The Best and Worst of Kathryn Hahn

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 "Bad Moms" star Kathryn Hahn.

Films starring Kathryn Hahn that I've seen:
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy 
Step Brothers
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Our Idiot Brother
Wanderlust
The Dictator
We're the Millers
Afternoon Delight
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Bad Words
This is Where I Leave You
Tommorowland
The Visit
The Do-Over

Best Performance: Afternoon Delight (2013)
The trend of comedic actresses giving noteworthy performances in dramas that's emerged over the past few years was arguably started by Hahn in Afternoon Delight. Her turn as an unemployed housewife who tries to overcome a rough patch in her marriage by developing a close relationship with a young stripper (Juno Temple) is emotionally-dense and riveting to watch. Hahn's excellent performance is enough to overlook the pretty significant issues with the script and make Afternoon Delight worth watching. 

Worst Performance: This is Where I Leave You (2014)
Hahn has developed a reputation as one of modern comedy's unheralded, consistent scene-stealers thanks to her excellent supporting turns in films like Step Brothers, We're the Millers and Bad Words. The charm and zaniness that has made her one of the most in-demand character actresses in Hollywood was completely absent from this awful comedy/melodrama hybrid. Hahn is reduced to a one-note bitchy, impatient wife character that gets way more screen time than she deserves given how dull and inconsequential her story arc was to the events of the main plot. Just about every member of This is Where I Leave You's large ensemble cast was handed a terrible role, but Hahn is up there with Timothy Olyphant and Tina Fey for the distinction of being the single biggest waste of this film's abundance of top-end acting talent.

Best Film: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Any doubt that Will Ferrell could successfully transition to movies from Saturday Night Live was shattered with the release of Anchorman. Anchorman is the gold standard for stupid, irreverent comedy with a cast of unforgettable characters anchored (no pun intended) by Ferrell's turn as the titular dimwit, sexist nightly news anchorman and a rewatch value that is unrivaled by 99.9% of the other comedies ever made.

Worst Film: Tommorowland (2015)
Ever wondered what would happen if Steven Spielberg tried to make a family sci-fi/adventure without any sense of creativity, fun or coherency?  Well if you have, then Tommorowland is the movie for you. The entire film unfolds at an agonizingly slow pace and features about as much as excitement as a round of cribbage with an elderly relative that you have no semblance of a relationship with. How this film largely escaped the ire of the most vicious film critics and internet movie circles completely boggles my mind.
 
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 "Suicide Squad" star Will Smith.