Every Glen Powell Movie, Ranked Worst To Best

Summary

• Glen Powell’s career has soared from indie films to critically-acclaimed blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick.
• Powell’s diverse roles showcase his talent in romcoms, action movies, and indie projects, earning him industry respect.
• In films like Hidden Figures and Hit Man, Powell shines alongside top talents, proving his star power is on the rise.

Glen Powell first started gaining traction with a string of indie movies, and he has since transformed into one of the most exciting stars in Hollywood. After hits such as Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You put Powell on the map, he is in prime position to enjoy a long and successful career. Powell has the kind of intelligent charisma that evokes an older generation of movie stars, and his characters are often easy to spend time with.

Powell’s career has seen him take on a surprising variety of roles. His most notable successes have come in romcoms and action movies, but he spent many years working in indie films of all genres. This is what first drew the attention of Richard Linklater, who has become one of Powell’s fiercest advocates and most important collaborators over the years. Powell has successfully transitioned from low-budget indie movies to starring alongside the likes of Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington in critically-acclaimed blockbusters.

30 Wind Walkers (2015)

Sonny Childe

Steeped in Native American mythology, Wind Walkers is a somber horror movie set in the murky Florida Everglades. The story follows a group of friends who are stalked by a strange malevolent energy while out on a hunting trip. There are some interesting ideas that Wind Walkers threatens to explore, but it decides instead to stick to predictable scares with rapidly diminishing impact. Wind Walkers ends up as a forgettable, dreadfully slow horror story. There’s plenty of paranoia and confusion, but this quickly turns to boredom.

29 April Apocalypse (2013)

Dickie

All zombie movies have to bring something new to the genre, or else they simply aren’t worth watching. April Apocalypse pitches itself as a teen romcom that just so happens to be set during the zombie apocalypse. While it’s light on the usual gore and frantic horror, April Apocalypse tries instead to charm audiences with a deliberately disconnected tone. The humor never cuts through, however, and what’s left is a formulaic zombie movie, but without the relatable characters needed to raise the dramatic stakes beyond the obvious.

28 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)

Long-fingered Boy

Glen Powell made his film debut in 2003 in Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, and he isn’t the only surprising star to feature in a Spy Kids movie. Elijah Wood, Sylvester Stallone and George Clooney all have roles in the franchise’s third entry, but they can’t do anything to rescue the critically-maligned children’s movie. The first two Spy Kids have plenty of fun gadgets, but they still parody James Bond and other spy thrillers. The third movie, by contrast, uses too much shaky CGI as Carmen and Juni travel into a video game world. Powell plays just one of many wacky characters they meet along the way.

27 Barrio Tales (2012)

Jack

Barrio Tales is an uneven horror anthology about the inhabitants of a Mexican border town. Since each story is told by the same mysterious character, it’s never revealed how much of it, if any, is supposed to be true. The three stories each show the harsh conditions of the town and the prejudice of the white Americans on the other side of the border, so it’s perhaps more interesting to believe they are nothing more than ghost stories. As is the case with many horror anthologies, the different segments are patched together poorly, and they aren’t interesting or scary enough to hold water on their own.

26 The Bad Guys (2018)

Whit

The Bad Guys is an all but forgotten indie comedy-drama about an aspiring filmmaker who attempts to reunite some old friends to mine material from the predictably chaotic time that they will spend together over the course of one alcohol-fuelled weekend. Glen Powell plays one of the film’s more level-headed characters, and he finds himself surrounded by ludicrous dysfunction everywhere he turns. The Bad Guys doesn’t strike the right tonal balance between comedy and drama. The humor is injected randomly to provide levity, but it doesn’t fit with the setting or the style.

