by Robbie Jones
Steve Carell is one of the funniest actors working today. A hero of modern comedy, he has delighted audiences for years with his generally likeable persona and naturally funny expressions. However, ‘terrifying’ might be the best word to describe him in his new film Foxcatcher, in which he plays a role unlike any he’s played before alongside Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo in the psychological thriller that’s getting rave reviews. Not only that, but it looks like an Oscar nomination is on the cards for Carell. It’s all very exciting, so we’re gonna take a look back at the man’s career and highlight his best performances to date.
Honourable mentions:
Despicable Me 1 and 2, Bruce Almighty, Get Smart, Over the Hedge, Date Night, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and The Office US
Steve Carell is one of the funniest actors working today. A hero of modern comedy, he has delighted audiences for years with his generally likeable persona and naturally funny expressions. However, ‘terrifying’ might be the best word to describe him in his new film Foxcatcher, in which he plays a role unlike any he’s played before alongside Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo in the psychological thriller that’s getting rave reviews. Not only that, but it looks like an Oscar nomination is on the cards for Carell. It’s all very exciting, so we’re gonna take a look back at the man’s career and highlight his best performances to date.
Honourable mentions:
Despicable Me 1 and 2, Bruce Almighty, Get Smart, Over the Hedge, Date Night, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and The Office US
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Kicking off our list is Carell’s second biggest feature film following Bruce Almighty, and perhaps one of his funniest films to date. Now surely you’ve all seen Anchorman and revelled in its glory so we’ll keep it short and sweet: Carell plays Brick Tamland, a weather forecaster who nobody can quite wrap their head around. Carell plays Brick to perfection, as everything he says makes little to no sense and just gets funnier and funnier everytime he opens his mouth. Despite his great appearance, his voice is just perfect for the character, and it’s hard to picture anyone else pulling it off.
Kicking off our list is Carell’s second biggest feature film following Bruce Almighty, and perhaps one of his funniest films to date. Now surely you’ve all seen Anchorman and revelled in its glory so we’ll keep it short and sweet: Carell plays Brick Tamland, a weather forecaster who nobody can quite wrap their head around. Carell plays Brick to perfection, as everything he says makes little to no sense and just gets funnier and funnier everytime he opens his mouth. Despite his great appearance, his voice is just perfect for the character, and it’s hard to picture anyone else pulling it off.
Little Miss Sunshine
Up next is the first somewhat serious performance he ever really gave. Little Miss Sunshine stars Abigail Breslin as a young girl who dreams of being a model, and goes on a cross country road trip with her family (Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, and Alan Arkin) to get to the finals of a beauty pageant. Little Miss Sunshine is the perfect comedy-drama: At times, it’s hilarious, and at other times, it’s heartbreaking. Carell knocks it out of the park but Breslin (wmust’ve been about 9 at the time of filming) and Alan Arkin are the stars of the show, with Arkin picking up an Oscar for his performance. Little Miss Sunshine is a sweet film that’ll hit you where it hurts as much as it’ll make you laugh
Up next is the first somewhat serious performance he ever really gave. Little Miss Sunshine stars Abigail Breslin as a young girl who dreams of being a model, and goes on a cross country road trip with her family (Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, and Alan Arkin) to get to the finals of a beauty pageant. Little Miss Sunshine is the perfect comedy-drama: At times, it’s hilarious, and at other times, it’s heartbreaking. Carell knocks it out of the park but Breslin (wmust’ve been about 9 at the time of filming) and Alan Arkin are the stars of the show, with Arkin picking up an Oscar for his performance. Little Miss Sunshine is a sweet film that’ll hit you where it hurts as much as it’ll make you laugh
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Judd Apatow is a master of modern comedy, and his first directorial feature is absolutely hilarious (But not quite as good as his second one, Knocked Up). Carell stars as Andy, who....Well, you’ve heard the title of this film, you know his story. It’s been getting him down, but luckily he has his co-workers to help him finally find his way into bed with a woman, and Andy takes a particular shine to Trish (Catherine Keener). The 40 Year Old Virgin is a little bit stupid, but at the same time quite smart with its humour. It’s a comedy full of cringe worthy situations that you laugh at because you never in a million years want to be in them, like being stuck in a car with a drunk driver (who then goes to puke all over you), getting your chest hair waxed (Funniest scene of the film), and of course, being a virgin at 40 years old. I pray you don’t end up in any of them (ESPECIALLY the last one), but I hope you have a cracking time laughing at them.
