Joey Magidson
Joaquin Phoenix is one of the more inscrutable actors out there. He’s also one of the best. That does sometimes come with the territory, and it does become part of the mystique, so he’s clearly among the most unique performers in Hollywood. He vibes far more with independent fare than with studio work, to be sure, but he’s also done plenty of mainstream work as well. Hell, it won him an Academy Award. With the Oscar winner having just hit theaters once again with a new Ari Aster collaboration in Eddington, it feels like high time to rank his best work.
Even with the aforementioned Eddington (reviewed here), as well as Joker: Folie à Deux (reviewed here), Phoenix is still good, even when the film is not. A bad project does not lead to a bad performance with him, which is not always the case, even with the best of actors. These movies are also both subsequent collaborations with filmmakers he’d worked with before (Aster and Todd Phillips), so while that doesn’t excuse the flicks, it does explain his participation in them.
Below, you can see where I stand on Phoenix. For me, the top two performances, far and away, are Her and The Master. Depending on the day, one might be slightly ahead of the other, but they’re definitely 1A and 1B for me. The most underrated turn of his is probably Two Lovers, given how that film was torpedoed by his shenanigans while in character for I’m Still Here (which is a tough film but still a committed performance). It was actually pretty hard to narrow it down to ten performances, given all of the movies he’s been in. So, while my list is obviously unique to myself, and your mileage may vary, there’s no shortage of options.
Here now is my ranking of the best work to date from Joaquin Phoenix. Behold:
Honorable Mention: The Immigrant, Ladder 49, Signs, The Sisters Brothers, We Own the Night, and The Yards
10. I’m Still Here
9. Joker
8. Inherent Vice
7. Gladiator
6. You Were Never Really Here
5. Cmon Cmon
4. Walk the Line
3. Two Lovers
2. Her
1. The Master
What are your favorite Joaquin Phoenix performances? Let us know!
I’ve written about this before, but I’ll just say that it’s nice to see someone else on the You Were Never Really Here > Joker train. I, too, believe that’s the superior Joaquin Phoenix portrayal of an antisocial loner mentally cracking against the backdrop of a deteriorating urban hellscape.
I’m with you!