The Best and Worst of Jake Gyllenhaal

Films Starring Jake Gyllenhaal That I've Seen:
Bubble Boy
Donnie Darko
The Day After Tomorrow
Jarhead
Zodiac
Love and Other Drugs
Source Code
End of Watch
Prisoners
Nightcrawler 

Best Performance: Nightcrawler (2014)
Despite turning in consistently solid performances for most of his career, Gyllenhaal still wasn't getting the respect he deserved as an actor. His work in Dan Gilroy's scathing sensationalist journalism satire Nightcrawler changed that. Gyllenhaal's sleazy, terrifying performance drives the film and maximizes the potency of the film's anti-modern television news message. It's an absolute travesty that his masterful performance here wasn't recognized by any of the year-end award shows.   

Worst Performance: Bubble Boy (2001)
Every actor has to start somewhere and unfortunately for Gyllenhaal, one of the first starring roles of his career came in a below-average early 2000's comedy that co-starred Fabio and Mini-Me. There are sporadic flashes of the talent and likability that made him a star, but it's still a largely unremarkable performance in a completely forgettable film.

Best Film: Donnie Darko (2001)
Like many people, Donnie Darko wasn't a film I truly appreciated until I saw it multiple times.Richard Kelly's first (and to be honest, only worthwhile) film is a spellbinding masterpiece that toys with your mind in the best possible way. The story is loaded with genuinely surprisingly twists and turns, it's beautifully acted and it never ceases to stay on my mind for at least a week each time I watch it. Donnie Darko is the epitome of cinematic perfection and is in the top 20 or so on my all-time favorite movie list.

Worst Film: Bubble Boy (2001)
The first half of the 2000's was a gold mine for stupid comedies. Genre classics like Pootie Tang, Freddy Got Fingered and Dude Where's My Car? were all released within the first three years of the decade. While Bubble Boy was released during the same period, it most definitely does not fall into the classics camp. I'll give Bubble Boy some props for it's collection of bizarre supporting characters and the batshit insane situations Gylenhaal's titular Bubble Boy gets into, but the film is too scarce on laughs and entertainment value to be worthwhile.



 Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" star Tom Cruise.