The Best and Worst of Jack Black

 The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "Kung Fu Panda 3" star Jack Black.


Films starring Jack Black that I've seen:
Mars Attacks!
Saving Silverman
Ice Age
Orange County
School of Rock
Shark Tale
King Kong
Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny
Be Kind Rewind
Kung Fu Panda
Tropic Thunder
Year One
Kung Fu Panda 2
The Big Year
The Muppets
Sex Tape

Best Performance: Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Be Kind Rewind is one of those quirky indie films that just warms your heart and Black's performance serves as the catalyst for the film's irresistible nature. Black bring so much likability and goofball charm to his character that you can't help but smile the entire time he's on screen.  

Worst Performance: King Kong (2005)
Black's first non-comedic leading role served as strong evidence as to why he should never leave his comedic comfort zone. The funnyman never seemed comfortable dealing with the serious nature of the  material and as a result, turned in an awkward, forced performance that was borderline painful to watch. 

Best Film: Tropic Thunder (2008)
Ben Stiller's lampooning of classic war films and the excess and pretension of Hollywood is quite possibly the most intelligent and hilarious satires to be released in the 2000's so far. The spectacular ensemble cast led by Stiller, Black and Robert Downey Jr. all display an eagerness to make fun of themselves and are more than willing to roll with every insane situation the script throws at them. This film's reliance on pitch-black humor will repulse certain audiences, but for those who aren't turned off by morbid and crass humor, Tropic Thunder is an absolute must-see.

Worst Film: King Kong (2005)
Peter Jackson's post-original Lord of the Rings resume is full of duds, but there's none bigger than his utterly pointless remake of King Kong. This film is such an overlong, lifeless bore that it makes the 2014 Godzilla reboot seem like an exhilarating thrill ride. Like the aforementioned Godzilla reboot, King Kong makes the unforgivable mistake of putting the titular monster on the back burner while the wildly uninteresting human characters drive the story. Even when Jackson decides to take a brief break from the poorly-acted and overly melodramatic dialogue scenes, the film sorely lacks the pure cinematic magic and emotional punch that made the 1933 original a classic. King Kong is a disgrace to its namesake and hopefully the long-delayed Kong: Skull Island-which set is for release in March 2017-can get this beloved series back on track.  

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 "Hail, Ceaser!" star George Clooney.