Jon Bernthal 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 Jon Bernthal-whose latest project "The Accountant 2" releases in theaters on Thursday. 

Jon Bernthal's Filmography Ranked:

22.Sharp Stick (C)

21.Origin (C)

20.Grudge Match (C)

19.The Amateur (C+)

18.The Peanut Butter Falcon (B-)

17.We Are Your Friends (B-)

16.Fury (B-) 

15.The Accountant (B-) 

14,The Unforgiveable (B-) 

13.Date Night (B)

12.Those Who Wish Me Dead (B)

11.Widows (B)

10.Snitch (B)

9.Shot Caller (B)

8.Small Engine Repair (B+)

7.Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (B+)

6.The Wolf of Wall Street (B+)

5.Ford v. Ferrari (B+)

4.King Richard (A-)

3.Sicario (A-)

2.Wind River (A)

1.Baby Driver (A)

Top Dog: Baby Driver (2017)

I actually just rewatched this for the first time in ages last week and it remains every bit as electrifying today as it was 8 summers ago when it became a sleeper box office hit. The adrenaline-fueled car chases/driving stunts are among the finest put on screen this century, Edgar Wright brings a strong sense of musicality to his direction that is every bit as infectious as it is technically dazzling and the soundtrack is an eclectic mixtape that fits its colorful, largely dangerous collection of characters perfectly.      

Bottom Feeder: Sharp Stick (2022)

Lena Dunham achieved another remarkable milestone in her rocky post-Girls filmography by somehow making a movie about a sheltered woman in her mid 20's (Kristine Forseth) who begins to explore her sexuality after getting involved in an affair with a married man (Bernthal) whose disabled child (Liam Michel Saux) she babysits for milquetoast. Sharp Stick manages to exist in this blank void where it's neither daring enough to be provocative nor confident or forward-thinking enough to be a feminist tale of a woman finding her identity through sexual liberation. Who knows how much blander it could've been without the great performances of Bernthal-who brilliantly instills his character with a mix of sensitivity and crippling insecurity and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Forseth's snarky free-spirited mother.     

Most Underrated: Small Engine Repair (2021)

This indie drama/black comedy about a jovial reunion between old friends (Bernthal, Shea Whigham, John Pollono-who also wrote and directed the film as well as the play it's based on) that goes haywire when a young man (Spencer House) arrives to the festivities isn't just Bernthal's most underrated movie, it's one of the most underrated movies of the 2020's thus far. The lead performances are incredible, the commentary on cycles of abuse, toxic masculinity, etc. is smartly conveyed and the shift in tone from chill hangout comedy to taut, gritty thriller is really well-done. It's currently available on Tubi, and I would encourage anyone that's in the market to watch something full of raw human emotions and nuanced characters whose actions aren't judged by the filmmakers to watch it ASAP.          

Most Overrated: The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

Shitting on The Peanut Butter Falcon feels kind of mean as it's a lighthearted dramedy that warmed a lot of hearts when it became a sleeper indie hit back in August 2019, it just didn't charm or entertain me all that much despite the inherent pleasantness of its story about a man with Down Syndrome (Zak Gottsagen) who escapes from a Georgia assisted living facility and with the help of a recently fired fisherman (Shia LaBeouf) and his caretaker (Dakota Johnson) who's been tasked with bringing him back home-embarks on a journey to North Carolina with the hope of having his hero (Thomas Haden Church) train him to become a pro wrestler. We'll see if Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz's most recent film (the similarly well-reviewed Los Frikis, which received a limited theatrical run this past December/January) can resonate with me in the ways that The Peanut Butter Falcon failed to.