Channing Tatum 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 Channing Tatum-whose latest project "Roofman" releases in theaters Thursday night. 

Channing Tatum's Filmography Ranked:

34.Jupiter Ascending (F)

33.Haywire (D)

32.Havoc (D+)

31.The Dilemma (D+)

30.Hail, Caesar! (D+) 

29.Dog (C-)

28.The Eagle (C)

27.The Book of Life (B-)

26.Fly Me to the Moon (B-)

25.Public Enemies (B-)

24.G.I. Joe: Retaliation (B-)

23.G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (B-)

22.Deadpool & Wolverine (B-)

21.Step Up (B-)

20.The Lost City (B)

19.Stop-Loss (B)

18.White House Down (B)

17.The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (B)

16.Side Effects (B)

15.Foxcatcher (B)

14.Magic Mike's Last Dance (B)

13.Free Guy (B)

12.Logan Lucky (B)

11.Magic Mike (B)

10.Coach Carter (B+)

9.Kingsman: The Golden Circle (B+)

8.Bullet Train (B+)

7.Blink Twice (B+)

6.Magic Mike XXL (B+)

5.The Lego Movie (B+)

4.The Hateful Eight (A)

3.21 Jump Street (A)

2.This is the End (A)

1.22 Jump Street (A)

Top Dog: 22 Jump Street (2014)

Going back to the meta satire well proved to be particularly fruitful for Phil Lord and Chris Miller with 22 Jump Street. The sequel-which takes aim at the very concept of movie sequels-manages to be even funnier than the original thanks to another large collection of incredible, inspired gags and an even stronger showing from the elite buddy comedy duo of Jonah Hill and Tatum.  

Bottom Feeder: Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Jupiter Ascending is an example of The Wachowski's signature bold experimentation backfiring spectacularly. The narrative is sprawling to the point where it quickly becomes completely incoherent, the tone is insufferably cheesy even by science fiction standards and while no member of the cast covers themselves in glory, Eddie Redmayne is the negative standout as he delivers what sincerely may be the most laughable cartoonish overacting I've ever seen in my life as the film's villain Balem Abrasax.     

Most Underrated: Magic Mike XXL (2015)

What's so cool about the Magic Mike trilogy is that each film has its own unique tone and story to tell that reflected where Tatum's titular stripper/furniture builder/choreographer was at that point in his life. While I think all of them are worthwhile movies, the middle installment Magic Mike XXL is the top highlight. Tatum and his collaborators Reid Carolin and Gregory Jacobs are somehow able to turn a movie about a group of aging male strippers embarking on a road trip from Tampa Bay to Myrtle Beach to end their careers with a performance at a high-profile stripping convention into a fun, life-affirming hangout movie that celebrates the power of friendship, artistic expression and making women feel seen and respected.    

Most Overrated: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Despite Hugh Jackman's spirited return as Wolverine and some very funny moments including an incredible on-brand opening sequence that pokes fun of Jackman returning to his career-defining role after his planned swan song in Logan, Deadpool & Wolverine is an utterly sauceless affair that doesn't ever shake the feeling of being an exercise in safe, point-and-clap nostalgia porn designed to win back the MCU fans who had begun to turn on Kevin Feige's comic book movie empire after the majority of the projects they released from 2021-23 were met with polarized-to-negative reactions. I'll take messy shit that has personality and a real vision behind them like Eternals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder over Shawn Levy's bland, pandering semi-competency any day of the week.