Chris Messina Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Chris Messina-whose latest project "The Boogeyman" releases in theaters tonight.

Chris Messina's Filmography Ranked:

15.Like Crazy (F)

14.Ruby Sparks (D+)

13.Julie & Julia (C)

12.Devil (C+)

11.Call Jane (B-)

10.Celeste and Jesse Forever (B-)

9.Cake (B-)

8.Away We Go (B)

7.Vicky Christina Barcelona (B)

6.Live by Night (B)

5.I Care a Lot (B+)

4.Air (B+)

3.Argo (B+)

2.Rounders (A-)

1.Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (A)

Top Dog: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)

At a time where connected universes, multiverses, etc. are the primary way that superhero stories are told, Birds of Prey serves as a refreshing reminder of how these movies are often at their best when their content with being a standalone feature. Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn spin-off models the personality of its erratic heroine with an explosion of bright colors, chaotic non-linear storytelling and hyperactive energy that never lets up for a second. I truly believe that Birds of Prey is easily one of the biggest triumphs in the genre of late and it sucks that Robbie, writer Christina Hodson and director Cathy Yan aren't going to get the chance to make more of these.  

Bottom Feeder: Like Crazy (2011)

A stacked ensemble cast headlined by Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence and Messina can't do a damn thing to make Like Crazy's strange, obnoxious combination of cliched romantic melodrama and exhausting arthouse bullshit even the slightest bit more palatable. 

Most Underrated: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)

Breakneck pacing, electric, inventive fight scenes that set a new high bar for superhero action scenes that has yet to be cleared or matched and some excellent performances (Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Ewan McGregor) that fit the movie's cartoonish maximalist style perfectly makes Birds of Prey a ton of fun to watch.

Most Overrated: Ruby Sparks (2012)

Is this a reach? Probably, yes. Ruby Sparks wasn't a huge commercial hit and it's unlikely that too many non-diehard Letterboxd users have discussed this movie recently. However, Julie & Julia is far too innocuous of a crowdpleaser dramedy for me to view it as overrated and I loathed this pretty acclaimed Garden State-adjacent quirkfest about a sad sack writer (Paul Dano) whose romantic woes are solved when a character he created/fell in love with (Zoe Kazan) suddenly makes the leap from the page to the real world. The frequent attempts to mine laughs and charm out of this pretty creepy depressed hipster wish fulfillment fantasy plot all fail miserably and this unpleasant 1-2 punch makes Ruby Sparks a grating watch that only becomes more painful as it progresses.