Top 20 Best Ryan Reynolds Performances
Some actors just have it! For this list, we’ll be looking at decades of roles that highlight the surprising range of the Canadian funnyman.
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00:00Oh! Oh, hello.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 Ryan Reynolds performances.
00:09I want to comply. I just find the order of those threats very confusing.
00:14Somebody's about to get shot!
00:15Light him up!
00:17For this list, we're looking at decades of roles that highlight the surprising range of the Canadian funnyman.
00:22Did we forget to exert maximum effort in crafting this list?
00:26Let us know in the comments below.
00:31The Hitman's Bodyguard franchise.
00:33In the two films of the Hitman's Bodyguard series, Reynolds plays Michael Bryce, the best protection agent in the world.
00:40I go through doors first. I check to see if it's clear, then you follow.
00:43Really? You think that's necessary?
00:45My job is to keep you out of harm's way.
00:47He's tasked with guarding his nemesis, a top-tier assassin played by Samuel L. Jackson.
00:52In the sequel, he has to protect Jackson's happy-go-lucky killer wife, Salma Hayek.
00:57The films are solid entries in the buddy action movie genre.
01:00Reynolds' trademark dry sarcasm blends well with Jackson's brash charisma.
01:04It's hard to make an aggressively handsome character like Bryce relatable, but Reynolds pulls it off.
01:10His deep-seated self-confidence issues somehow make this well-dressed bodyguard feel like a real person.
01:16Hey, what if I told you I couldn't protect you?
01:20I'd say you're right.
01:2219. Rory Adams – Life
01:24If you're listening, and you probably are because you're creepy that way,
01:27can I just rant for a second about the micromanagement?
01:30We're not blood-filled meat puppets.
01:32Coming off the success of Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds co-starred in the sci-fi ensemble film Life in 2017.
01:38An international team of astronauts aboard the ISS make a startling discovery.
01:43We are not alone in the universe.
01:45They discover a small life form from Mars, but quickly learn that it is a hostile predator.
01:50Every once in a while, a Hollywood film likes to shock its audience by casting a big star and killing them off early.
01:56Janet Leigh in Psycho, Drew Barrymore in Scream, and Ryan Reynolds in Life.
02:01Despite only appearing for a fraction of the runtime, Reynolds manages to portray Rory Adams as a vivacious man.
02:08That serves to emphasize the horror and tragedy of Rory's death.
02:2118. Nolan Booth – Red Notice
02:33In 2021's Red Notice, Ryan Reynolds partners up with another familiar face in action comedies, Dwayne the Rock Johnson.
02:40Johnson plays an FBI agent who teams up with Reynolds' Nolan Booth to locate some treasure.
02:45They get set up and find themselves at cross-purposes with the world's greatest thief, the Bishop.
02:51Played by Gal Gadot, Bishop is more than a match for both men.
02:55It's not often that Ryan Reynolds plays second fiddle, let alone third, but he does a fine job in Red Notice.
03:01He may not have the same level of chemistry with the Rock as Kevin Hart, but when Deadpool, Wonder Woman, and Black Adam team up, fireworks ensue.
03:16and I'm not used to working with a partner.
03:18We're not partners. This is a marriage of convenience.
03:21I want a divorce and I'm keeping the kids. Let's just do this.
03:28A week ago you weren't even interested in the case and now you're all over me like a rash. What happened?
03:33Hmm. Against my better judgment, I think I like you.
03:37In 2015, Reynolds co-starred with Helen Mirren in a powerful drama based on a real-life story.
03:43Mirren stars as Maria Altman, an Austrian Jew who fled the Holocaust 60 years prior.
03:49The Nazis stole her family's possessions, including a portrait of her aunt by Gustav Klimt.
03:54In the intervening years, the painting became world-famous.
03:58Mirren's Maria embarks on a legal quest to get her family's property back.
04:02She enlists the aid of a lawyer, Randy Schoenberg, to help her seek justice.
04:07Schoenberg, expertly played by Reynolds, is a committed young attorney who takes the fight all the way to the Supreme Court.
04:14Mrs. Altman came to America as a young woman in search of peace.
