The Best and Worst of Will Arnett

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 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" and "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" star Will Arnett.

Films starring Will Arnett that I've seen:
Ice Age: The Meltdown
RV
Let's Go to Prison
Blades of Glory
Hot Rod
The Brothers Solomon
Semi-Pro
The Rocker
Monsters vs. Aliens
Jonah Hex
Despicable Me
The Lego Movie
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Best Performance: Hot Rod (2007)
While he's only in the film for approximately 15 minutes, Arnett still manages to turn in the funniest performance of his career in Hot Rod. Arnett's role as Rod's (Andy Samberg) love interest Denise's (Isla Fisher) asshole boyfriend allows him to showcase the zaniness and consistent willingness to go above and beyond to sell a joke that's made him one of the most respected comedic actors in the business over the past 15 years.

Worst Performance: Let's Go to Prison (2006)
This isn't so much a bad performance as it is a case of an actor getting severely overshadowed by his co-stars. Arnett's straight man act doesn't even come close to matching the spastic energy Dax Shepard and flawless deadpan delivery Chi McBride bring to this under-the-radar comedy.  

Best Film: Hot Rod (2007)
With Popstar hitting theaters on Friday, it's fitting that the Lonely Island's only other feature film gets the nod here. Hot Rod is the type of brilliant abstract comedy that comes along once in a generation. The over-the-top bizarre humor will alienate most audiences, but if you're a fan of unapologetic absurdity and frequent WTF moments, Hot Rod will cause you to laugh yourself into a coma.
    
Worst Film: Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
The first Ice Age film was one of the better animated films released in the 2000's. The follow-up..... not so much. The charm and sharp humor that anchored the first film were swamped out for weak jokes and an influx of annoying new characters (most notably a pair of possums voiced by Seann William Scott and Josh Peck) in the second installment of this now long-running franchise. It may not be a Shrek the Third-level disaster, but Ice Age: The Meltdown is still a completely worthless and unsatisfying 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 "Now You See Me 2" star Mark Ruffalo.