Steve Carell movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best

15. DAN IN REAL LIFE (2007)

Director: Peter Hedges. Writers: Pierce Gardner, Peter Hedges. Starring Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, Alison Pill, Dianne Wiest, John Mahoney.

Carell received some of his career best reviews for Peter Hedges’ comedic drama. He plays Dan Burns, a newspaper columnist and single father of three still getting over the death of his wife. While on a family vacation, he meets a beautiful woman (Juliette Binoche) in a bookstore, only to find out that she’s already in a relationship with someone: his brother Mitch (Dane Cook). The film shows Carell stretching his dramatic muscles at the same time he was making us laugh in “The Office.”

14. HOPE SPRINGS (2012)

Director: David Frankel. Writer: Vanessa Taylor. Starring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell.

Although it may appear light on the surface, this comedy from David Frankel is surprisingly frank about how much love can be lost in a long-lasting relationship. The film stars Meryl Streep as a housewife who hopes to reignite the spark in her marriage by signing her and her husband (Tommy Lee Jones) up for a week of intense counseling with Dr. Bernie Feld (Carell) at a coastal resort town in Maine. It’s in those therapy sessions that the film truly shines, with Streep and Jones delving into some harsh truths. Carell, meanwhile, proves an able and friendly moderator, holding his own opposite two acting titans.

13. CAFE SOCIETY (2016)

Writer/Director: Woody Allen. Starring Jeannie Berlin, Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Parker Posey, Kristen Stewart, Corey Stoll, Ken Stott.

After a bit role in “Melina and Melinda” (2004), Carell reunited with Woody Allen as part of the main ensemble for his 1930s period comedy. The film centers on Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg), a young man who leaves New York for Hollywood and gets a job running errands for his uncle Phil Stern (Carell), a powerful talent agent. He instantly falls in love with Phil’s secretary Veronica (Kristen Stewart), unaware that she’s having an affair with her married boss. Though it’s far from prime Woody, its sumptuous period detail dedicated performances make it an amusing bauble. 

12. ASTEROID CITY (2023)

Writer/Director: Wes Anderson. Starring Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Jake Ryan, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Liev Schriber, Steve Carell.

As an actor who has often produced his best work as part of an ensemble, it’s not surprising that Carell would eventually find his way into the universe of Wes Anderson. In “Asteroid City,” his role may be small in size — his Motel Manager character doesn’t even have a name — but what Carell does in the role looms very large. With his ever-present green eyeshade, his manager seems to be always there when trouble goes down in the small one-pump town. Watching him trying to convince a customer to sleep in a tent because his assigned cabin burned down evokes his cringiest moments from “The Office,” and that’s high praise indeed.

11. CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE. (2011)

Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa. Writer: Dan Fogelman. Starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon.

Before there was “Battle of the Sexes,” Carell and Emma Stone appeared in this multi-generational romantic comedy written by “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman. Carell stars as Cal, a middle-aged man whose life is changed when his wife (Julianne Moore) asks for a divorce. He seeks help from a newfound friend (Ryan Gosling) who’s skilled at picking up women, including Cal’s oldest daughter (Stone). This being a Fogelman script, that little connection is saved as a big reveal for the very end. But twists aside, this is a pretty delightful examination of love, family, and everything inbetween.

10. BEAUTIFUL BOY (2018)

Director: Felix Van Groeningen. Writers: Luke Davies, Felix Van Groeningen, based on memoirs by David and Nic Sheff. Starring Timothee Chalamet, Maura Tierney, Amy Ryan, Kaitlyn Dever, Andre Royo, Timothy Hutton.

Carell gives one of his best performances in this somber domestic drama. Based on a pair of bestselling memoirs, “Beautiful Boy” recounts the harrowing true story of how David Sheff (Carell) tried desperately to help his drug-addicted son, Nic (Timothee Chalamet). Director Felix Van Groeningen (“The Broken Circle Breakdown”) and screenwriter Luke Davies (“Lion”) jump back-and-forth through time to give insight into the recoveries and relapses that occur over several years. But it’s the powerhouse performances by Carell, Chalamet, and Maura Tierney as the devoted wife and step-mother that make the film worth seeing.

9. DESPICABLE ME (2010)

Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud. Writers: Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, story by Sergio Pablos. Starring Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Kristen Wiig.

Younger audiences probably know Carell best as the voice of evil mastermind Gru in this animated franchise. In the first installment, Gru and his little yellow Minions use a trio of orphan girls as pawns in a grand scheme, only to find his life profoundly changed by their love. The actor has returned for two sequels, as well as the spinoff entry “Minions.” Here’s hoping for even more despicable fun.

8. THE WAY, WAY BACK (2013)

Writer/Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash. Starring Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Annasophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, Liam James, Zoe Levin.

This coming-of-age comedy from Oscar-winning screenwriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (“The Descendants”) centers on Duncan (Liam James), a shy 14-year-old on vacation with his mother (Toni Collette), her obnoxious boyfriend (Carell), and his daughter (Zoe Levin). Shy and unappreciated, he sparks up a friendship with the staff of a local water park and starts dating an outgoing girl (Annasophia Robb). Sam Rockwell is a standout as the park manager, who becomes the father figure Carell fails to be.

