Joey Magidson
Ron Howard has a well deserved reputation as one of the nice guys in Hollywood. A lot of times, it also is reflected in the films he directs. However, with Eden, he’s exercising a much darker view of the world, which results in him having a ton of fun. I spoke to him about Eden here recently, but with the film now in theaters, it’s a perfect time to look at all of his movies, so that’s exactly what I did.
In my review of Eden (here), I said the following about Howard’s work:
Director Ron Howard is clearly having a good time here, taking Noah Pink‘s grimy script and getting down in the mud and the muck. They’re both pretty pleased with themselves, but that leads to more laughs than you might expect. The narrative doesn’t really have any surprises, but that’s not particularly a bug. Howard doesn’t shy away from blood, bodily fluids, or nudity, while Pink is happy to make everyone different shades of terrible, with few exceptions. The ending drags out a touch, but when you see how this true life tale ends, it’s actually pretty notable.
Previously, when I interviewed him for the documentary Jim Henson Idea Man (reviewed here), I said the following:
What hasn’t Ron Howard done in his career? After a first act that included more than one iconic television show in front of the camera, he stepped behind the camera to become an A-list director. Whether it’s the early days with Night Shift (referenced early on in our conversation) or Splash, his big Academy Award players like A Beautiful Mind, or really anything he does, his films are events. This also includes when he makes a documentary, which is the case with Jim Henson Idea Man, about…you guessed it…the legend that is Jim Henson.
Below, you can see my Howard list, which only includes narrative features, so consider Jim Henson Idea Man to be a special citation. Apollo 13 is his best work for me, though his top tier is pretty strong overall. Most of you would also include Backdraft and Cinderella Man in the upper echelon, which I do as well, though I also go for an earlier work like Night Shift, as well as an underrated flick like Ransom. Where does Eden rank? Find out next…
Here now is my ranking of the films of Ron Howard. Behold:
28. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
27. Far and Away
26. Inferno
25. Hillbilly Elegy
24. Grand Theft Auto
23. Angels & Demons
22. Gung Ho
21. The Da Vinci Code
20. Willow
19. EDtv
18. In the Heart of the Sea
17. The Dilemma
16. Thirteen Lives
15. Cocoon
14. The Paper
13. Eden
12. Parenthood
11. The Missing
10. Solo: A Star Wars Story
9. Rush
8. Frost/Nixon
7. Splash
6. A Beautiful Mind
5. Night Shift
4. Backdraft
3. Ransom
2. Cinderella Man
1. Apollo 13
What are your favorite Ron Howard films? Let us know!
Howard is a director I find myself defending a lot for some reason. He has a very interesting filmography that goes in so many different directions. I do not believe he’s made a masterpiece but he’s made 4 films that I think are really great/best picture nomination worthy and another 4 or 5 that are not quite there but still great times. Then there are substantial problems with all the rest, some more than others. I don’t think I’ve seen Grand Theft Auto and if I have I don’t remember it. And I haven’t seen Eden yet but can’t wait for curiousity sake.
Interesting ranking!
Looking back he does suspense of all different kinds very well, whether it be the kind in Front/Nixon or Rush or the Paper or obviously Apollo 13 and Ransom that are all different kinds of suspense but all done really well. He also has a knack for the right kind of humor around the suspense.
And I still think A Beautiful Mind gets too much slack because a. it won and b. because further viewings will never be close to as good as the first. For some reason he’s a filmmaker I’m always rooting for to make that special film. Hoping it’ll happen. I’d also love for him to work with Keaton again.
That would be a great pairing, should it happen again.
I completely agree with the films you ranked at the very top and the very bottom. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is such an unpleasant, mean-spirited, ugly movie to endure, and the fact that it was one of the highest-grossing movies of the year while the absolutely delightful The Emperor’s New Groove underperformed is a true Hollywood tragedy.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Apollo 13 is the exact kind of broadly-appealing, rollicking, but still intelligently-written and carefully-crafted mainstream blockbuster that I wish hadn’t become nearly extinct these days. It’s kind of insane that Ron Howard wasn’t even nominated for Best Director for it.
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