Ryan Reynolds’ Best Roles

Ryan Reynolds has become one of Hollywood’s most recognizable and beloved actors, known for his quick wit and charismatic personality. He effortlessly charms audiences in romantic comedies and brings a unique brand of humor to his roles, making even the most outlandish characters feel relatable. His career is filled with memorable performances that showcase his natural comedic timing and his ability to deliver a punchline with perfect precision, cementing his status as a go-to star for laughs and entertainment.

Beyond the comedy, he has also proven his versatility by taking on a wide range of roles across different genres. He has delved into intense thrillers, compelling dramas, and high-octane action films, demonstrating a significant depth as an actor. This willingness to explore different facets of storytelling has allowed him to build a diverse filmography that appeals to a broad audience. From playing a superhero with a meta-sense of humor to a man trapped in a coffin, he consistently pushes his own boundaries.

‘Foolproof’ (2003)

This film centers on a group of friends who create elaborate, theoretical heist plans for fun, with no intention of ever carrying them out. The group is led by Kevin, who, along with his friends Samantha and Rob, enjoys the intellectual challenge of plotting the perfect crime. Their game, called ‘Foolproof’, is a way to pass the time and engage their creativity, mapping out every detail of stealing valuable items without any real-world consequences.

Their harmless hobby takes a dangerous turn when a notorious gangster gets his hands on one of their detailed plans. The crime boss, Leo, mistakes their theoretical heist for a genuine plot and blackmails the friends into executing the plan for him. Suddenly, Kevin and his team are forced to put their skills to the test in a real-life situation where the stakes are incredibly high, and their lives are on the line.

‘Just Friends’ (2005)

Chris Brander is a successful and confident music executive in Los Angeles, but he wasn’t always that way. In high school, he was overweight and secretly in love with his best friend, Jamie Palamino. After a humiliating public rejection at their graduation party, a heartbroken Chris moves away and completely transforms himself. A decade later, he is tasked with signing a flighty pop star, a job that unexpectedly strands him back in his New Jersey hometown for Christmas.

Now trim and suave, Chris sees this as his chance to finally win over Jamie and escape the “friend zone” he was trapped in years ago. However, his attempts to impress her are constantly thwarted by his overbearing mother, his sarcastic younger brother, and the reappearance of another rival for Jamie’s affection. What follows is a chaotic and comical series of events as Chris tries to prove he has changed while confronting his awkward past.

‘Paper Man’ (2009)

Richard Dunn is a struggling novelist who has yet to grow up, still relying on the advice of his imaginary superhero friend, Captain Excellent. To overcome his writer’s block, Richard’s wife encourages him to spend the winter in a quiet Long Island beach town. Feeling isolated and creatively stuck, he seeks out some form of human connection and decides to hire a local teenager to be his babysitter, even though he doesn’t have any children.

He forms an unlikely and unconventional friendship with Abby, a seventeen-year-old high school student with her own set of personal struggles. As they spend time together, they find solace in their shared loneliness and begin to confide in one another about their problems. Their bond helps both of them confront their respective issues, leading Richard to question his reliance on his imaginary friend and face the realities of his life and marriage.

‘Spirited’ (2022)

This movie offers a modern musical twist on the classic holiday story ‘A Christmas Carol’. The film follows the Ghost of Christmas Present, who is part of a large operation that redeems one dark soul every year. This time, he sets his sights on an unusually challenging target, a slick and manipulative media consultant named Clint Briggs, who is deemed “unredeemable” by the other spirits.

As Present attempts to guide Clint through his past, present, and future, he finds himself in an unexpected situation. Clint turns the tables on his ghostly guide, forcing Present to examine his own life and choices. The journey becomes a humorous and heartfelt exploration of redemption and human connection, filled with song-and-dance numbers that bring a fresh energy to the timeless tale of personal transformation during the holiday season.

