Zac Efron Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Zac Efron-whose latest project "A Family Affair" releases on Netflix tomorrow. 

Zac Efron's Filmography Ranked:

17.New Year's Eve (D+)

16.Scoob! (D+)

15.Parkland (C)

14.The Paperboy (C)

13.Baywatch (B-)

12.17 Again (B-)

11.We Are Your Friends (B-)

10.Dirty Grandpa (B)

9.That Awkward Moment (B)

8.Ricky Stanicky (B)

7.Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (B)

6.Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (B+)

5.Neighbors (B+)

4.The Iron Claw (B+)

3.Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (A-)

2.The Beach Bum (A-)

1.The Disaster Artist (A)

Top Dog: The Disaster Artist (2017)

By balancing the inherent comedy of The Room's ridiculous production process with the disarming underdog charm of a wide-eyed dreamer getting to live out his movie star dreams against all odds, The Disaster Artist proves to be an exceptional adaptation of Greg Sestero's book of the same name.   

Bottom Feeder: New Year's Eve (2011)

The middle chapter of the unofficial holiday romcom trilogy that capped off the late Gary Marshall's career isn't a completely torturous watch, but it is an over-the-top schmaltzy affair that makes questionable use of the bulk of its massive ensemble cast.    

Most Underrated: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)

I'm completely willing to admit that rating Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates ahead of The Iron Claw is an insane take that reenforces how questionable my taste in the good ol' cinema is, but I'm not ashamed of it all damn it! I sincerely believe that Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is not only the most underrated comedy of the 2010's, but one of the funniest movies of the decade period. A goofy screwball affair where every single character/performance no matter how major or minor adds to the comedy value and the humor is a great mix of one-liners, physical comedy and vulgar situational comedy is something that I'll deeply respect. Plus, it holds up really well on rewatch-which is really the ultimate sign that a comedy is special.     

Most Overrated: None 

Efron has managed to put together the perfect kind of career to avoid starring in an overrated movie. His early post-High School Musical career was dominated by teen movies (17 Again, Charlie St. Cloud) and serious dramas (The Paperboy, Parkland) that got middling reviews. Then, he made a jump to R-rated comedies (Neighbors, Baywatch, Dirty Grandpa, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates). Now, he's in this weird spot where all of the previous phases of his careers are colliding into each other (Ricky Stanicky, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, A Family Affair) as he tries to find a lane to pursue as he enters his late 30's (although his acclaimed turn in The Iron Claw could change things for the better for him moving forward). Maybe if I'd seen The Greatest Showman I'd feel differently, but for now, I'll just take a moment to admire the unique path that allowed Efron to achieve longevity while almost exclusively starring in movies that were either too tepidly received or not aiming high enough artistically to qualify for this distinction.