Adam Driver's 10 Best Movies (Outside Star Wars)

Adam Driver’s role as Ben Solo/Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy was one of the highlights of those movies, but these 10 roles represent his best performances outside the Star Wars franchise. Driver’s filmography is truly fascinating. After getting his big break in the Lena Dunham comedy-drama show Girls as her on-again-off-again boyfriend (also named Adam), Driver landed Star Wars. Despite that massive role, Driver stepped back from major franchises and began taking on roles in a wide array of genres.

Star Wars remains one of Driver’s best roles. Although the sequel trilogy is controversial among Star Wars’ movies and TV shows, with many still considering them some of Star Wars’ worst movies, Kylo Ren was generally well-received and ultimately proved to be one of Star Wars’ best characters. Kylo Ren was far from the only role that proved what a brilliant actor Driver is, though. These 10 movies outside Star Wars are Driver’s very best and reveal his truly impressive range.

10 65

Although One Of Adam Driver’s Stranger Roles, 65 Is Truly Fun

65 is one of the best examples of Driver’s willingness to take on more obscure roles. In fact, Driver has consistently stated that he picks roles based on the directors he wants to work with more than any other factor. In this case, it seems to have been a producer driving his decision, as Sam Raimi, an incredibly successful filmmaker to say the least, was one of the producers of 65.

65 is undeniably unusual. The movie’s cast mainly comprises just Adam Driver, who plays Mills, and Ariana Greenblatt, who plays Koa. Mills, a captain of a spaceship, is transporting a number of cryogenically frozen people when he crash lands on Earth 65 million years ago. He believes everyone else died in the crash only to discover that a young girl named Koa, who doesn’t speak his language, survived. The two must then traverse Earth and survive multiple attacks from dinosaurs to make their way back to their ship.

Of course, with it being 65 million years ago, this ends up coinciding with the mass extinction event that killed off most of the dinosaurs. Despite its oddities and the generally poor reception, 65 really is one of Driver’s best movies. It is undeniably impressive that Greenblatt and Driver were able to act opposite only each other and have very minimal communication because of their language barrier and still make an entertaining movie. It’s also delightful to know Kylo Ren shared screen time with young Ahsoka Tano (from a certain point of view).

9 The Last Duel

This Brutal, Chilling Story Was One Of Adam Driver’s Greatest Performances

The Last Duel is perhaps Driver’s most brutal role, although he plays it very well. In the movie, Jodie Comer’s character, Marguerite de Carrouges, is sexually assaulted by Driver’s character, Jacques Le Gris. With the movie being set in Medieval France, this event leads to Marguerite’s husband, Sir Jean de Carrouges, challenging Jacques Le Gris to a duel to the death—although, the movie makes it clear this is hardly chivalrous. Effectively, if Jacques Le Gris won, Marguerite’s claims would be seen as false.

Driver plays an objectively horrible man whose distorted perception of himself and those around him leads him to commit an egregious offense. In spite of that, Driver’s performance in The Last Duel is an impressive one, and he fully embraces the nature of the character. What’s more, Jodie Comer has commented upon this difficult subject matter in interviews and revealed that she felt respected by Driver throughout the challenging scenes, which made it a much more comfortable experience for her.

8 Annette

Adam Driver’s Singing Skills Were Revealed In This Bizarre Opera

Annette is yet another strange movie Driver has appeared in, this time as Henry McHenry, a comedian who is violently jealous of his wife, Ann Defrasnoux, and her massive success as an opera singer. This jealousy leads to a series of very dark places, some of which involve Ann and Henry’s daughter, the titular Annette, who is portrayed by a puppet for most of the movie, although she is a real child. What makes Annette a particularly exciting addition to Driver’s filmography is its musical nature.

Driver, along with the other cast members, sings throughout the movie. This isn’t Driver’s only role in which he sings, but it was a (welcome) surprise, as Driver has previously indicated he can’t or won’t sing, particularly in interviews. Nevertheless, he sings beautifully throughout the movie and also manages to play a homicidal, delusional husband and father in a way that is compelling rather than unpleasant to watch.

7 White Noise

This Odd Adaptation Of Don DeLillo’s Novel Was Brilliant

White Noise continued Driver’s long history of working with Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, this time in a bizarre movie based on a book of the same name, written by Don DeLillo in 1985. In it, Driver was nearly unrecognizable. He has often played roles that paint him as the desirable love interest, but in White Noise, he played Jack Gladney, a harried middle-aged father of four and professor of Hitler studies.

The movie, like the book, is an at times heavy-handed critique of modern society, which culminates in a mysterious toxic event that seems to threaten the well-being of all those in its vicinity. Despite how on the nose White Noise occasionally becomes, both Driver and Gerwig are brilliant in it and have some genuinely funny moments. It’s also just good fun to see Driver play a role like this that is so distinct from many of his other characters.

6 This Is Where I Leave You

Adam Driver Played The Lewd Younger Brother In This Comedy Perfectly

As mentioned, Driver has often played the role of an attractive young love interest, quite opposite to his character in White Noise. This is particularly true in This Is Where I Leave You, in which Driver plays Phillip Altman, the troubled and troublesome youngest of the four adult Altman siblings. In addition to constantly initiating rows with his older brothers, Phillip is concerningly dating and cheating on his ex-therapist, Tracy, who is also quite a bit older than him.