‘The Proposal’ (2009)

Margaret Tate is a powerful and demanding Canadian book editor in New York who is feared by her entire staff. When she learns she is facing deportation due to an expired visa, she panics and coerces her long-suffering assistant, Andrew Paxton, into a sham engagement. In exchange for his cooperation, she promises him a promotion and the publication of a manuscript he has been championing, an offer he reluctantly accepts.

To make their engagement believable, the mismatched pair travels to Andrew’s hometown in Sitka, Alaska, to celebrate his grandmother’s 90th birthday. Margaret is completely out of her element in the quirky, close-knit community and surprised to discover Andrew’s family is wealthy and influential. As they try to maintain their ruse for his family and a suspicious immigration agent, they start to develop genuine feelings for each other.

‘Adventureland’ (2009)

In the summer of 1987, recent college graduate James Brennan is excited about a trip to Europe before he heads off to graduate school. However, his plans are ruined when his parents announce they are having financial difficulties and can no longer fund his summer adventure. This forces James to take a low-wage job at a rundown local amusement park called Adventureland, a place filled with eccentric characters and monotonous work.

Despite the disappointing circumstances, James’s summer takes a turn for the better when he falls for his witty and sharp-tongued coworker, Em Lewin. The amusement park becomes the backdrop for a poignant coming-of-age story as James navigates the complexities of first love, heartbreak, and friendship. He learns valuable life lessons from his quirky colleagues, including the park’s maintenance man, who offers him unconventional wisdom.

‘Definitely, Maybe’ (2008)

Will Hayes is a political consultant in Manhattan who finds himself in the middle of a divorce. His young daughter, Maya, becomes curious about her parents’ relationship and asks him to tell her the story of how he and her mother met. Will agrees but decides to change the names of the women involved, turning his romantic history into a mystery for Maya to solve.

He recounts his experiences with three very different women who played significant roles in his life. There’s his college sweetheart Emily, the free-spirited and apolitical April, and the ambitious journalist Summer. As Will tells his story, Maya pieces together the clues, and in the process, Will realizes that it’s never too late to take a second look at the past and find a chance for a happy ending.

‘Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle’ (2004)

The story follows Harold Lee, an investment banker who is often taken advantage of by his colleagues, and Kumar Patel, a brilliant medical student who is deliberately sabotaging his own career path. One evening, after smoking marijuana, the two roommates see a television commercial for White Castle and develop an intense craving for their sliders. This craving sets them on an epic, all-night journey to find the nearest location.

Their seemingly simple quest turns into a wild and surreal adventure filled with bizarre obstacles and encounters. They cross paths with a cheetah, a wildly out-of-control Neil Patrick Harris playing a fictionalized version of himself, and a group of extreme sports enthusiasts. Through it all, Harold and Kumar must navigate a series of hilarious and unexpected challenges to satisfy their hunger and reach their ultimate destination. Ryan Reynolds makes a memorable appearance as a male nurse.

‘Buried’ (2010)

Paul Conroy, an American civilian truck driver working in Iraq, wakes up to find himself in complete darkness. He quickly realizes he is trapped inside a wooden coffin, buried alive somewhere in the desert. With limited oxygen and a rapidly growing sense of panic, his only tools for survival are a lighter, a flask, a knife, and a cell phone with a dying battery.

Using the phone, Paul must piece together the events that led to his terrifying predicament while trying to contact the outside world for help. He engages in a series of desperate conversations with his kidnapper, his employer, and a government official from the Hostage Working Group. The film unfolds in real time entirely within the confines of the coffin, creating a claustrophobic and intensely suspenseful experience as Paul fights for his life against overwhelming odds.

‘Woman in Gold’ (2015)

The film tells the true story of Maria Altmann, an elderly Jewish refugee who fled Vienna during World War II. Decades later, living in Los Angeles, she discovers that she may be the rightful heir to a famous Gustav Klimt painting, the ‘Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I’, a portrait of her beloved aunt that was stolen by the Nazis. The artwork, now considered an Austrian national treasure, is hanging in a Vienna gallery.