25 Best Friends Forever (2013)

Nick

Best Friends Forever was shot on 16 mm film, which casts the wide, yawning deserts of the American west in the perfect light. The story follows two best friends who embark on a cross-country road trip right at the moment that a full-scale nuclear apocalypse kicks off. Oblivious to the chaos unfolding all around them, Harriet and Reba are more occupied by the cracks in their relationship. Ultimately, the tedious friendship drama overshadows the movie’s more interesting qualities, and what could have been a unique apocalypse movie fails to use its setting for anything more than a flimsy metaphor.

24 Sex Ed (2014)

JT

Many people will only ever see Haley Joel Osment as a child star, thanks to his critically-acclaimed performances in movies such as The Sixth Sense and A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Sex Ed plays with this reputation, as Osment plays a man who has struggled to grow up. Ed is a teacher who takes it upon himself to teach his students about the birds and the bees, despite the fact that, as a virgin, his knowledge comes exclusively from textbooks and anatomy charts. There is plenty of raunchy humor, naturally, but Sex Ed tries to balance this out with an endearing sweetness. Glen Powell shines as Ed’s confident best friend.

23 Pig (2011)

Johnny the Teacher

The obvious touchstone for Pig is Christopher Nolan’s Memento, and it’s hard to imagine that this indie film was not inspired by it in some way. Both movies feature a man trapped in a criminal conspiracy trying to solve the mysteries that lie beneath his amnesia, and both movies make use of a non-linear structure to keep things interesting. These comparisons don’t help Pig, which doesn’t reach the boundaries of its interesting premise. What makes Pig unique is the sci-fi element, although this too doesn’t get the payoff that it teases.

22 The Wendell Baker Story (2005)

Paper Boy

Luke Wilson casts himself as lovable loser Wendell Baker in this indie comedy he co-directs with his brother Andrew. Owen is on hand to complete the trio of Wilson brothers, and The Wendell Baker Story does, for better or worse, feel like a movie made by a group of men who have had their whole lives to develop their own secret language of comedy. The Wendell Baker Story luxuriates in its slow pace, taking in the sights on the long road to nowhere. For a story about the monotony of a retirement hotel, this is entirely apt, although whether it’s entertaining is another question.

21 Misconduct (2016)

Doug Fields

Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins should have enough quality to make most movies work, but Misconduct is not one of those movies. The legal thriller stumbles through a nonsensical plot, and it tries to generate too much drama with a booming score and plenty of showy camera tricks. The effect is minimal, however, and Misconduct falls pitifully short of the potential that its cast offers it. Hopkins plays it cool as a slimy, power-obsessed suit, while Pacino turns up his cartoonish eccentricities. Both actors have found success with these styles, but they scrape each against each other horribly.

20 Jumping Off Bridges (2006)

Eric Turner

Jumping Off Bridges is an indie drama about a group of high school friends who rely on one another after one of their mothers takes her own life. The friends each react to the tragedy in their own ways, some with bursts of violence and self-destructive behavior, and others with cold, detached silence. Jumping Off Bridges tells an important story, and its characters feel achingly real, but the story suffers from uneven pacing. Glen Powell is one part of a surprisingly mature cast who work together admirably. This is important, because a lot of Jumping Off Bridges hinges on moments of quiet contemplation.

19 Fast Food Nation (2006)

Steve

Fast Food Nation is the first of Richard Linklater’s movies to feature Glen Powell, and the duo have developed a lot since these humble beginnings. Fast Food Nation is an examination of the fast food industry in the same vein as the 2004 documentary Super Size Me. Its stories are all fictional, but they are based on real news articles about working at different levels in the industry and the content of the food, which consumers rarely question. Fast Food Nation is undoubtedly effective, but its politics often overshadow the characters in the worst way.

18 The Hottest State (2006)

John Jaegerman

One of Ethan Hawke’s rare directorial efforts, The Hottest State follows an aspiring actor as he tries to mature and get his frantic life in order. It’s hard to ignore the autobiographical aspects of Hawke’s story, and the fact that Hawke plays the father of the character based on himself is an interesting touch. There are moments of genuine heart and humor, but The Hottest State is spoiled somewhat by its self-serious drama, and this limits the effectiveness of the character study at the film’s core. Glen Powell has a fleeting cameo.

