Drama is one of the broadest genre classifications, as there are countless great films that could generally be considered to fall into the category. Many of the greatest films of all-time, such as Citizen Kane or The Godfather, are considered to be dramas, first and foremost. That being said, there are also countless science fiction, dark comedy, fantasy, horror, and historical films that could also fall into the same category.
There are many drama films that simply didn’t get the credit that they deserved upon their initial release, as sadly not every future classic can end up winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. Audiences may occasionally be somewhat resistant to watching films that could be considered challenging, but it’s a lot easier to deal with darker material if it happens to feature fantastic performances. Here are ten underrated drama films with great acting, ranked.
10 ‘Life’ (2015)
Directed by Anton Corbijn
Life is a very inventive biographical drama that stars Dane DeHaan as the legendary movie star James Dean, who sadly died in a car accident after starring in the hit film Rebel Without A Cause . Rather than telling a traditional “rags to riches” story about the birth of an American icon, Life examines how Dean developed a close personal relationship with the photographer Dennis Stock (Robert Pattinson), who took the famous photos of him in New York City for LIFE magazine.
DeHaan explores a quiet, contemplative side to Dean that goes beyond the sort of imitation that has become quite commonplace. While Pattinson has more than proved himself to be one of the best actors working today, Life allowed him to play a more sensitive, insecure character who is only coming to grips with the fact that he is changing popular culture forever.
9 ‘The End of the Tour’ (2015)
Directed by James Ponsoldt
The End of the Tour is an amazing biographical film about the legendary author David Foster Wallace, whose work on novels like Infinite Jest changed literature forever. Although Jason Segel is an actor often associated with more comedic roles in films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I Love You, Man, he completely disappeared into the persona of a deeply troubled artist who has a difficult time meeting his fans.
While Segel is able to make the tragedy of Wallace’s life more affecting with what is easily the best performance of his career, The End of the Tour also features great work from Jesse Eisenberg, who co-stars as the Rolling Stone reporter sent to cover the publicity of Infinite Jest. Eisenberg has played his fair share of neurotic characters, but The End of the Tour allowed him to expand upon that persona with much more depth.
8 ‘This Must Be The Place’ (2011)
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
This Must Be The Place is a very strange examination of musicianship that speaks to essential themes about the struggles that all artists face when they are at a crossroads in their careers. Sean Penn is cast against type as an aging rocker who suffers an existential crisis, forcing him to reflect upon everything that he has accomplished thus far in his life.
Penn resists the temptation to become a caricature, as it would have been very easy for This Must Be The Place to become a complete parody in the vein of This Is Spinal Tap or Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. Surprisingly, Penn is able to give one of the most sensitive performances of his entire career, and inspires the audience to think more closely about the ways in which someone’s outward persona may not reflect who they truly are.
7 ‘Igby Goes Down’ (2002)
Directed by Burr Steers
Igby Goes Down features the greatest performance of Kieran Culkin’s career, proving that he was a very talented actor long before Roman Roy became an icon on Succession. Caulking stars as a young man nicknamed “Igby,” who begins to explore the bohemian art scene of New York City after flunking out of military school, much to the displeasure of his domineering mother (Susan Sarandon).
Culkin does a great job at playing a character who is at odds with his status, as Igby despises that he comes from a privileged background, and desperately wants to be taken seriously by adults. Culkin turns a somewhat cantankerous character into someone that the audience can really root for, but Igby Goes Down also features memorable performances from Ryan Phillipe, Jim Gaffigan, Jared Harris, and Jeff Goldblum in a much more villainous role than he usually plays.
6 ‘Armageddon Time’ (2022)
Directed by James Gray
Armageddon Time is a poignant examination of growing up that features a breakthrough child performance from Banks Repeta as a character that director James Gray loosely based on himself during his adolescence in New York City.
Although it should come as no surprise that he turned in an amazing performance, the great Sir Anthony Hopkins is absolutely captivating as an aging grandfather who inspires his grandson to confront evil and bigotry in the world. Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway are also excellent as a Jewish couple that is trying to survive amidst the fraught political situation surrounding the 1980 election of President Ronald Reagan, and Jessica Chastain has a memorable cameo as a member of the Trump family that offers blunt, unsparing advice for the next generation of business leaders that have learned to live a life purely in search of financial gain.
