In a way it’s very easy to forget that Jason Schwartzman is still around since we don’t see him in a lot of big budget movies it would seem. But all the same he is still around and he’s matured quite a bit throughout the years in several ways. Some of his earlier movies depicted him as a rather cocky and self-assured person, which made for a great villain role as well as a foil to other characters in said movies since he did act like kind of a jerk. But his development throughout the years has been something fun to watch since while he’s not always bound to play the cocky and arrogant parts he does manage to show up on screen as the kind of guy that can be the wallflower or the person that just has to be a part of the action and won’t go away no matter how much you will it. In other words, Jason is a personality that seems to not so much beg for attention but will reach out and take it.
Here are a few of his best movies.
5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
There are those roles that you see actors play that you just love to hate since they represent, or happen to be, the very worst character in the movie. Gideon is the guy that, despite being broken up with Ramona, still can’t get over her and is bound and determined to keep her. That presents a problem for Scott since he too wants to get with Ramona but has to go through the league of evil exes that Gideon has spun together, defeating one after the other in order to gain Ramona’s affection and make certain that they’ll be left alone when all is said and done. The fight with Gideon at the end is probably one of the most satisfying and entertaining of the bunch.
4. Spun
Spun is perhaps one of the most visually sickening movies out there since it deals with the idea of people who are needing to score and will do just about anything to get it. Jason’s character is the main focus of the movie and as we see him going through an average day of what constitutes his life we get to see him abuse a woman by leaving her tied to the bed, get involved with a meth cook that’s a few marbles shy of a few sack, and somehow interact with some of the most scummy people in the world that are all spun out on one substance or another since that seems to be the way they all get through their day. You might need a nap by the time it’s all said and done.
3. Funny People
This has to be one of the biggest cases of false advertising ever, but not really. In the history of Adam Sandler movies there have only been a few that have been so serious that you couldn’t even drag a laugh out of them, but this would definitely be among that group. What’s ironic is that the movie is about a comedian that is dying at first but eventually ends up living after nearly ruining the life of his former flame, who is married and has kids, and after almost pushing away the last person that would have anything to do with him. Jason is a rather conceited actor that plays a bit part in this movie, but one can’t help but shake their head when he speaks since he does kind of inject himself into the story.
2. Saving Mr. Banks
Jason and a few others were pretty much bit players in this movie since Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks were the two biggest stars on the docket considering that this movie was all about how Walt Disney managed to procure the rights to film Mary Poppins. Now if you look into historical records you might find that a lot of people disagree with how this movie went, some rather vehemently since the story goes that Disney was more of a bully than anything in trying to get this story. Who you want to believe is up to you quite honestly, but given that this is a movie it’s a little easier to believe historical records.
1. Rushmore
You don’t get to see people take Bill Murray’s characters head on all that often since quite honestly he’s something of a legend that few people want to mess with. But in this movie Jason’s character, Max, gets to butt heads with Murray’s character in a big way as they vie for the attention of a teacher at Max’s school and end up simply trashing one another in a way that’s nothing less than epic. Rushmore has managed to obtain a cult following throughout the years, but it’s been more than enough to keep its reputation alive.
He’s still got a lot to offer, but it’d be great to see him in a few more leading roles.
Follow Us
