Kristen Wiig Ranked

 Welcome to the latest edition of "Ranked"-where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out related accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of Kristen Wiig-whose latest project "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar" is available now on video demand services. 

Kristen Wiig's Filmography Ranked:

28.The Diary of a Teenage Girl (D)

27.Despicable Me (C)

26.Welcome to Me (C)

25.Mother! (C)

24.Wonder Woman 1984 (C+)

23.Zoolander 2 (C+)

22.Semi-Pro (C+)

21.Where'd You Go, Bernadette (B-) 

20.Masterminds (B-)

19.Whip It (B-)

18.Ghostbusters (B)

17.Date Night (B)

16.Adventureland (B)

15.The Brothers Solomon (B)

14.Paul (B+)

13.Extract (B+)

12.Bridesmaids (B+)

11.The Martian (B+)

10.Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (B+)

9.The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (B+)

8.Her (B+)

7.Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (A-)

6.Sausage Party (A-)

5.Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (A-)

4.Forgetting Sarah Marshall (A-)

3.MacGruber (A-)

2.The Skeleton Twins (A-)

1.Knocked Up (A+)

Top Dog: Knocked Up (2007)

Powered by strong writing, Seth Rogen's seamless transition from standout secondary performer to leading man and a scene-stealing collection of supporting players (Leslie Mann, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel Jonah Hill, Harold Ramis, Martin Starr, Charlene Yi, Wiig, Craig Robinson, Ken Jeong), Judd Apatow was able to follow up The 40-Year Old Virgin with another heartfelt, hilarious and just generally special comedy.

Lowlight: The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)

It might not sink to the levels of Roma or Joker, but The Diary of a Teenage Girl is still very high on my list of insufferably pretentious films. Marielle Heller-who has since gone on to direct the solid biopics Can You Ever Forgive Me? and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood-attempts to make this 70's-set coming-of-age story about a sexually curious teenager (Bel Powley) who strikes up an affair with her mother's (Wiig) boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgard) into a provocative yet quirky tale, but ends up making a dull, gross and tonally all over the place film that never even comes close to achieving whatever statement on female empowerment it was trying to make.   

Most Underrated: The Skeleton Twins (2014)

Thanks to Wiig and Bill Hader's incredible performances as estranged twins who are reunited when the brother survives a suicide attempt and restrained direction from Craig Johnson, The Skeleton Twins is able to subvert its melodramatic setup to become a beautiful, poignant reflection on how siblings with a powerful bond can help each other get through some of the most difficult situations life can throw at a person. 

Most Overrated: Despicable Me (2010)

The initial entry in Illumination's megahit franchise that is arguably the most successful non-Disney animated brand to be birthed since Shrek is the only one that I've seen and I have no plans to ever change that. Despicable Me falls into the cartoon no man's land of not being funny or touching enough to connect with an older audience and its relatively annoying characters such as Gru, the Minions and Agnes aren't exactly a blast to spent 90 minutes with. 

Best Cult Comedy: MacGruber (2010)

As one of the few dozen people who saw MacGruber during its initial theatrical run, it's been awesome to see this film slowly turn into one of the most beloved comedies of the 2010's. Transforming a one joke MacGyver parody SNL sketch into a feature film that is a hilarious broader goof on 80's action movies filled with quotables, colorful supporting characters and absurd scenes with incredible comedic payoffs is a testament to the manic comedy genius of Will Forte, Jorma Taccone, John Solomon and Wiig.   

Worst Sequel to a Cult Comedy: Zoolander 2 (2016)

The relative failure of Zoolander 2 is one of the more puzzling and frustrating misfires in recent movie history. All of the key players (Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Justin Theroux, Mila Jovovich)  that made the original a dumb comedy masterpiece returned alongside some formidable new additions (Penelope Cruz, Wiig, Fred Armisen) and yet the magic just couldn't be recreated. The jokes are extremely inconsistent with only a handful landing registering any sort of noteworthy laughter, the reliance on cameos gets old quickly and most distressingly of all, Stiller, Wilson and Ferrell all put forth questionable efforts that made their performances feel more like cheap, phoned-in imitations of their iconic characters than sincere reprisals of the roles.