5 ‘Ben is Back’ (2018)
Directed by Peter Hedges
Ben is Back is a very dark coming-of-age drama in which Lucas Hedges plays a recovering addict who tries to reconnect with his mother (Julia Roberts) and family during the Christmas season. Examining the realities of addiction and the cycle of adjustment is certainly no easy task, but Hedges gives a very moving performance that feels very respectful of survivors that have gone through similar situations.
Roberts gives one of her best performances in years, showing the complex feelings that a parent goes through when they both want to protect their child and feel ashamed of what they did. Roberts sheds any notions of being a “movie star” to give a stripped down, emotional performance that shows why she became an icon in the first place. While it is not always an easy film to watch, Ben is Back is worth experiencing for how strong the mother-son dynamic is portrayed.
4 ‘Master Gardener’ (2023)
Directed by Paul Schrader
Master Gardener is a compelling examination of systematic hatred and repression that features a career best performance from Joel Edgerton. While Edgerton has been a memorable “character actor” ever since his brief role as Owen Lars in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Master Gardener allows him to dig into the complexities of a deeply flawed anti-hero.
Master Gardener questions whether nature or nurture can shape someone’s fate and personality, as Edgeron plays a gardener who was once raised in a violent white supremacist group. While the subtleties that Edgerton brings to the role are certainly the reason to see Master Gardener, the film also features a memorable supporting role for Sigourney Weaver, who is often not given enough credit for the string of terrific performances that she has given outside of her role as Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise.
Master Gardener
A meticulous horticulturist who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager.
- Release Date
- May 19, 2023
- Director
- Paul Schrader
- Runtime
- 111 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
3 ‘Blackberry’ (2023)
Directed by Matt Johnson
Blackberry is an amazing historical drama that delves into the creation of the first mobile communication device invented by Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson). Johnson does a great job at showing the sharp business mind of a tech genius, but it’s Baruchel’s social awkwardness and inability to communicate his ideas that becomes the heart of the film’s message about the inherently predatory nature of capitalism.
Blackberry features an incredible performance by Glenn Howerton as Jim Balsillie, a ruthless business tycoon that took over the development of Mike and Douglas’ company through sheer force of will. Although sadly, Blackberry did not ever expand beyond wide release and was slept on by moviegoers, a better marketing campaign could have landed Howerton an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his deeply amusing, yet terrifying performance as an unfiltered encapsulation of toxic masculinity.
BlackBerry
The story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world’s first smartphone.
- Release Date
- April 28, 2023
- Director
- Matt Johnson
- Runtime
- 121 minutes
2 ‘Cassandra’s Dream’ (2007)
Directed by Woody Allen
Cassandra’s Dream is yet another example of Woody Allen’s brilliance working with actors, as he once again gets very famous stars to play against type. Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor star as two brothers who become involved in a murder scheme, and end up having to cope with the deeply upsetting feelings of guilt and trauma that come afterwards.
Cassandra’s Dream is as much a film about familial dysfunction as it is a crime drama, as it’s the rivalry between the two brothers that makes the conspiracy storyline even more compelling than it would have been otherwise. In what would seem to be a reversal of roles, Farrell is cast as the more charismatic and well-adjusted of the two brothers, whereas McGregor plays the black sheep of the family that is constantly getting himself into deeper and more dangerous trouble.
1 ‘The Good German’ (2006)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
The Good German is a very different type of World War II drama, as director Steven Soderbergh chose to use classical techniques that made it feel like it was plucked right out of the “Golden Age of Hollywood.”George Clooney brings his signature charisma to the role of an American journalist sent to cover the Potsdam Conference, only to discover that his ex-girlfriend (Cate Blanchette) may be involved with a terrifying conspiracy involving the remaining members of the Nazi regime.
Clooney is perfectly cast as a classical hero who somewhat resembles the performance by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca. While it was interesting to see Blanchette cast against type as a femme fatale, The Good German also features a surprisingly compelling villainous role for Tobey Maguire, whose performance couldn’t be any more different than the timid shyness that he brought to Peter Parker in the Spider-Man franchise.