Judd Apatow is a master of modern comedy, and his first directorial feature is absolutely hilarious (But not quite as good as his second one, Knocked Up). Carell stars as Andy, who....Well, you’ve heard the title of this film, you know his story. It’s been getting him down, but luckily he has his co-workers to help him finally find his way into bed with a woman, and Andy takes a particular shine to Trish (Catherine Keener). The 40 Year Old Virgin is a little bit stupid, but at the same time quite smart with its humour. It’s a comedy full of cringe worthy situations that you laugh at because you never in a million years want to be in them, like being stuck in a car with a drunk driver (who then goes to puke all over you), getting your chest hair waxed (Funniest scene of the film), and of course, being a virgin at 40 years old. I pray you don’t end up in any of them (ESPECIALLY the last one), but I hope you have a cracking time laughing at them.
Crazy, Stupid, Love
This’ll be the third time now I’ve written about this film and do so happily. Cal (Carell) finds out from his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) that she wants a divorce, and is pretty down. That’s until he meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a serial womanizer who teaches Cal how to get back into the dating scene, whilst he finds himself falling for law student Hannah (Emma Stone). Crazy, Stupid, Love is a perfect rom-com, one that heavily features sex as a means of comedy but doesn’t revolve around it, eventually coming back to it’s true message: Love. Cheesy, yes, but it’s an incredibly well written and performed film, with Carell, Gosling and Moore standing out in particular, and is quite simply one of the best rom-coms ever made.
This’ll be the third time now I’ve written about this film and do so happily. Cal (Carell) finds out from his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) that she wants a divorce, and is pretty down. That’s until he meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a serial womanizer who teaches Cal how to get back into the dating scene, whilst he finds himself falling for law student Hannah (Emma Stone). Crazy, Stupid, Love is a perfect rom-com, one that heavily features sex as a means of comedy but doesn’t revolve around it, eventually coming back to it’s true message: Love. Cheesy, yes, but it’s an incredibly well written and performed film, with Carell, Gosling and Moore standing out in particular, and is quite simply one of the best rom-coms ever made.
The Way, Way Back
Finally, it’s time to substitute the word ‘Hilarious’ for ‘Infuriating’ as we talk about his performance in the modern masterpiece that is The Way, Way Back. Shy 14 year old Duncan (Liam James) goes on a summer vacation with his mother (Toni Collette), her boyfriend (Steve Carell) and his daughter. Desperate to escape his step father, he finds solace and friendship in water park employee Owen (Sam Rockwell), and they continue to bond as Duncan begins working at the water park, but his family life remains tense. There are no words really to describe just how brilliant The Way Way Back is: It is without a doubt one of the best coming of age films in recent years, and it’s almost flawless. Best performance goes to Sam Rockwell, who honestly deserved an Oscar nomination for his role, but you gotta give it to Carell for being one of the most likeable guys in Hollywood and making you want to smash his face in. He’s abusive, he’s cruel, and you pretty much hate him from the very first scene. As blood boiling as it is, it’s possibly the best performance of his career (At least, it was until Foxcatcher). The Way Way Back isn’t just an essential Steve Carell, it’s an essential film full stop.
Finally, it’s time to substitute the word ‘Hilarious’ for ‘Infuriating’ as we talk about his performance in the modern masterpiece that is The Way, Way Back. Shy 14 year old Duncan (Liam James) goes on a summer vacation with his mother (Toni Collette), her boyfriend (Steve Carell) and his daughter. Desperate to escape his step father, he finds solace and friendship in water park employee Owen (Sam Rockwell), and they continue to bond as Duncan begins working at the water park, but his family life remains tense. There are no words really to describe just how brilliant The Way Way Back is: It is without a doubt one of the best coming of age films in recent years, and it’s almost flawless. Best performance goes to Sam Rockwell, who honestly deserved an Oscar nomination for his role, but you gotta give it to Carell for being one of the most likeable guys in Hollywood and making you want to smash his face in. He’s abusive, he’s cruel, and you pretty much hate him from the very first scene. As blood boiling as it is, it’s possibly the best performance of his career (At least, it was until Foxcatcher). The Way Way Back isn’t just an essential Steve Carell, it’s an essential film full stop.
What Do You Think?
Well, that’s our list, what are your favourite Steve Carell movies?
Let us know in the comments!
Foxcatcher is in cinemas now!
RSS Feed