Maria enlists the help of a young and initially hesitant lawyer, Randy Schoenberg, to take on the Austrian government and reclaim her family’s heritage. Their legal battle takes them from the United States to Vienna and back, leading all the way to the Supreme Court. Together, they confront the dark history behind the painting and fight a difficult battle for justice and to recover a piece of her family’s stolen past.

‘Mississippi Grind’ (2015)

Gerry, a talented but struggling poker player with a serious gambling addiction, is facing mounting financial pressure. His luck seems to change when he meets Curtis, a charismatic and free-spirited younger gambler who appears to be his good-luck charm. The two form an instant bond over their shared love for the game and the thrill of the risk.

Believing Curtis is the key to turning his fortunes around, Gerry convinces him to embark on a road trip down the Mississippi River. Their plan is to hit various poker rooms and casinos on their way to a legendary high-stakes game in New Orleans. The journey becomes a compelling character study as the two men navigate the highs and lows of the gambling world, testing their friendship and confronting their personal demons along the way.

‘Free Guy’ (2021)

Guy is a cheerful and optimistic bank teller who lives a simple and repetitive life in Free City. He is blissfully unaware that he is actually a non-player character in a massively multiplayer online video game. His world is turned upside down when he encounters a player named MolotovGirl and starts to break free from his programmed routine, developing self-awareness and independent thought.

MolotovGirl is the avatar of a programmer named Millie, who is searching for proof that the game’s creator stole her code. Guy, now a rogue AI, decides to become the hero of his own story and teams up with Millie to save their world from being shut down by the game’s greedy publisher. He becomes a global sensation as “Blue Shirt Guy,” inspiring other NPCs to question their reality.

‘The Adam Project’ (2022)

In a future where time travel is possible, a fighter pilot named Adam Reed steals a time jet and travels back to the past on a secret mission. He accidentally crash-lands in the year 2022, where he encounters his own 12-year-old self. The younger Adam is a smart but grieving kid who is struggling with the recent death of their father and is constantly getting into trouble at school.

The two Adams, one cynical and world-weary and the other still young and impressionable, must team up to navigate the complexities of time travel and complete the mission. They embark on an adventure into their shared past to find their father, who is a brilliant physicist responsible for the creation of time travel. Together, they must confront their emotional baggage and work to save the future from a powerful and corrupt force.

‘Deadpool 2’ (2018)

Wade Wilson continues his work as the “merc with a mouth,” taking on criminals with his signature blend of brutal efficiency and sarcastic humor. After a personal tragedy leaves him feeling lost and without purpose, he finds himself at a crossroads. His journey takes an unexpected turn when he is brought to the X-Mansion by Colossus in an attempt to give him a sense of family and direction.

His chance at heroism arrives in the form of Russell, a troubled young mutant with powerful abilities who is being hunted by Cable, a cybernetically enhanced soldier from the future. To protect the kid, Deadpool assembles a team of fellow mutants he calls X-Force. The ensuing conflict is a chaotic and action-packed adventure filled with irreverent humor, fourth-wall breaks, and surprisingly emotional moments.

‘Deadpool’ (2016)

Wade Wilson is a former Special Forces operative who works as a small-time mercenary. His life takes a happy turn when he meets and falls in love with Vanessa Carlysle. However, their future is threatened when Wade is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Desperate for a cure, he agrees to undergo a rogue experiment that promises to not only heal him but also give him superhuman abilities.

The experiment, run by the villainous Ajax, leaves him with an accelerated healing factor but also severely disfigured. Adopting the alter ego ‘Deadpool’, and armed with a dark, twisted sense of humor, Wade hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life. His quest for revenge is a violent, hilarious, and unconventional journey as he breaks the fourth wall to tell his own origin story.

What is your favorite Ryan Reynolds role? Let us know in the comments below.