10 Best J.K. Simmons Movies, Ranked

10 Best J.K. Simmons Movies, Ranked


J.K. Simmons has risen to be one of the most prominent and acclaimed supporting actors in recent memory, yet his effective work ethic and vast filmography have been filled with exceptional talent from the very beginning. From effective voice acting roles in the likes of Gravity Falls and Invincible to Academy Award-nominated performances like in Being the Ricardos, Simmons employs an effective range of his wide variety of talents as an actor.




While Simmons has lent his talents to a wide variety of different mediums and avenues, it’s his memorable and iconic outings in feature filmmaking that have continued to make him an icon. He has been continuously charming and delighting audiences for decades with the distinct and palpable energy that he brings to the screen, playing a wide range of different characters, both serious and grounded and wildly comedic in nature.


10 ‘Zootopia’ (2016)

Directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore

Mayor Lionheart from Zootopia
Image via Disney


In the vast and expansive animal society of Zootopia, it takes a true figure of commanding leadership and honor to lead the city, which is where Simmons’s undeniable voice acting talents come into play. Simmons plays the role of Mayor Leodore Lionheart in the film, the beloved longstanding mayor of the town working towards his goal of making Zootopia a safe living place for all animals. During Judy and Nick’s investigation into the increasing number of savage predators, Lionheart becomes a red herring suspect who could be responsible, although his motives always go back to safety for the city at large.

While a relatively small character in the grand scheme of the story being told in Zootopia, Simmons’s performance as Lionheart immediately shoots him up into being one of the most memorable and defining characters in the film. Simmons simply has an enigmatic and commanding presence with his voice, working perfectly for a well-respected mayoral figure and giving the film much-needed layers of immersion building.


zootopia-poster

Zootopia

Release Date
February 11, 2016

Director
Byron Howard , Rich Moore , Jared Bush

Runtime
108

9 ‘Burn After Reading’ (2008)

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

J.K. Simmons as a CIA Superior looking through a file in 'Burn After Reading'
Image via Focus Features

Simmons has proven himself as a comedic force that, no matter how small or insignificant a role may seem, can become one of the core highlights of the film with great enough execution. In the Coen Brothers’ masterful black comedyBurn After Reading, Simmons plays the role of an unnamed CIA Superior who is given a rundown on the chaotic and messy events of the film. As they come to an understanding of everything that has occurred and how to make things right, he quickly realizes that everything is simply too muddled and confusing to keep track of or even make sense of.


Throughout all the mischief and chaos that takes place throughout Burn After Reading, Simmons’s simple role manages to add a much-needed perspective to state just how messy and nonsensical everything is. Through his annoyed and bothered demeanor, Simmons adds a great deal of memorable comedy to the film simply by reacting to the headache that is all the moving parts of this ridiculous crime. His simple statement, “What did we learn,” is the perfect way to end the film and makes him one of the film’s highlights, even without a true name for his character.

burn-after-reading-movie-poster.jpeg

Release Date
September 5, 2008

Director
Ethan Coen , Joel Coen

Runtime
96 minutes

8 ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ (2016)

Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni

Kai from Kung Fu Panda 3
Image via DreamWorks


The Kung Pu Panda franchise has always had a high reputation for exceptional villains in the world of animation, so Simmons’s talents and expertise in various villainous characters made him a perfect fit for the franchise. Simmons plays the role of General Kai in Kung Fu Panda 3, a Bull who was once widely beloved and fought alongside Oogway before being banished to the Spirit Realm after learning to steal the chi of other fighters. Now returning from the Spirit Realm after 500 years of imprisonment, Kai is looking to take his revenge against all the king fu masters.

Simmons’s role as Kai lives up to the already high bar set by previous Kung Fu Panda installments, being an incredibly intimidating and dynamic villain who directly parallels the growth and story of Po. His role is easily one of the major highlights of the film, bringing a more serious and reflective side to a sequel that often finds itself bogged down by too many comedic side characters. It serves as yet another example of a massively imposing villain made that much more memorable by a brilliant vocal performance from Simmons.