17 Stuck In Love (2012)

Frat Guy

Stuck In Love is a romcom that tries to examine love from many different angles. Each member of the Borgens family endures their own personal crisis as they struggle to find fulfillment. With an endearing cast, Stuck In Love is able to deliver plenty of heartwarming moments, but it doesn’t quite wrangle its disparate elements together in a more meaningful way. Glen Powell appears in just one scene as a college kid someone meets at a party. It’s easy to forget that he was even in Stuck In Love, since his minor role is so inconsequential to the story.

16 Red Wing (2013)

Francis Riley

Red Wing gave Glen Powell one of his earliest starring roles. He plays Francis, an orphan raised on a Texan farm before his jealous adopted father kicks him out. Red Wing is a twisted romantic drama. It has the appearance of a warm and comforting country tale, but the topic is surprisingly subversive. It’s unclear how far the audience is supposed to support Francis’ blossoming relationship with his own adoptive mother. Some scenes of sun-soaked beauty are clearly seen through the character’s eyes, but they are both victims of an abusive man, and they find a strange solace in one another.

15 The Expendables 3 (2014)

Thorn

The Expendables franchise started out with a lot of hype, as a stacked roster of iconic action stars teamed up for the first time ever. Unfortunately, each movie has seen diminishing returns, with the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wesley Snipes unable to return to their glory days. The franchise has always tried to bring in some younger stars to freshen up the dynamic, and Glen Powell was just one of many. The Expendables 3 delivers more of the same for the franchise, with enough explosions and star power to please hardcore fans, but not enough character development or creative action set pieces to impress critics.

14 Ride Along 2 (2016)

Troy

Glen Powell has a brief role as a drug dealer in Ride Along 2, but the comedy is all about the dynamic between its two stars, Kevin Hart and Ice Cube. Like the first movie, Ride Along 2 received a slew of negative reviews, but it was a box office hit. There has been enough love from fans over the years to perpetuate rumors of a potential Ride Along 3. Both Ride Along movies try to tap into the same mismatched buddy cop chemistry of movies like Bad Boys and 48 Hrs. The two stars share some enjoyable moments, but they don’t reach the heights of either of these other movies.

13 Sand Castle (2017)

Sgt. Chutsky

Sand Castle is based on the experiences of screenwriter Chris Roessner in the Iraq War. Like other semi-autobiographical war movies, particularly Jarhead, it provides an interesting deep-dive into the psychology of war and the strange camaraderie that develops between soldiers. Nicholas Hoult leads the ensemble cast, and he delivers a superb performance as a young machine gunner unequipped to reckon with the horrors of war. Sand Castle lacks a compelling narrative drive, with more focus on the internal states of the soldiers in Iraq. Powell has a supporting role as a Sergeant.

12 The Great Debaters (2007)

Harvard Debater

Denzel Washington is one of the greatest actors of his generation, but he has also proven to be a steady hand when it comes to directing. Although he doesn’t direct many movies, The Great Debaters and Fences prove that perhaps he should. He stars as Melvin B. Tolson, the debate coach at historically Black institution Wiley College in the 1930s, as he leads his team to victory over Harvard. The Great Debaters is a fascinating look at the power of words to cause material change in the world, but it also questions the limits of language. Glen Powell has a minor role as one of Harvard’s privileged debaters.

11 The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Trader

Glen Powell has now become one of Hollywood’s hottest talents, so it’s a pleasant surprise to see him pop up in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy years before making his breakout. Powell’s minor role in The Dark Knight Rises sees his head getting slammed into a desk by Bane just as quickly as he is introduced. Although it isn’t usually considered the strongest entry in the Dark Knight trilogy, the third movie still helped set the standard for modern superhero blockbusters, with Tom Hardy’s Bane making a fascinating adversary for Batman. If Powell had a larger role, The Dark Knight Rises would undoubtedly rank among his best movies.