Driver plays the part of a reckless, unpredictable youngest brother brilliantly from the very beginning of This Is Where I Leave You, starting with him jumping out of his car and yelling expletives in the graveyard where his father’s funeral is taking place because he’s running late. It’s worth noting that Driver has received criticisms for accepting this part, as the movie is about a Jewish family sitting shiva after their father dies, but Adam Driver is not Jewish. This is also not the only time Driver has played a Jewish character.

5 Paterson

This Slower-Paced Adam Driver Movie Is Genuinely Sweet

Paterson is easily one of Driver’s most charming movies. In it, he plays the titular Paterson, who is a bus driver by day but really identifies as a poet. This movie is also quite a tonal shift from many of Driver’s other roles. There is something peaceful and almost sleepy about the movie, which sees Paterson follow his same routine and drive his same bus route nearly every day, quietly listening to the various conversations taking place on the bus.

Paterson also has a very sweet relationship with Golshifteh Farahani’s character, Laura, who is the creative, extroverted partner opposite Driver’s subdued, accommodating character. Driver is great as always in the role, although his true dedication to Paterson happened off camera. Driver has revealed in interviews that he got a commercial driver’s license in real life to play the role (although it was not required of him) because he wanted it to feel realistic that Paterson had been driving the same bus route for so long, meaning his movements would need to seem second nature.

4 House of Gucci

House Of Gucci Got Mixed Reviews, But Adam Driver’s Performance Was Wonderful

House of Gucci received mixed reviews for a number of reasons, but the movie was genuinely a fun one. In it, Driver played Maurizio Gucci opposite Lady Gaga’s Patrizia Reggiani. Although a dramatization in various ways, House of Gucci was based on the true story of this couple and the larger Gucci family, which ended in tragedy.

It’s true that the movie was a bit long for a biopic, with a 2-hour and 38-minute run time, and that Driver (and the rest of the cast) put on a thick Italian accent. Even so, both Driver and Gaga clearly gave the roles their all, and they had wonderful chemistry on screen. House of Gucci may not hold up for those hoping to watch a serious documentary about the crimes that took down many members of the Gucci family, but it certainly will for viewers hoping to enjoy the actors’ playful performances.

3 The Report

This Lesser-Known Adam Driver Movie Is One Of His Greatest Performances

The Report received significantly less attention than many of Adam Driver’s other roles, certainly Star Wars chief among them, but this movie is easily one of Driver’s very best. This is one of the most serious roles Driver has in terms of subject matter and it, too, is based on a true story. In The Report, Driver plays Daniel J. Jones, a real former United States Senate investigator. The story follows Jones’ investigation into the CIA’s post-9/11 torture tactics through the so-called “Detention and Interrogation Program.”

The Report is a gruesome movie, as it doesn’t shy away from depicting exactly what these tactics entailed, but it’s also an important one. For the most part, the movie is an accurate retelling of the horrifying history of torture in America’s not-so-distant past and the very real efforts to cover up what was done. In addition to the historical weight of the story, Driver’s performance is incredible in The Report. He remains stoic, serious, and determined throughout the movie, honoring the seriousness of this story.

2 BlacKkKlansman

Adam Driver’s Most Serious Role Was Also One Of His Best

Yet another true story, Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman is undoubtedly one of the best movies Adam Driver has ever starred in. In BlacKkKlansman, Driver plays Flip Zimmerman, who is in many ways a supporting character to John David Washington’s Ron Stallworth. Stallworth, both in BlacKkKlansman and in real life, was a Black police officer who successfully infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan with Zimmerman’s help.

Zimmerman effectively acted as Stallworth’s proxy, in that Stallworth would handle communications with David Duke and others over the phone, but Zimmerman would attend physical meetings so that Stallworth’s true identity would not be revealed. The movie is truly incredible, as is the real-life story, and Adam Driver was clearly up to the task. Charmingly, there is also a long-running joke between Washington and Driver about Washington pursuing a friendship and Driver rejecting him, which has come up in several interviews together and separately.

1 Marriage Story

Adam Driver’s Single Best Performance Was As Charlie Barber In Marriage Story

Adam Driver’s very best role is unquestionably as Charlie Barber in Marriage Story. Yet another Noah Baumbach movie, Marriage Story follows Charlie and Nicole Barber’s brutal divorce and vicious custody battle in a remarkably realistic way. The movie is a genuine tear-jerker but also a gritty representation of how nasty such court battles can become. Both Driver and Scarlett Johansson, who plays Nicole, are absolutely stunning in the movie, with their acting feeling authentic down to the very last detail.

Yes, the movie has been used in memes for years, but Marriage Story really is a beautiful movie, and it sees Driver’s absolute best performance, even greater than his role in Star Wars. Marriage Story is also Driver’s best musical performance, even compared to Annette, as he sings the powerful and heartbreaking song “Being Alive” from the musical Company towards the end of the movie. While Adam Driver may be best known for playing Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, these 10 roles outside Star Wars are truly some of his best.