04:19Let's give her justice, too.
04:25We're still trying to sort out fact from fiction when it comes to Dracula.
04:28Turning into mist? Kinda doubt it.
04:31General shape-shifting? Maybe.
04:34After over a decade of acting in comedies,
04:37Blade Trinity was Ryan Reynolds' first major Hollywood role as an action star.
04:42He went from a pretty boy to a muscular bad boy only two years after starring in Van Wilder.
04:47While Blade Trinity is easily the worst of the trilogy, it put Reynolds on the map as a potential action lead.
04:53He cemented his brand as a bankable, wise-cracking, butt-kicking hero.
04:57Hannibal King is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise unremarkable movie
05:02and served as an excellent audition of sorts for the Merc with a Mouth.
05:23Paper Man is a 2009 indie dramedy starring Jeff Daniels as a frustrated novelist struggling to make a human connection.
05:30Since he was little, the man's best friend has been an imaginary superhero, Captain Excellent.
05:47Despite the hair bleached so blonde it's nearly white, Reynolds' Excellent is a fictional man played poignantly.
05:53He's spent decades as the emotional crutch of a vulnerable writer.
05:57Paper Man is the story of that man finally learning to let go.
06:01When he ultimately does, Captain Excellent is palpably afraid.
06:05While a lesser known entry in Reynolds' filmography, it truly is a sleeper when it comes to his acting chops.
06:27Safe House
06:33We've all been in situations that we aren't prepared for.
06:35Whether it be an unexpected school speech, a job interview, or stopping a safe house assault by armed and highly trained individuals.
06:42Okay, maybe not that last one.
06:44What starts as a somewhat comical performance turns into a serious one, and Ryan gives it his all in this film
06:50as we watch him become a hardened killer.
06:53His character is a markedly different person by the end of the movie, and it clearly shows in his performance.
07:12Transforming from an awkward teen to the suave and successful producer that we see for most of the movie deserves some merit.
07:18While trying to seduce his childhood friend, he has to keep the annoying pop singer Samantha at bay.
07:28He finds himself flustered at times, talking to himself in disappointment and raging at his current predicament,
07:33but also manages to squeeze in some romance.
07:36It's this versatility that makes this role one of his most memorable.
07:49Don't you imagine what she'd look like underneath you, naked?
07:53What?
07:54No.
07:55No?
07:56There's just something about Reynolds' character Mike Connell that won't let us hate him,
08:00even if some of the stuff he says makes him come off like a major jerk.
08:04Despite his not-so-pure intentions, he's got a certain charm,
08:07and that is thanks to Reynolds being able to bring a lot of subtlety to the character.
08:12You got one of those little baby joints on you?
08:14Uh, I do.
08:15Let's go.
08:16Whether he's talking himself up as a musician to girls or giving life advice,
08:20we can't help but shake our head at the stories that come out of his mouth.
08:31So you think I'm evil, Bosco?
08:33I'm certain of it.
08:37Playing a unique character is one thing.
08:39Playing a psychopath who thinks his pets are actually talking to him is something completely different.
08:44Jerry is almost as perplexed by everything that happens to him as the audience is,
08:48yet he can't stop listening to his cat telling him to kill people.
08:52As he converses with the voices in his head,
08:54the trauma he's inflicted on himself continuously breaks him down,
08:58and we're somehow able to sympathize with this murderer,
09:01which is a testament to Reynolds' performance.
09:04Take the meds, you useless wanker.
09:07Take them.
09:08Take them!
09:28In 2021, Reynolds put out a TikTok video for the Grace Kelly Challenge with a surprise cameo from Will Ferrell.
09:35It was our first hint that in addition to being an actor, funnyman and mogul,
09:40Ryan Reynolds could sing.
09:42The video was taken from the set of Spirited,
09:44an Apple TV Plus musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
09:47Reynolds plays Clint Briggs,
09:49a modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge who must contend with the three ghosts of Christmas.
09:53He goes on a musical journey with Ferrell's ghost of Christmas present.
09:57Reynolds is a surprisingly good singer and dancer,
10:00and he delivers a performance with his trademark mix of wit and pathos.
