J.K. Simmons Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted relevant accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of J.K Simmons-whose latest projects "Being the Ricardos" and "National Champions" both arrive in theaters tomorrow.  

J.K. Simmons' Filmography Ranked:

32.Juno (D)

31.The Meddler (C)

30.21 Bridges (C)

29.Zootopia (C)

28.Harsh Times (C)

27.Young Adult (C)

26.The Tomorrow War (C+)

25.Burn After Reading (C+)

24.Father Figures (B-)

23.Hidalgo (B-)

22.Spider-Man 3 (B-)

21.Ride the Eagle (B-)

20.The Accountant (B-)

19.La La Land (B-)

18.Terminator Genysis (B-)

17.The Words (B)

16.Kung Fu Panda 3 (B)

15.Thank You for Smoking (B)

14.Justice League (B)

13.Patriots Day (B)

12.Zack Snyder's Justice League (B)

11.The Ladykillers (B)

10.Up in the Air (B)

9.The Gift (B)

8.Contraband (B+)

7.Extract (B+)

6.Palm Springs (B+)

5.Klaus (B+)

4.Spider-Man (B+)

3.I Love You, Man (A-)

2.Spider-Man 2 (A)

1.Whiplash (A)

Top Dog: Whiplash (2014)

Whiplash isn't just an excellent film, it's a cinematic miracle. Exceptional acting, commanding storytelling and a sense of lingering pressure/anxiety/uneasiness come together to make a dynamic masterpiece that takes the viewer on a grueling yet immensely rewarding psychological journey with a perfect cathartic ending. A long overdue rewatch will be one of the first entertainment-related boxes I check in 2022. 

Lowlight: Juno (2007)

Juno is a plague that the indie filmmaking community still can't quite shake nearly 15 years later. Any time an indie comedy where every teenage character is a smug hipster with an endless collection of quirky quips and the soundtrack solely consists of flavor of the week indie artists sees the light of day, all of the finger waving, facepalming and sighing can be directed towards Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody's unholy creation. 

Most Underrated: Extract (2009)

Between King of the Hill, Office Space, Beavis & Butthead, Silicon Valley and Idiocracy, Mike Judge is essentially a cult comedy factory. Extract-which was his direct follow up to Idiocracy-may be the only one of his projects in the last 25 years that doesn't have a rabid following. The lack of cult status is especially baffling since it's a movie that brings his signature absurd, situational humor to an unlikely workplace environment (an extract factory) and has a bunch of great actors (Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, Clifton Collins Jr., Simmons) having a blast playing colorful/psychotic characters.

Most Overrated: Juno (2007)

I disagree with the Academy all the time, but 4 Oscar nominations including Best Picture (when there were still only 5 nominees no less!) and a Best Original Screenplay win for Juno has to be close to the top of the list of our differing takes. If I were in charge of the Oscars, there would've been no amount of bribe money or blackmail threats in the world that could've made me nominate Juno for anything besides the unofficial "Best Cast in an Insufferable Movie" honor.