The Best and Worst of Emma Stone

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 "La La Land" star Emma Stone.

Films starring Emma Stone that I've seen:
Superbad
The Rocker
Zombieland
Easy A
Friends with Benefits
Crazy, Stupid, Love
The Help
The Amazing Spider-Man
Gangster Squad
Movie 43
The Croods
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Magic in the Moonlight
Birdman
Aloha
Irrational Man

Best Performance: Birdman (2014)
Stone rose to fame in the world of comedy (Superbad, Zombieland, Easy A) and despite her decent turns in The Help and The Amazing Spider-Man, I wasn't really sold on her as a dramatic actress. That all changed after I saw Birdman. In a film that featured award-caliber turns from seasoned Hollywood heavyweights including Michael Keaton and Edward Norton, Stone's turn as the newly-sober daughter of Keaton's character manages to steal the show. Her passionate, soul-bearing performance successfully brings a grounded presence to a film that is otherwise full of unapologetic insanity and weirdness. 

Worst Performance: Aloha (2015)
There was a lot of backlash from professional critics stemming from Stone being cast as a half-Asian/Polynesian character. Personally, I was more offended by her god awful performance than the case of semi-whitewashing surrounding her casting. The typically likable, magnetic Stone somehow manages to come off as alarmingly robotic for the duration of this insufferable romantic dramedy.

Best Film: Superbad (2007)
The time has come for me to once again heap a disgusting amount of praise on Superbad. I strongly believe that the high-school party comedy that launched the careers of Stone and Jonah Hill, and made Seth Rogen a superstar deserves to be considered an all-time classic. A majority of the R-rated comedies that have come out in the past decade are indebted to the over-the-top vulgar yet heartfelt formula that Superbad expertly employed. I haven't laughed as hard or as frequently at a movie since I saw this in theaters on opening weekend and I wouldn't be surprised if I never did again.  
 
Worst Film: Aloha (2015)
Cameron Crowe managed to get his career back on track with the heartwarming family film We Bought a Zoo after going through a decade-plus cold streak following his 2000 masterpiece Almost Famous. Of course, Crowe proceeded to murder that small amount of goodwill by dropping a Biblical-scale disaster in Aloha. No amount of gorgeous Hawaiian backdrops can make up for Aloha's appalling sappiness, incoherent plot and uncharacteristically terrible performances from its talent-loaded cast (Bradley Cooper, Stone, Bill Murray, Rachel McAdams). I'm curious to see where Crowe goes from here, but given how hard this bombed, I'd be surprised if any studio gave him a chance to redeem himself anytime soon.   

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 "Collateral Beauty" star Michael Pena.