Joey Magidson
Brad Pitt is an old fashioned movie star. That goes without saying, considering his fame, but it also explains why he’s such an A-lister. He just has “IT” and when that’s the case, you become a movie star. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also grown into a very talented actor, but even at the start, he had charisma to spare. With this weekend marking the release of F1: The Movie, which highlights both his acting talent and his star power, it seems like a perfect time to rank his work to date. So, believe it or not, that’s exactly what I did.
In my review of F1: The Movie (here), I said the following about Pitt’s performance:
Brad Pitt is in full movie star mode here, with charisma to spare. There’s a swagger to his work here that’s just A-lister 101. His chemistry with Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, and Damson Idris also makes for some really fun moments.
Below, you can see what I feel are Pitt’s best turns. I’m quite partial to Moneyball and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, considering them his pinnacle, acting-wise. At the same time, something like Ad Astra is probably his most underrated performance. When it comes to Pitt, you can choose which style you prefer, so maybe you have Fight Club or Inglourious Basterds ranked highly (I certainly include both), though other folks will gravitate towards something like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. There’s no wrong answer here, too. Next you’ll see my answer, but yours is just as valid, of course.
Here now is my ranking of the ten best Brad Pitt performances so far. Behold:
Honorable Mention: Babylon, The Big Short, Bullet Train, F1: The Movie, Seven, and The Tree of Life
10. Burn After Reading
9. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
8. Inglourious Basterds
7. Killing Them Softly
6. 12 Monkeys
5. Ad Astra
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Fight Club
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
1. Moneyball
What are your favorite performances from Brad Pitt? Let us know!
I’d swap the ranking of Burn After Reading (possibly his flat-out funniest performance) and The Curious Case of David Fincher‘s Bloated Boring Banality in half a heartbeat, but I almost want to declare your ranking Moneyball at #1 as being objectively the right call.
It’s Brad Pitt‘s Erin Brockovich. It’s his Jerry Maguire. Forced to choose just one film, this is what I would show to anyone who wanted proof of his abilities as a great actor and movie star.
100% agree. Even with the Oscar nomination, it’s wild how underrated, both at the time, and even now, that performance is. It’s peak Pitt.
I don’t know how you missed Kalifornia, maybe because you haven’t watched it. Please do.
No, I have. It just didn’t make the list, same as many of his other performances…