Owen Wilson Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked"-a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted relevant superlatives and accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of Owen Wilson-whose latest project "Marry Me" arrives in theaters and on Peacock tonight.  

Owen Wilson's Filmography Ranked:

28.The Royal Tenenbaums (D-)

27.Bottle Rocket (D)

26.The Big Year (D+)

25.Anaconda (D+)

24.Armageddon (D+)

23.Cars 2 (C-)

22.You, Me and Dupree (C)

21.Little Fockers (C)

20.Night at the Muesum (C+)

19.Drillbit Taylor (C+)

18.Zoolander 2 (C+)

17.Father Figures (B-)

16.No Escape (B-)

15.Masterminds (B-)

14.Wonder (B-)

13.The French Dispatch (B-)

12.The Internship (B-)

11.The Grand Budapest Hotel (B-)

10.Hall Pass (B)

9.Shanghai Knights (B)

8.Meet the Fockers (B)

7.I-Spy (B)

6.Starksy & Hutch (B)

5.Shanghai Noon (B)

4.Wedding Crashers (B+)

3.Midnight in Paris (B+)

2.Meet the Parents (A)

1.Zoolander (A)

Top Dog: Zoolander (2001)

I don't feel like Ben Stiller gets enough credit for all the great stuff he's been involved with over the years. In the 2000's alone, he starred in and/or directed some transcendent pieces of comedy including Tropic Thunder, Meet the Parents and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. In my eyes, the crowning achievement from Stiller's finest decade as a creative is Zoolander. There's something about its particular brand of absurdity and seeing so many incredible comedic performers (Stiller, Wilson, a pre-super stardom Will Ferrell, Ben's late father Jerry) in top form sharing the screen that makes it even more deeply hilarious and rewatchable than the other aforementioned standout Stiller comedies. 

Lowlight: The Royal Tennenbaums (2001)

Although my disdain for the work of Wes Anderson has softened considerably as of late, The Royal Tennenbaums is still a film that I hate with a fiery passion. The level of smugness and insufferable eccentricity on display in this portrait of a dysfunctional New York family is irritating to the point where even the presence of a host of magnetic, likeable actors (Gene Hackman, Wilson, Owen's brother Luke, Ben Stiller, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Danny Glover) can't soften the pain of the grating images and sounds that are beaming off the screen.

Most Underrated: Shanghai Noon (2000)

Rush Hour has and will always be recognized as Jackie Chan's most impactful American film and rightfully so as it's a fun, energetic buddy action comedy. But Shanghai Noon-which uses a similar formula to finds its success-certainly deserves more shine than it currently gets. Chan and Wilson are completely in sync as a straight man/wild card hero duo and the mix of western and Hong Kong martial arts elements is an inspired genre blend that makes it feel really unique.    

Most Overrated: The Royal Tennenbaums (2001)

What's written above pretty much sums up why I strongly disagree with the popular stance that this is one of Anderson's best films.

Top Childhood Classic That I Probably Shouldn't Re-Watch as an Adult: I-Spy (2002)

One of my favorite movie-related hobbies that's emerged in recent years is looking back at some movies that meant a lot to me as a kid that aren't exactly widely regarded as essential viewing. A top highlight from this group of distinguished late 90's to early 2000's classics is the infamous spy comedy bomb I-Spy, which stars Wilson as a government spy and Eddie Murphy as a brash boxing superstar who are forced to team up to stop the sale of a stolen stealth bomber. I watched I-Spy a handful of times from 2002-05 and it was even the first DVD I ever purchased. As amusing as it would be to revisit it after 17 years or so, I have a pretty strong suspicion that the level of joy it brought me then wouldn't translate to the present and I'd like to permanently preserve the reverence I have for this widely forgotten film that was at one point in time viewed as the death kneel for Murphy's acting career.          

A Movie That I Legitimately Forgot Existed Until Last Week: The Big Year (2011)

If you're like me and either forgot or don't what know The Big Year is, I'll break it down for you real quick. This film is a dramedy aimed at the older set that was released back in October 2011 that centers around a trio of avid birdwatchers (Wilson, Steve Martin, Jack Black) who are aiming to a set new record for "The Big Year"-which is a competition within the birding community of the United States in which competitors aim to identify and document the most birds in a calendar year. Does this setup lead to anything particularly funny or emotionally rewarding? I think the fact that I forgot that it existed despite watching it roughly 10 years ago provides a telling answer to that question.