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Ryan Reynolds has created a niche for himself in Hollywood that's special, thansk to the delicious mix of charisma, humour and versatility that makes him among his generation's most bankable stars. Right from the early breakout roles in films like Van Wilder and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Reynolds soon made a name for his sharp wit and comic timing.
It wasn't until 2009, with strong roles in Adventureland and The Proposal, that Reynolds began to cement his leading-man status. After a couple of missteps, particularly with Green Lantern and R.I.P.D., Reynolds' career took off with the role of Deadpool, a character fit for the comic prowess that has put him among the leading men of the superhero genre.
From indie dramas with breakout performances to blockbuster hits and animated adventures, Reynolds proved he could pull off any genre. That's what he has done to his filmography: increasingly broad, reflecting his versatility as an actor and dedication to entertaining audiences across genres.
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Let's look at the top 10 Ryan Reynolds movies ranked by critical reception and their impact on his career.
Ten must-watch Ryan Reynolds movies, Ranked
#1 Mississippi Grind (2015)
Mississippi Grind is an American comedy-drama film by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
It stars Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds, Sienna Miller, Lio Tipton, Alfre Woodard and Robin Weigert. The film traces the story of Gerry, a real estate agent and struggling gambler who befriends Curtis, an itinerant younger gambler, at a casino in Dubuque, Iowa.
The two of them get embroiled in gambling on the Mississippi River down to New Orleans, where everything comes to a head with a high-stakes poker game. Thematically, it deals with luck, friendship and addiction.
#2 Adventureland (2009)
Adventureland is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola.
Jesse Eisenberg stars with Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Martin Starr and Margarita Levieva. Jesse Eisenberg plays James Brennan, who had planned to travel to Europe before attending graduate school to pursue an education in journalism in the summer of 1987.
However, constrained by financial concerns, he has to resort to a job at Adventureland, a rickety amusement park in Pennsylvania. It's there that he gets to know fellow worker Emily Lewin, played by Kristen Stewart, with whom rather too quickly he seems to share some affinity and starts a relationship.
#3 Buried (2010)
Buried is a 2010 survival thriller film in English and Spanish, directed by Rodrigo Cortés.
The stars are Ryan Reynolds, and it's written by Chris Sparling. The scene focuses on Paul Conroy, an American civilian truck driver who works in Iraq. He was attacked and then he woke up to see himself buried alive inside a wooden coffin.
Equipped only with a Zippo lighter, a pen and a BlackBerry phone, he needs to race against time to extricate himself from this claustrophobic death trap. There's tension and suspense as Paul struggles to establish contact with the outside world and survive his dire predicament.
#4 Deadpool (2016)
Deadpool is a 2016 American superhero movie directed by Tim Miller in his directorial debut and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.
It's based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film narrates the origin story of Wade Wilson, played by Ryan Reynolds, a former Special Forces operative-turned-mercenary.
Following a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, he takes up the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new skill set and dark, twisted sense of humour, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
#5 Deadpool 2 (2018)
Deadpool 2 is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool.
Distributed by 20th Century Fox, it's the sequel to Deadpool and the eleventh instalment in the X-Men film series. Two years after fighting organized crime as Deadpool, Wade Wilson fails to kill one of his targets on his anniversary with his girlfriend, Vanessa.
He has to collect a team, called the X-Force, to defend a young mutant named Russell Collins, aka Firefist, played by Julian Dennison, against the time-travelling soldier Cable, played by Josh Brolin. Along the way, Deadpool learns what belonging is again.
#6 Free Guy (2021)
Free Guy is a 2021 American action comedy film directed and produced by Shawn Levy.
The movie stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Joe Keery and Taika Waititi. In the video game world of Free City, Guy is a mild-mannered bank teller who finds out he's an NPC. Unbeknownst to Guy, his entire world is a video game.
Guy partners up with a player, Millie Rusk, played by Jodie Comer, to find evidence that Guy-inhe the CEO of the gaming company stole the source code of Millie's game.
#7 The Croods: A New Age (2020)
The Croods: A New Age is an animated 2020 comedy that follows the further adventures of the prehistoric Croods family.
In the brand-new sequel, they meet another family, the Betterman's. The latter assert that they are far more evolved than the Croods but turn out to challenge them instead.
As the plot unfolds, with tension brewing between both families, a new menace arises for them. The Croods: A New Age is a great mix of funny, adventurous and even family dynamics.
#8 The Voices (2014)
The Voices is a 2014 psychological satirical horror-comedy film by Marjane Satrapi. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick and Jacki Weaver. The world premiere of the film took place at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
In The Voices, Ryan Reynolds plays Jerry, a likeable guy who tries to seduce his office crush based on the advice of his evil-talking pets. Things take a dark turn when she strands him on a date. Now, as he's cajoled by his evil cat and good-hearted dog, Jerry is brought to a turning-point decision: normalcy or something sinister.
#9 Definitely, Maybe (2008)
Definitely, Maybe is a 2008 romantic comedy film written and directed by Adam Brooks, starring Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fisher, Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks, Abigail Breslin and Kevin Kline. In its New York setting, the movie chronicles the story of Will Hayes, a former political consultant undergoing a divorce.
When his 10-year-old daughter Maya presses him about his previous love life, he describes three love affairs that he hopes will clarify to her how he ended up with her mother.
It's threaded through with lightness, nostalgia and tender moments while sharing with us love, timing and life's twists.
#10 The Croods (2013)
It's an American animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Directed by Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco and set in a fictional prehistoric Pliocene era, "The Croodaceous," it centres around Grug, who is the patriarch of the Croods family and embarks on an adventure when a prehistoric genius, Guy, threatens to disrupt his way of life.
Guy dreams up revolutionary new inventions as they travel through a dangerous yet exotic land in search of a new home. The movie features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman.
The filmography of Ryan Reynolds speaks volumes regarding versatility and timeless appeal. From the beginning, starting a career with comedies to a career-defining role in Deadpool, he has always produced performances noteworthy in his chosen genres.