Kung Fu Panda 3 Film Poster

Release Date
January 29, 2016

Director
Alessandro Carloni , Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Runtime
95 minutes

7 ‘Juror #2’ (2024)

Directed by Clint Eastwood

J.K. Simmons standing by a Deer crossing sign wearing glasses and a fedora in Juror No. 2.
Image via Warner Bros.

One of Simmons’s most recent roles, Juror #2 taps into the exact type of no-nonsense attitude that has defined many of Simmons’s previous characters in the past. Simmons plays the role of Harold Chincowski in the film, one of the 12 different jurors chosen to be a part of the jury in the heated murder trial as well as one of the only few who is hesitant to immediately lock the suspect away. Being a former investigator himself, Harold finds issue with the lack of investigation by the police in this case, and decides to take it into his own hands to get a real answer on what happened.


While his time in the film is relatively short, Simmons acts as an exceptional source of tension and terror throughout the film, as his assumptions and deductive reasoning are completely spot on. It’s an effective layer for the filmmaking as a whole, as while his performance is one of abrasive heroism and doing the right thing, it’s terrifying from the perspective of the man who is actually guilty. This exact balance between the calm portrayals and how they are perceived when given the full context of the truth is what makes Juror #2 one of the best crime thrillers of recent memory.

juror-2-official-poster.jpg

Release Date
October 30, 2024

Runtime
114 Minutes

Rent on Amazon Prime

6 ‘Thank You for Smoking’ (2005)

Directed by Jason Reitman

Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor and J.K. Simmons as BR in 'Thank You for Smoking'
Image via Searchlight


One of many collaborations between Simmons and acclaimed dramedy director Jason Reitman, Thank You For Smoking effectively uses Simmons’s talents to portray unbridled rage on-screen. Simmons plays the role of BR in the film, the hot-headed superior to Nick Naylor who embodies the most amplified version of an aggressive and wrathful boss. He ends up having to play a pivotal role in the back-and-forth when Nick incurs the wrath of a senator looking to place a ban on cigarettes.

J.K. Simmons has always had a great ability to tap into an aggressive and wrathful state of mind for his characters, with BR being built from the ground up to make the most out of Simmons’s abilities and anger. Even without a high amount of screen-time compared to other supporting characters, Simmons makes the most out of every second that he’s on screen, easily becoming one of the most memorable characters in the film in the process.


thank-you-for-smoking-film-poster.jpg

Release Date
March 17, 2006

Director
Jason Reitman

Cast
Joan Lunden , Eric Haberman , Aaron Eckhart , Mary Jo Smith , Todd Louiso , Jeff Witzke

Runtime
92 minutes

5 ‘Palm Springs’ (2020)

Directed by Max Barbakow

J.K. Simmons as Roy covered in camo and aiming down a bow and arrow in 'Palm Springs'
Image via Hulu

Simmons has always been able to find a great balance between his tendencies as a serious and grounded actor to create top-notch comedy, with one of the best examples coming from his role in Palm Springs. The film sees Simmons play the role of Roy Schlieffen, a relative of the groom who is accidentally brought into the time-loop conundrum by Nyles (Andy Samberg). Now, as an act of occasional revenge for getting him stuck in the loop, Roy will hunt Nyles down and kill him, with one of these hunts inadvertently getting the Bride’s sister, Sarah (Cristin Milioti), in the loop as well.


The concept behind Roy as a character is already rife with comedic potential, being a mild-mannered veteran who is enraged after being brought into the painful existence that is living in a time-loop. His anger and revenge against Nyles are both incredibly hilarious and justified, with Roy getting his revenge in many different ways due to things always repeating as if these deaths never happened. Simmons’s performance is what ties everything about Roy together into one of the film’s prominent moments, helping make it one of the best time-loop movies out there.

