The Best and Worst of Miles Teller

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 "The Divergent Series: Allegiant" star Miles Teller.
 
Films starring Miles Teller that I've seen:
Footloose
Project X
21 & Over
The Spectacular Now
That Awkward Moment
Divergent
Whiplash
Insurgent
Fantastic Four 

Best Performance: The Spectacular Now (2013)
The Spectacular Now was the film that made realize that Teller is one of the best young actors on the planet right now. As Sutter Keely-an 18-year old alcoholic jock who falls in love with an artsy loner (Shailene Woodley)-Teller showcases a tremendous emotional range and the type of commanding screen presence that only the all-time greats possess.

Worst Performance: 21 & Over (2013)
Teller has proven a number of times (Project X, That Awkward Moment, Footloose) that he has the chops and timing required to thrive in the comedy world. However, you wouldn't know that by watching 21 & Over. With his turn as the obnoxious, unfunny co-protagonist Miller, Teller manages to be the worst part of this well below average comedy 

Best Film: Whiplash (2014)
Damian Chazelle's Whiplash is not your average music drama. It tells the story of a 19-year drummer (Teller) at a prestigious New York music conservatory and his relationship with the hot-headed, but well-respected leader of the school's jazz band (J.K. Simmons in an Academy Award-winning role) with the intensity and white-knuckle suspense of a thriller. There's little doubt in my mind that this rousing, electric masterpiece will go down as one of the seminal films of the 2010's. 

Worst Film: 21 & Over  (2013)
I will admit that I'm a person that's very easily amused by vulgar humor. I can honestly name the amount of R-rated comedies that have been released in the past decade that I disliked on two hands. Scott Moore and Jon Lucas' 21 & Over is one of them. 21 & Over basically rehashes The Hangover (which Lucas and Moore had a hand in writing) without the obscene, clever gags and talent-loaded cast that made that film a winner.


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 "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" star Ben Affleck