Kevin James 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 Kevin James-whose latest project "Solo Mio" releases in theaters today. 

Kevin James' Filmography Ranked:

16.Zookeeper (D)

15.The Dilemma (D+) 

14.I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (C-)

13.Guns Up (C)

12.Hubie Halloween (C)

11.Home Team (C)

10.Pixels (C)

9.Paul Blart: Mall Cop (C)

8.Grown Ups 2 (C)

7.Hitch (C+)

6.Hotel Transylvania 2 (B-) 

5.Hotel Transylvania (B-) 

4.Grown Ups (B-)

3.Here Comes the Boom (B)

2.50 First Dates (B)

1.Becky (B)

Top Dog: Becky (2020)

One of the biggest gems that emerged from the peak of the COVID lockdown where most of the small number of movies being released were indie genre movies, Becky is a very fun B-home invasion thriller that really relishes in its absurd nastiness. Lulu Wilson makes for a great teenage antihero, James does well going against type as a Nazi gang leader who just broke out of jail and the bursts of splattery gore hit really hard.

Bottom Feeder: Zookeeper (2011)

Generally speaking, I find James to be an affable screen presence who can lift up even the shakiest material he's handed. Zookeeper is one of the only times in his career where I felt that wasn't the case. James' answer to Doctor Dolittle is the epitome of 2000/2010's kids movie trash where the jokes are so consistently lame that the entire affair becomes obnoxious to the point where the end credits starting to roll feel like the first rays of sun hitting your face after spending a couple of hours locked up in a holding cell.

Most Underrated: Here Comes the Boom (2012)

I have a vivid memory of seeing Here Comes the Boom with a friend on opening weekend because the showing of Argo we had intended to go to was sold out and both of us being shocked by how much we enjoyed it. James shook off the brutal 1-2 punch of The Dilemma and Zookeeper to successfully apply his likeable everyman persona to a genuinely rousing, well-crafted underdog sports dramedy about a biology teacher (James) who takes on a side gig as an MMA fighter with the hopes of making enough money to save his school's music program. 

Most Overrated: Hitch (2005)

Perhaps I have an inflated belief of how well-liked Hitch is due to me being a teenager when it was released and having to spend so much time around people gushing about it. By the time I finally saw it in my late 20's, I was a little perplexed as to how it became so popular. While it's a completely inoffensive romcom anchored by a magnetic performance from Will Smith, I just didn't find to be overly funny or charming and the chemistry between Smith and Eva Mendes isn't really there.