The Best and Worst of Isla Fisher

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 "Keeping Up with the Joneses" star Isla Fisher.

Films starring Isla Fisher that I've seen:
Scooby-Doo
I Heart Huckabees 
Wedding Crashers
The Lookout
Hot Rod
Rango
Bachelorette
Now You See Me
Life of Crime
The Brothers Grimsby

Best Performance: Wedding Crashers (2005)
Fisher rose from the shadows of the anonymity in 2005 to deliver one of the most memorable breakout performances of my lifetime to-date. In a film that featured a slew of Hollywood veterans including Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson and Christopher Walken, Fisher's turn as psychotic sex addict Gloria Cleary ended up being the clear standout. While her post-Wedding Crashers role choices have been all over the quality spectrum, Fisher proved here that she can be an elite comedic performer when given the right material.  

Worst Performance: Now You See Me (2013)
In a film that's full of strong, over-the-top performances, Fisher is the clear the weak link. Fisher's lack of charm and overly serious approach to the character of flashy magician Henley Reeves made her a poor fit in an ensemble cast that otherwise had a strong rapport with one another. Fisher's absence from Now You See Me 2 (she was replaced by her Bachelorette co-star Lizzy Caplan, who proved to be the film's top scene-stealer) is a pretty big part of the reason why the sequel ended up topping the quality of its predecessor.   


Best Film: Hot Rod (2007)
Irreverent comedy is an art form that I have an unwavering love for and as far as I'm concerned, no film has ever done it better than The Lonely Island's Hot Rod. Andy Samberg and co.'s big-screen debut is the perfect blend of insanity, stupidity and hilarity, which in turn makes it one of the quotable and rewatchable comedies of all-time.     

Worst Film: Scooby-Doo (2002)
Childhood nostalgia is one of the most powerful feelings a human being can feel and when Hollywood makes a shitty movie out of a TV show, book, etc. you loved growing up, it feels like they're murdering everything that is pure in the world. I believe that Raja Gosnell's (Big Momma's House, The Smurfs franchise) live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo is a contender for the strongest example of this soul-crushing phenomenon. Everything from the casting choices (outside of Matthew Lillard, who is a dead ringer for Shaggy) to the nature of the plot takes a steaming dump on the genuine enchantment and good-natured humor that made Scooby Doo one of the greatest cartoons of all-time. I sincerely hope that the ghosts of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera are currently tormenting the lives of every person at Warner Brothers who green-lit this project.

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 "Inferno" star Ben Foster.