10:04Oh, that's... Oh, he's dead.
10:05Yeah, he's dead.
10:06No, he's fine. He's good.
10:08I'm not a mysterio anyway.
10:09How did you know all that?
10:11I didn't. I was just following you.
10:12You were following me?
10:13Yeah.
10:14I messed up in the middle there.
10:15Yeah, tap is new for me. It's a very expressive medium.
10:18And they all knew too.
10:19Him.
10:24I am in fact the toilet paper guy.
10:26Feel free to call me the bagel and coffee guy.
10:28Todd in accounting calls me Crystal.
10:31Ryan Reynolds is no stranger to romantic comedies.
10:34One that isn't full of physical gags and slapstick moments is hard to come by for him though.
10:38But thankfully, Definitely, Maybe is much more than that.
10:41As Will tells the story of his past relationships to his daughter,
10:45we get to see how charismatic he is with each of the women,
10:48and the chemistry he has with each of them is also on point.
10:51You can't be a great actor without working well with your peers,
10:54and Ryan is able to hit every beat no matter who his co-stars are.
10:58Mary.
11:01Definitely.
11:02Maybe.
11:04I have to think about it.
11:09Who is getting married?
11:10You and I. You and I are getting married.
11:12Yes.
11:13We are.
11:14Getting married.
11:15Character transformations, if pulled off effectively, make for a good movie.
11:19And it's up to the actors to carry that thread convincingly throughout the film.
11:23As Ryan's character Andrew spends more time with his boss, whom he hates,
11:27they slowly grow to appreciate one another.
11:30Andrew acts as a surrogate for the audience
11:32as he discovers more about Margaret's personal life.
11:35As he maintains the charade that they're a couple,
11:37the nuances in his performance hint at real feelings,
11:40and it's a journey that we take right along with him.
11:43A little bit.
11:44What am I allergic to?
11:45Pine nuts and the full spectrum of human emotion.
11:48Oh, that's satisfying.
11:54Mississippi Grind is a sober tale about a pair of itinerant gamblers
11:58that enter one another's lives like ships passing in the night.
12:01Oh, I bet you play say shit on me.
12:04Why do you still want big?
12:05Come on, we just won a whole bunch of money.
12:06Let's go celebrate.
12:07We'll have some drinks.
12:08We'll meet some ladies.
12:09Oh, no, no.
12:10I love this place.
12:11We can get drinks.
12:12Reynolds plays Curtis, the younger of the two,
12:14who meets protagonist Jerry at an Iowa casino.
12:17The pair become fast friends
12:18and soon embark on a gambling road trip down the Mississippi River.
12:22They share a handful of highs and many more lows
12:25as they ride the roller coaster of gambling disorder.
12:28With Curtis, Reynolds shows how his usual sarcasm and wit
12:31can just be a facade to hide his character's pain.
12:34Despite the relatively happy ending,
12:36Mississippi Grind is a bittersweet film
12:38that acts as proof that Ryan Reynolds is more than just comic relief.
12:42I'm serious.
12:44Vanessa, listen to me.
12:45Don't tell her I called, okay?
12:46Don't.
12:47Okay.
12:48Can you do that for me?
12:50Detective Pikachu.
12:51Detective Pikachu.
12:52In addition to adapting the famous game series,
12:55at its core, Detective Pikachu is a film about fathers and sons.
12:59Tim Goodman is a young man who, after the death of his mother,
13:02gave up his dream of training Pokemon.
13:04When he learns of the death of his estranged father and Detective Harry,
13:08he travels to Harry's apartment to investigate.
13:10Tim discovers an amnesiac Pikachu voiced by Reynolds.
13:14Hey, little guy.
13:16How did you get in here?
13:18I know you can't understand me,
13:21but put down the stapler,
13:23or I will electrocute you.
13:28As the pair battles their way through a mystery
13:30and uncovers a conspiracy,
13:32Reynolds really steals the show.
13:34His Pikachu is earnest, charming, and adorable.
13:37He plays a character full of heart
13:39and tones down his usual sardonic quips.
13:42Listen, kid.
13:45Look, I may not have memories,
13:49but I know this much.