Palm Springs Film Poster

Release Date
July 10, 2020

Director
Max Barbakow

Runtime
90 minutes

4 ‘Klaus’ (2019)

Directed by Sergio Pablos

Jesper and Klaus in Klaus
Image via Netflix


Years before Simmons would play a beefed up live-action Santa Claus in Red One, Klaus saw Simmons voicing a version of the Christmas icon that feels more grounded in reality, being a figure that was the inspiration for Santa Claus. The film follows lowly Postal Academy student Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) sent off to a small village in the Arctic to act as their local postman, even though they do not need to exchange letters. However, after fostering a friendship with mysterious carpenter Klaus, they work together to create a new tradition that ends up being the origin of Christmas.

Simmons plays the role of Klaus in the film, giving a performance that initially is much more reserved and defined by silence and lack of dialogue than others, yet the character slowly grows more outgoing and affectionate as it goes on. Simmons perfectly captures the evolution of Klaus throughout the film, starting as a lonesome grump before perfectly inhabiting the holly jolly nature of the man that would inspire Santa Claus.


klaus-movie-poster

Klaus

Release Date
November 8, 2019

Director
Sergio Pablos

Runtime
97

Watch on Netflix

3 ‘Juno’ (2007)

Directed by Jason Reitman

juno-j-k-simmons-allison-janney
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures

A simple yet deeply engrossing performance that is filled with charm and wit with each scene, Simmons does an excellent job of giving the energy of a stern yet loving father in Juno. He plays the role of Mac McGruff in the film, Juno’s father who has to help guide her through the chaos and difficulty of unplanned pregnancy. While the character certainly has disappointments with Juno, there is an overwhelming sense of love and care for his daughter that makes Mac one of the most lovable characters in the film.


Simmons does just about everything right when it comes to portraying a loving father in Juno, giving a deeply relatable and likable energy throughout all the turmoil that Juno faces during her teen pregnancy. His performance also goes hand in hand with the one by Allison Janney, who in her own right does an exceptional job as Juno’s step-mom. The role is easily the best of his frequent collaborations with Reitman, and further cemented him as a force when it came to dramatic acting.

Juno Poster

Juno

Release Date
December 5, 2007

Director
Jason Reitman

Runtime
92

2 ‘Spider-Man’ (2002)

Directed by Sam Raimi

J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson sitting at his desk in 2002's Spider-Man
Image via Sony


It takes a truly spectacular performance to transform an already popular and established character and make it one’s own, to the point where the performance is synonymous with the character itself. Simmons initially started portraying Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi‘s first Spider-Man film, a role that Simmons has continued to play both in live-action and in animation for decades. Jameson is a brash and aggressive newsman who has a scathing hatred for Spider-Man, despite not realizing that the web-slinger is working for him as a photographer.

It’s difficult to imagine the character of J. Jonah Jameson without immediately thinking of Simmons’s masterful performance, balancing comedy, aggression, and genuine heart into the perfect adaptation of the character. Simmons fundamentally transformed and evolved the character of Jameson into the medium of film, and became such an iconic take on the character that, even after various reboots and recasts, he has frequently portrayed the character in live-action, even as recently as Spider-Man: No Way Home.


Spider-Man 2002 Film Poster

Spider-Man

Release Date
May 3, 2002

Runtime
121 minutes

1 ‘Whiplash’ (2014)

Directed by Damien Chazelle

J.K. Simmons looking at Miles Teller in 'Whiplash' (2014)
Image via Sony Pictures Classics

While Simmons’s portrayal of J. Jonah Jameson is what helped put him on the map as an effective and energetic actor, there is simply no mistake that his greatest feat of acting prowess comes from Whiplash. Simmons plays the role of Terence Fletcher in the film, a cutthroat music teacher who won’t hold back in terms of vicious and scathing annihilation of his students in able to get the best out of them. His style takes a mental toil on all those who train under him, yet this desire to truly become the best is also what makes his teaching methods so alluring.


Simmons is an electrifying force of terror every time he’s on-screen in Whiplash, single-handedly giving the film the same nail-biting energy and tension of a horror film. It’s a supporting performance filled to the brim with quotable lines, hilarious memorable moments, and a powerful emotional side that allows audiences to truly understand and even respect his view of the world. Simmons’s work was so acclaimed that he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film, which to this day is the only Academy Award that the actor has won so far.

NEXT: Every Movie Directed by Damien Chazelle, Ranked



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