience, and eventually accept death, Winnie chooses to part ways with the Tucks. It’s a decision the 10-year-old version of Winnie could make, though it certainly would not be as powerful or affecting.

How Alexis Bledel’s Career Has Changed Since Tuck Everlasting

Bledel Made A Name For Herself In The Romantic Comedy Genre

Though Bledel had already begun gaining attention for the role of Rory Gilmore by this time, Bledel’s career started to take off in a positive direction following Tuck Everlasting‘s release. Bledel starred in Gilmore Girls until its final season in 2007, but it was during this time that she experimented with a variety of genres, starring in films like the neo-noir crime thriller Sin City and the romantic comedy Post Grad.

Bledel also led the coming-of-age film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, portraying one of four best friends who find connection through a mysterious pair of jeans over the summer. The elements of romance and comedy in the coming-of-age film are where Bledel shines brightest, and they’re the genres that define much of her filmography. Throughout her career, Bledel has proven to be a charming presence on screen, making the character of Winnie Foster a fitting role for her feature film debut and one of her best to date.