Owen Wilson is among the entertainment industry’s most cherished actors and filmmakers, and over the years, his trademark charisma has charmed audiences of all ages in his countless films. His interest in acting has followed him since a very young age, although he only took his first steps as a young adult upon enrolling at University of Texas. There, he became friends with his roommate, a young Wes Anderson, who would later become one of today’s leading directors.
Although Anderson had already been working on some shorts, he made his film directorial debut along with Wilson in Bottle Rocket, a film written by both of them, which also marked Owen’s film acting debut. From that moment on, Anderson and Wilson never stopped working together, but additionally, the actor started building a solid path in the industry that led him to the success he enjoys today.
Over the years, Owen has starred in, written and produced Hollywood blockbusters, working side by side with some of the industry’s top filmmakers. Although he is an actor typically associated with the comedy genre, he has excelled in roles that range from drama to romance and even aimed at children’s audiences. Among his most popular productions over the years are Zoolander, Wedding Crashers, and Midnight in Paris, to name just a few. He has also lent his voice to a few major animated characters, such as Lightning McQueen in Disney and Pixar’s franchise Cars.
To this day, Wilson remains very active in the industry, and in fact, only a month ago he released his latest film, Paint. In this Brit McAdams comedy, the actor plays Carl Nargle, a character strongly inspired by painter and TV host Bob Ross, joined by a cast featuring Michaela Watkins, Ciara Renée, Stephen Root, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Lucy Freyer, among others. Here is a review of the best films of this popular actor, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes score.
10 Cars — 75%
In 2006, Wilson headlined the voice cast of Cars as Lightning McQueen, an up-and-coming but very cocky racecar who is on his way to becoming an international superstar by winning the Piston Cup. However, on his way to what will be the biggest race of his career, he mistakenly ends up in the small ghost town of Radiator Springs, a community that will remind him that there are bigger things than trophies and fame, something that will completely reshape his attitude.
Cars is a Pixar animated film directed by John Lasseter that kicked off a franchise spanning two sequels and two spin-off films, Planes and Planes: Fire & Rescue. Joining Wilson in the cast are Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy and Cheech Marin, among many other actors. Wilson reprised his lead role in the sequels and in a few short films.
9 Shanghai Noon — 80%
Jackie Chan and Wilson star in Shanghai Noon, a 2000 comedy that combines western with martial arts and also features Lucy Liu, Roger Yuan, Walton Goggins, and Xander Berkeley. This film, which marks Tom Dey’s directorial debut, follows Chon Wang, a 19th-Century imperial guard who teams up with a Nevada cowboy to find Princess Pei-Pei, the heiress of China’s emperor who was kidnapped and taken to the United States. Despite starting the relationship on the wrong foot, these characters, from very different worlds, end up forging a unique friendship.
Shanghai Noon was highly acclaimed upon its release, and it sparked the production of a sequel, Shanghai Knights, released in 2003. Wilson and Chan reprised their roles, this time under the direction of David Dobkin. A few years ago, there was news that the actors would be returning to headline a second sequel to this production titled Shanghai Dawn, but as of today there is no word on the sequel.
8 The Royal Tenenbaums — 81%
For their work as co-writers of the acclaimed production The Royal Tenenbaums, Anderson and Wilson received an Academy Award nomination. This production, directed by Anderson and starring Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, and Luke Wilson, presents the Tenenbaums, a family made up of Royal, Etheline, and their three children, young kids who are extremely skilled in different disciplines. But after their parents’ divorce, the family splits up and these characters, who were successful at a very young age, face a very frustrating adulthood.
Several years after losing contact with his children, Royal returns in an attempt to win back their love and his ex-wife’s, which will bring the family back together again, but to do so, he fakes a terminal illness. In The Royal Tenenbaums, Wilson plays Eli Cash, the Tenenbaums’ neighbor who, as an adult, pursues an affair with the family’s daughter.
7 Meet the Parents — 84%
Meeting your partner’s family is a pretty significant event, and it tends to be nerve-wracking for most people. This is exactly what nurse Greg Focker felt when his girlfriend Pam invited him to meet her parents before her sister’s wedding. But Greg is unaware that his father-in-law is an ex-CIA agent highly protective of his daughter, and despite Greg’s well-meaning intentions, he won’t make it easy for him to join the family.
Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro star in Meet the Parents, a 2000 comedy directed by Jay Roach that serves as a remake of the 1992 film of the same name. Rounding out the cast are Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, Nicole DeHuff, and Wilson, who plays Pam’s ex-fiancé Kevin. Meet the Parents is a film that was widely acclaimed upon its release, prompting the production of two sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers.
