Top 5 - Jonah Hill Movies

Jonah Hill’s career, much like his weight, fluctuates up and down. He started off as a comedic sidekick and has since grown into a leading man with two surprising, but well earned Oscar nominations. This Friday, Hill stars along Miles Teller in Todd Phillip’s War Dogs, a film I am looking forward to seeing. So in honor of that, here are my five favorite Jonah Hill movies.

These movies are based on quality of film and performance by Hill.

5 – AARON GREEN in GET HIM TO THE GREEK (Nicholas Stoller, 2010)

Get Him to the Greek gave us Jonah Hill in a newer light. Playing a record company intern who is in charge of getting the rambunctious rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand, at his finest) to his concert on time, Hill is perfect as the straight edge character, a character he usually doesn’t play. Snow throws the unsuspecting Green into a chaotic adventure that defines sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. Hill might be playing the straight character, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t hilarious. He and Brand have great chemistry and his dry one-liners are perfect. Get Him to the Greek is one of the most underrated comedies of the decade led by Hill’s performance.

4 – DONNIE AZOFF in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (Martin Scorsese, 2013)

Hill’s second Oscar nomination was for his balls-to-the-wall performance in Martin Scorsese’s sex fueled masterpiece. Playing the best friend of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), Azoff is Belfort’s right-hand man. He is with Jordan during all the sexcapades and money, and is with him during his downfall. With his lower weight, accent, and pearly-white denchers, Hill is nearly unrecognizable. He committed so much to Azoff that he took a pay cut just to be in the movie. From his introduction, to when he eats a live fish, to when he stabs Belfort in the back, Azoff is truly a larger-than-life person and Hill nails it. The Wolf of Wall Street is probably my favorite overall movie on this list, and the only reason why this didn’t land higher is because DiCaprio runs away with the movie. Never the less, Hill is brilliant solidified his status as a great actor.

3 – SCHMIDT in 21/22 JUMP STREET (Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, 2012/2014)

21 Jump Street came out of nowhere. Nobody thought it was going to be as smart and as funny as it turned out. Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are two guys who went through high school on different sides of the social spectrum, but become best friends when they become cops. Hill and Tatum might be the best duo of this decade as the aforementioned Schmidt and Jenko. They compliment each other perfectly, with Schmidt being the brains and Jenko being the braun, and pick each other up when needed. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s self-aware attitude about the redundancy of Hollywood sequels and remakes makes for some of the smartest and funniest comedy in modern movies. The action in the films is also spectacular. I love these movies and performances and hope the series continues.

2 – SETH in SUPERBAD (Greg Mottola, 2007)

Up until this point, Hill had been a supporting comedic actor, having smaller parts in films like Accepted (2006) and Knocked Up (2007). But Superbad gave him his first starring role and he crushed it. As part of a trio of high schoolers in charge of getting alcohol for a party, Seth is the man with the plan throughout Superbad, even if those plans don’t always work. He is also kind of a dick most of the film. He puts his best friend, Evan (Michael Cera), in hilarious, bizarre situations and bails on his dorky, third party friend, Fogle/McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), all for the opportunity to sleep with his crush, Jules (Emma Stone). But, even when he’s an asshole, we still love Seth. He is also the emotional center of the film, as he and Evan are going to separate colleges in the fall and the pressure is mounting on him. Superbad is a sweet, non-stop laugh riot and Hill’s coming out party as a leading man.

1 – PETER BRAND in MONEYBALL (Bennett Miller, 2011)

This casting came as a complete shock. Funny guy Jonah Hill starring in a drama written by Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin, directed by Oscar nominee Bennett Miller, and starring superstar Oscar nominee Brad Pitt. Hill couldn’t hang with these cinematic heavyweights, could he? You’re damn right he could. Hill is superb as Peter Brand. As a young man who looks at the entire game of baseball in a new way, Hill showed that he is more than just comedy. You believe him when he starts spitting his mathematical mumbo-jumbo, and you feel for him when things don’t go his way. His rapport with Pitt is outstanding, and he never lets Pitt overshadow him, giving them a perfect balance of opposite personalities. And even in this drama, Hill’s clueless, dry humor comes through quite a bit. This is the performance that got Hill his first Oscar nomination, and it was well deserved. Moneyball is one of the very best movies of the decade, and it elevated Hill from comedic actor to legitimate Oscar contender, which is why it his best movie.