Jeff Daniels 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 Jeff Daniels-whose latest project "The Brink of War" releases in theaters today. 

Jeff Daniels' Filmography Ranked:

18.101 Dalmatians (D) 

17.Good Night, and Good Luck (C)

16.Dumb and Dumber To (C)

15.RV (C)

14.Fly Away Home (C)

13.Allegiant (C)

12.Traitor (C+)

11.State of Play (C+)

10.Something Wild (B-)

9.Away We Go (B)

8.The Squid and the Whale (B)

7.Pleasantville (B) 

6.The Lookout (B)

5.Looper (B)

4.Dumb and Dumber (B)

3.The Martian (B+)

2.Steve Jobs (B+)

1.Speed (B+)

Top Dog: Speed (1994)

Speed has become one of the most frequently mimicked action movies of the past 30 years for good reason. The simplicity of its plot and perfectly calibrated tone pave the way for a movie that keeps the suspense high without ever taking itself seriously enough to get in the way all of the freewheeling fun its producing. May the legacy sequel machine never come for this beautiful creation. 

Bottom Feeder: 101 Dalmatians (1996)

What Cruella was able to pull off with its flashy camp exploration of the iconic Disney villain's origin story reenforced my disdain for both of the Glenn Close-led live action films. Close's fine enough scenery chewing is just no match for how lifeless and boring the film's supposedly vibrant universe manages to be.  

Most Underrated: The Lookout (2007)

19 years after its release, The Lookout is a borderline forgotten piece of media. This unique, character-driven heist drama from Hollywood vet Scott Frank (The Queen's Gambit, Out of Sight) about a bank janitor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) with short term memory problems brought on by a serious car crash that derailed his promising youth hockey career being coerced by an old high school classmate (Matthew Goode) to assist in a robbery at the bank he works at was little seen when it came out in March of 2007, so this being the fate it suffered isn't exactly surprising. If you're a fan of the aforementioned genres and happen to find yourself on the home screen of a free streaming service like Pluto TV or Tubi looking for something to watch, you should definitely consider checking this out. 

Most Overrated: Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

Nobody makes a dry movie quite like George Clooney does and Good Night, and Good Luck is one of his finest hours. I was shown this when I was studying journalism in college and as important as its messages about freedom of the press and the media challenging power are, Clooney manages to present them in such a bland, stagey manner that they don't land with their intended power.