6 Bottle Rocket — 85%
Bottle Rocket was Anderson’s directorial debut and Wilson’s acting debut, and although the film didn’t do too well at the box office, it certainly fared well with critics. This 1996 film is based on a short film Anderson made two years earlier, and features Anthony, a young man who has just been released from a mental hospital and reconnects with his friend Dignan, an aspiring criminal who persuades him to enter the world of crime.
The two recruit a third member with a car and hit the road, clumsily seeking to attract the attention of a major crime boss. In this production, Wilson was cast alongside his two brothers, Luke and Andrew Wilson, as well as Robert Musgrave, James Caan, and Lumi Cavazos.
5 Wonder — 85%
Wonder is a 2017 drama film directed by Stephen Chbosky and inspired by R. J. Palacio’s novel of the same name. It follows Auggie, a 10-year-old boy who was born with a rare facial condition that made him endure many surgeries throughout his short life. After years of being homeschooled, his parents decide it’s time for Auggie to do something he’s never done before: attend school for the first time. In this new challenge, he tries to fit in with his new classmates by proving that he is a kid like any other, and slowly begins to make great friends.
Jacob Tremblay, Wilson, and Julia Roberts star in this acclaimed film alongside Noah Jupe, Izabela Vidovic, Bryce Gheisar, and Daveed Diggs. Wonder was both a box-office and critical success, earning, among other accolades, an Academy Award nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. A spin-off sequel to this film entitled White Bird, in which Bryce Gheisar will reprise his character, is set for release this August.
4 Rushmore — 90%
The 1998 film Rushmore had a similar fate to Bottle Rocket: it was a production that did not perform extremely well at the box-office, but it was well received by critics. This Anderson-directed comedy, co-written alongside Wilson, earned the filmmaker the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, among many other accolades. Rushmore features Jason Schwartzman in his film debut, playing Max Fischer, a young man who studies at the prestigious Rushmore Academy and, although he is not very good, tries his best to make a name for himself by attending as many extracurricular activities as he can.
He eventually befriends Herman Blume, the wealthy father of other students at the school, although this unusual friendship is put to the test when they both fall in love with Rosemary Cross, one of the school’s teachers. Bill Murray co-stars with Schwartzman in a role that launched him as an independent film star. Wilson, for his part, besides serving as writer, has a small uncredited role as Edward Appleby, Rosemary’s late husband.
3 The Grand Budapest Hotel — 92%
The Grand Budapest Hotel is, for many, one of Anderson’s masterpieces, who not only directed, but also served as writer and producer. This 2014 comedy-drama features Ralph Fiennes, along with a very talented ensemble cast, and introduces Gustave, the concierge of the prestigious Budapest Hotel. After the death of an elderly millionaire with whom he had a long-term affair, Gustave inherits an exclusive Renaissance painting that could potentially change his destiny, although the deceased’s family disapproves of her decisions, and is determined to accuse the man of murder, setting off a series of unfortunate situations for all involved.
Joining Fiennes in this acclaimed production are Tony Revolori, Adrien Brody, Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, and Wilson, among many other prestigious actors. In The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wilson plays M. Chuck, a member of the fraternity of concierges known as “Society of the Crossed Keys”.
2 Midnight in Paris — 93%
In 2005, Wilson and Rachel McAdams first appeared together on-screen in the comedy Wedding Crashers, and six years later, they met again in Midnight in Paris, a Woody Allen film that became a hit with both critics and audiences. In it, Wilson plays Gil Pender, a screenwriter who is struggling to finish his latest project. While traveling through Paris with his fiancée and her wealthy parents, Gil discovers that, at the stroke of midnight, he can travel back in time, and starts hanging out with major icons of the art world who will make him rethink his life, career and even his relationship.
Joining Wilson and McAdams in this award-winning production are Marion Cotillard, Tom Hiddleston, Alison Pill, Adrien Brody, and Kathy Bates, among other artists.
1 Fantastic Mr. Fox — 93%
Topping Wilson’s movie ranking is Fantastic Mr. Fox, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%, just like Midnight in Paris, but with a slightly higher Audience Score. This stop-motion animated film is inspired by Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, and follows Mr. Fox, a former thief who lives peacefully with his wife and family, yet misses his felony days. After the family moves to a new area, Mr. Fox gives in to his instincts and raids the farms of his three neighbors, a move that angers the men and endangers his entire family. George Clooney heads the cast of this Wes Anderson film, along with Mery Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, and Wilson.
While Fantastic Mr. Fox did not perform very well at the box-office, it did become a highly acclaimed production, earning nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score at the Academy Awards, among other honors.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