7. LAST FLAG FLYING (2017)

Director: Richard Linklater. Writers: Richard Linklater, Darryl Ponicsan, based on the book by Ponicsan. Starring Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, J. Quinton Johnson, Cicely Tyson.

In this pseudo-sequel to “The Last Detail” (1973), Carell plays Larry “Doc” Shepherd, a former Navy Corpsman who reunites with his old buddies — former Marines Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranton) and Reverend Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne) — thirty years after serving together in Vietnam. He asks the two to help him bury his son, who was killed in the Iraq War. Like most Richard Linklater movies, “Last Flag Flying” is content to follow its characters down whatever road they take, balancing moments of humor with subdued drama. It certainly helps that this trio of actors play beautifully together.

6. BATTLE OF THE SEXES (2017)

Directors: Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton. Writer: Simon Beaufoy. Starring Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Elisabeth Shue, Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming.

Carell reunited with his “Little Miss Sunshine” directors to recount the true story of a legendary tennis match nicknamed a “Battle of the Sexes.” He plays ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs, who challenged World number one Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) to a high stakes match. King, a feminist and closeted lesbian, was fighting for more than just the glory of winning: rather, this was about a woman’s right to equal pay for equal work. It’s a message that still resonates over 40 years later, in more than just the world of sports. Carell scored Golden Globe and SAG nominations for his boistrous performance, but missed out at the Oscars.

5. ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY (2004)

Director: Adam McKay. Writers: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay. Starring Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Fred Willard.

Adam McKay’s absurdist comedy centers on Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), San Diego’s top-rated newsman in the male-dominated world of 1970s broadcasting. His status is threatened when a female anchorwoman (Christina Applegate) is hired at the station. Carell plays dim-witted but sweet-natured meteorologist Brick Tamland, a role he was well-prepared for after several seasons as a correspondent on “The Daily Show.” Unabashedly silly and crude, “Anchorman” pokes gleeful fun at the styles and attitudes of the time. The cast and crew returned almost a decade later for the ‘80s set sequel “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” (2013).

4. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)

Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris. Writer: Michael Arndt. Starring Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, Alan Arkin.

By far one of Carell’s most popular titles, this road trip comedy from debut directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris was a huge hit at Sundance before lighting up the summer box office and winning Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin) and Best Original Screenplay (Michael Arndt). The story centers on a dysfunctional family traveling cross-country in a VW bus on their way to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, where their youngest daughter (Supporting Actress contender Abigail Breslin) is a contestant. Carell plays Frank Ginsberg, a gay Proust scholar living with his sister (Toni Collette) following a suicide attempt. Though Arkin won all the accolades for playing the feisty, drug-snorting grandpa, Carell deserved to be nominated right alongside him for his tender, nuanced performance (he was a runner-up at the New York Film Critics Circle). After victories at the PGA and SAG, the film looked like a major contender for Best Picture, but it ultimately lost to Martin Scorsese‘s “The Departed.”

3. FOXCATCHER (2014)

Director: Bennett Miller. Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman. Starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Michael Hall.Carell received his first Oscar nomination as Best Actor for Bennett Miller’s truth-is-stranger-than-fiction sports drama. He plays John du Pont, an eccentric billionaire who convinces U.S. Olympic wrestling champions Mark and David Shultz (Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo) to join “Team Foxcatcher.” Things take a drastic turn, however, when du Pont kicks Mark out and murders David. “Foxcatcher” is a chilling true crime drama, anchored by naturalistic performances from its cast. Carell is truly a revelation, dialing back his usual comedic tendancies to play a terribly lonely, seriously messed-up man. The film received additional nominations for Best Director (Miller), Best Supporting Actor (Ruffalo), Best Original Screenplay (E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman), and Best Hair and Makeup, yet missed out in Best Picture.

2. THE BIG SHORT (2015)

Director: Adam McKay. Writers: Charles Randolph, Adam McKay, based on the book by Michael Lewis. Starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Melissa Leo, Hamish Linklater, John Magaro, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, Marisa Tomei, Finn Wittrock.

In a major change of pace from their usual collaborations, Carell reunited with “Anchorman” director Adam McKay for this comedic satire about the 2007-2008 financial crisis that triggered the housing bubble collapse. He plays Mark Baum (a character based on real-life investor Steven Eisman), the bombastic head of a hedge fund which invests millions of dollars into credit default swaps. Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt headline the large ensemble as various big money players. At times hilarious and enraging, “The Big Short” is a brash, scathing, and enteraining recreation of an American tragedy. Carell received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Musical/Comedy Actor for his performance, while the film reaped Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director (McKay), Best Supporting Actor (Bale), and Best Film Editing, winning for McKay and Charles Randolph’s adapted screenplay.

1. THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN (2005)

Director: Judd Apatow. Writers: Judd Apatow, Steve Carell. Starring Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Leslie Mann, Jane Lynch.

Carell became a leading man with Judd Apatow’s hilarious sex comedy about a middle-aged man’s quest to finally lose his virginity. With the help of his friends (Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogan), he meets a single mother (Catherine Keener), but holds off on doing the deed in fear that she’ll leave him afterwards. Despite what its title suggests, this isn’t just a raunchy romp. Instead, it’s surprisingly touching and charming, thanks in large part to Carell’s empathetic performance. The film was a critical and box office smash, earning Carell and Apatow a WGA nomination for their original screenplay. Sadly, Oscar voters weren’t amused.