The Best and Worst of Jonah Hill

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 "War Dogs" star Jonah Hill.

Films starring Jonah Hill that I've seen:
Grandma's Boy 
Accepted
Knocked Up
Evan Almighty
Superbad
Strange Wilderness
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Funny People
Get Him to the Greek
Cyrus
Moneyball
The Sitter
21 Jump Street
The Watch
This is the End
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Lego Movie
22 Jump Street
True Story 
Sausage Party

Best Performance: This is the End (2013)
While Hill's dramatic acting turns in Moneyball, The Wolf of Wall Street and True Story have been excellent, comedy is still his strongest suit. Hill's resume is full of impressive turns in some of the funniest movies (Superbad, Get Him to the Greek, 21/22 Jump Street) of the past decade, but his finest moment came in his scathing, over-the-top portrayal of himself in Seth Rogen's apocalypse comedy This is the End. Hill absolutely crushes it as the jaded, fake nice guy whose ego has gone through the roof since landing an Oscar-nomination for Moneyball. In a film full of top-flight comedic talent and non-stop laughs, Hill rose to the occasion to deliver one of the best performances in the entire ensemble cast.

Worst Performance: Cyrus (2010)
I actually hate myself for the criticism I'm about to give about Hill's performance in Cyrus. Hill did exactly what he was called upon to do in the role of a 21-year old man who intentionally sabotages the relationship between his mother (Marissa Tomei) and her new boyfriend (John C. Riley), it just made for a really obnoxious performance. The character is supposed to be immature and grating as all hell, but it got to the point where I would get super pissed every time he showed up on screen. Fuck this character and this movie for making me dislike Hill's acting for no rational reason.

Best Film: Superbad (2007)
I don't keep track of what films have appeared most on this list, but I'm fairly confident that this is at the top of the list. The love I have for this film is only topped by about a dozen or so movies I've ever seen. It's one of those rare films that never gets old and despite the over-the-top situations the main characters get themselves into, it's one of the most honest and hilarious portrayals of high school I've ever seen in a film. Superbad is the greatest teen/coming-of-age/party comedy ever made and it's not even close.

Worst Film: Evan Almighty (2007)
The genius premise (a recently-fired television news reporter is given the chance to be God for a week after complaining that the Almighty wasn't doing his job well) and a number of seriously hilarious moments made Bruce Almighty one of Jim Carrey's last great movies. The sequel Evan Almighty features a similar religious-based plot (a civilian is called upon by God to build a giant ark to save the people in his city from a giant flood) without the clever writing and  heart that made its predecessor successful. The visible boredom of the primary cast led by Steve Carrell, Morgan Freeman and John Goodman and the sanitized jokes to try and appeal to family audiences ruined any chance Evan Almighty had of being a worthy sequel.

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 "The Hollars" star Mary Elizabeth Winstead