Steve Martin is a classic character without any doubt and whether he’s being serious or comical he’s definitely the guy you call for a feelgood movie. His comedy can be just a little dry depending on how it’s used in the movie but at the same time he knows how to deliver a line and make it work no matter what film he’s in. He’s the kind of guy that says more with a look sometimes than he does with his words, and can get his point across by saying very little. When he’s on screen it’s kind of hard to not laugh unless he’s in a completely serious movie since he has a way about him that suggests that at any moment he could say something funny and have people in stitches. His earlier material seems to get more attention than anything he’s done recently, but as an actor he’s still one of the best.
Here are some of his best movies throughout his career.
5. Parenthood
If anyone ever says that being a parent is easy they’ve either never been one or they’re lying through their teeth. This movie is just one point in time that shows how parenting can be a joy and a blessing but also be a constant state of worrying that never goes away and tends to cause a level of anxiety about the future that doesn’t stop until the kids are out of the house, if then. The adventures and misadventures of those within the movie tell an amazingly accurate number of tales that still don’t even scratch the surface of what it means to be a parent, though they do show some great worst and best case scenarios.
4. Father of the Bride
A good father, not all fathers unfortunately, will find themselves getting a little choked up at the idea of their daughter announcing that they’re getting married. No matter how much another man loves your daughter he’ll never be quite good enough in the eyes of a father. It’s not proven fact but the idea that one’s little girl could be grown up and ready to move on and move out with another person, a man no less that will one day be her husband, is a nightmare for some fathers and yet a wake-up call that can’t be denied. Daddy’s little girl is after all supposed to think boys are yucky. Unless a girl grows up to be a lesbian however that thought process doesn’t really fly after grade school.
3. Roxanne
It’s great being the witty guy that knows just what to say at any given moment and is also looked up to by people that know him. But people are superficial no matter where you go and quite honestly having a nose this large is going to get a person noticed. Thankfully Martin’s character is the type that knows how to handle himself in pretty much any situation and doesn’t always take cracks about his nose to heart. After all, if you’ve lived with a part of your body for so long you’re likely to have developed a thick skin about it, hopefully, and will be able to reflect any and all insults away or back at the person that spewed them.
2. The Jerk
The guy’s a moron, and that’s being nice. How Steve Martin plays this role is anyone’s guess since it takes an amount of dumb that seems to sink a person’s IQ past the midway point and all the way to the bargain basement. It’s not just that the character is dumb, well yeah, yeah it is. But he way in which he plays the character is still funny because as you roll your eyes you’re still laughing and hoping that there’s no one in the world that’s actually like this. The only sad part is that you realize there very well might be and that they’re out there right now making the world a dumber place.
1. Trains, Planes, and Automobiles
On a trek to get home from the city Neil Page is forced to do a lot of things that he doesn’t want to do, like change planes, get stuck in an airport, share a cab and then a room with a guy he just met, and discover just how dirty and filthy the other half can live. The holidays definitely make people crazy, but it gets even worse when it seems that the whole world is out to get you and just ruin your day in general. And throughout all of it Del Griffith is right there, touting his road wisdom and getting Neil’s back as much as he can, which isn’t saying much really besides the constant companionship. But hey, it would be beat being alone, kind of.
He’s a funny guy even when he’s trying to be serious simply because you think he’s going to be funny at any moment.
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