John C. Reilly: Five Films for Newcomers
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Today marks John C. Reilly’s birthday, and that’s as good as any reason to celebrate his filmography. I feel like his legacy is a little complicated because it really does change in tone depending on who you talk to. His comedies were all the rage when I was a young teen and finally familiar with him, and they weren’t necessarily my cup of tea. I was under the misapprehension that this was kind of all that he did, not realizing that I actually had seen him in countless dramas in supporting roles as a kid; discovering this really changed how I felt about him. I specifically sought out more films like this and was a major fan ever since. Then again, these comedies are exactly how some fans want to remember him. He really speaks to all walks of life though. Like I stated, he can easily do both comedies and dramas. He is great as a supporting actor, but he can hold his own as a lead when called upon. He can tackle mainstream works or some artsier and/or indie projects instead. He really can do it all, and if you don’t know that, it may be time to brush up on your familiarity with the acclaimed actor. Here are five films for newcomers to the works of John C. Reilly.
5. Chicago
2002 was a wild year for Reilly. In fact, there is an unofficial accolade known as the John C. Reilly Award that only twelve actors have ever “won” before: it’s awarded when an actor is affiliated with at least three Best Picture nominated features in one particular year’s Oscars ceremony. Reilly was the first actor since the forties to pull off this feat with Chicago, The Hours, and Gangs of New York under his belt (the only other actor to pull this off since is Michael Stuhlbarg with The Shape of Water, Call Me By Your Name, and The Post in 2017). Focusing on Chicago — which is sadly Reilly’s lone Academy Award nomination (sacrilegious) — will show you an actor on the rise that was the go-to option for supporting work in the early twenty first century.
4. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Again, I wasn’t super into the Reilly comedies that dominated the aughts like Step Brothers or Talladega Nights, but I feel like I need to include one of these films on a list like this. I’ll go with Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Firstly, it has garnered quite the cult status over time (to the degree that some will insist that this purposefully-stupid comedy is actually quite clever satire). Secondly, this is one of the few of these comedies that push Reilly to the forefront as the titular musician. I feel like many other actors would have allowed the silliness of the picture to devour them whole. Reilly takes charge and subtly showcases his range in this picture, and that should be enough of an indication as to how aware of his projects he always is.
3. Wreck-It Ralph
It goes without saying that Wreck-It Ralph should be on a list like this solely because of the animated film’s stature. Having said that, I do think this is a great showcase of Reilly’s talents. Think about how warm the title character is, and how believable he is when he gets upset. You take him seriously no matter what the tone of any scene is. I subscribe to the opinion that voice acting is extremely difficult, and Reilly doesn’t seem like an actor that’s out of his element here: he fits right in. In fact, I wouldn’t mind if he did more voice acting: even though his voice is instantly recognizable, I feel like he would adapt to any character he saw fit.
2. The Sisters Brothers
One could pick many indie and/or arthouse features that Reilly has partaken in, including The Lobster, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Carnage, and Cyrus. I’ll pick Jacques Audiard’s The Sisters Brothers because of how prominent he is in the feature. As charming and magnetic as Reilly is, I think watching him in films that push him to his limits is actually far more rewarding. As Eli Sisters, Reilly co-leads with Joaquin Phoenix and holds his own in this western. In fact, his expertise in both dramas and comedies helps balance this genre fluid feature.
1. Magnolia
There is one certain filmmaker that gets the best out of Reilly: Paul Thomas Anderson. You cannot go wrong with selecting Hard Eight or Boogie Nights as terrific expositions of Reilly’s talents, but I will personally select Magnolia which houses my favourite performance by the actor. It’s technically a supporting role, but there really aren’t any leads in this web of narratives; in fact, Reilly’s cop storyline (as Officer Kurring) does take precedent in a way given that the film concludes with his and Claudia’s final says (he has brilliant chemistry with Melora Walters). Reilly is unforgettable here and it feels like a portfolio of everything he can do, from make you laugh to bringing tears to your eyes. John C. Reilly is brilliant in Magnolia, and it’s a great place to start if you want to see what he is capable of.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.