13:52It wasn't your fault.
13:59In The Atom Project, Reynolds stars as Big Atom,
14:03a pilot who travels back in time to reset the timeline
14:06after his evil boss uses the technology to enrich herself.
14:10He is out to save his wife, Laura, from assassination.
14:13On the journey, Atom meets both his 12-year-old self
14:16and his widowed mother.
14:18Oh, hey, Atom.
14:20She doesn't hate you.
14:22He loves you.
14:25More than he knows.
14:27Eventually, little Atom comes along for the ride,
14:29and they go back again to enlist the aid of their dad.
14:32Despite the high-concept time-travel gimmick
14:34and the spectacular action,
14:36The Atom Project is a movie about grief, trauma, and forgiveness.
14:40Big Atom represents the culmination of Ryan Reynolds' skills as an actor.
14:44His usual sarcasm is only a paper-thin mask
14:47hiding a deep wellspring of guilt, self-loathing, and regret.
14:51You know what? It's...
14:53That ship has sailed. It's too late for me.
14:55So, you know, whatever. I'm fine.
15:02He's checking out the battle and a bad.
15:04Her name's Naomi.
15:06It's I moan backwards.
15:08Ryan Reynolds was at his peak when it came to playing this young and popular heartthrob.
15:12His charisma shines,
15:14as his character befriends almost everyone around him.
15:17He's able to seduce girls easily,
15:19and, hell, he even has people lining up to be interviewed to be his personal assistant.
15:24Why would anyone want to leave school if it were like this?
15:27His one-liners about life always make us laugh,
15:30and his situational and comedic timing when it comes to making sarcastic remarks
15:34always entertain.
15:37But can never bring yourself to.
15:56When you're one of the only actors in the film,
15:58and you've literally got no room to move,
16:01the movie's success is riding on your performance.
16:04The fact that Ryan can maintain audience fixation on him throughout the runtime of Buried
16:09is a testament to his on-screen presence.
16:11We're able to relate to this man just from knowing him in a coffin,
16:14and care about his predicament.
16:17As his situation becomes more dire,
16:19we can't help but hold our breath with him while he's running out of air.
16:23I will get you the money.
16:24You show blood.
16:25What?
16:26You show blood, they give money.
16:31In Free Guy, Reynolds plays a bank teller in a cartoonishly violent city
16:35who discovers he's actually an NPC in an open-world video game.
16:39Just stop for a second.
16:41I want to make sure that I'm getting this straight.
16:42I just want to fully understand here.
16:44So, I'm fake.
16:47The entire world is fake.
16:49I'm just, I'm not even a main character.
16:50I'm just this idiot who's in the background.
16:53Upon achieving sentience,
16:55he embarks on a quest with his programmer Millie to hunt down her original code.
16:59They need the code to expose its theft by the game's creator,
17:02the evil Antoine,
17:04and to save Free City from destruction at his hands.
17:07Guy spreads free will to his friends and neighbors as he fights for their survival.
17:11In Free Guy, Reynolds eschews his typical snark
17:14and leans all the way into earnestness and innocence.
17:17It's a reminder that in addition to playing cynical characters like Deadpool,
17:21Ryan is a very convincing nice guy.
17:24I can just make it out past that water.
17:26There's a world out there where we can be free,
17:29where we get to decide who we want to be,
17:31where we can matter,
17:32but we have to fight for it.
17:33We have to fight together.
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18:06Come on, even Ryan Reynolds acknowledged that Green Lantern was a disaster.
18:13We're animated.
18:19Oh!
18:20Oh, hello.
18:22I know, right?
18:23Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool.
18:26After seeing his performance in this superhero flick,
18:29you can almost see the character in every other role he's ever played.
18:32It's almost like Deadpool was created with Ryan Reynolds in mind from the get-go.
18:36That is how much it works.
18:38His performance is a culmination of all his previous films,
18:42seamlessly combining humor and drama.
18:45Funny, sarcastic, and a total badass,
18:48this is Reynolds exploring every aspect of his acting skills
18:51and delivering on a whole other level.
18:54This franchise is definitely here to stay.
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