My Favorite Jeff Bridges Performances

I guess you forgot my Oscar worthy performances in comedy films thread, Sexy...The Big Lebowski was on there, why wouldn't it be here? But it certainly is not in the top 3 here.

Considering the fact that Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is on this list, I'm not sure about that.

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12.

Rooster Cogburn, True Grit



The movie has its problems, but Bridges' performance is solid.

11.

Bad Blake, Crazy Heart



Yes, it;s the film that finally won Bridges an Oscar but the film has its problems, the primary one being that it's just a rehash of a better film called Tender Mercies. Bridges gives a strong performance but the Oscar had to be a "body of Work/Lifetime Achievement" thing, because he has definitely done better work.

10.

Obadiah Stane, Iron Man



Bridges has never really been a go-to guy for comic book villains, but when he got this one, he nailed it.

9.

President Jackson Evans, The Contender



Bridges received a supporting actor nomination for his performance as the POTUS who chooses a Senator (Joan Allen) to become his new vice president around the same time that her possible involvement in a sex scandal comes to light. I loved this performance, one of the most likable presidential portrayals I have ever seen.

Arlington Road. Such an underrated movie.

8.

Jack Baker, The Fabulous Baker Boys



Bridges is charismatic as one half of a piano playing nightclub duo who spice up their act and their love lives by adding a dynamic singer (Michelle Pfeiffer) to the act. I think a lot of the power of Bridges' work here comes from the fact that he's working with real life brother Beau, their only film together.

7.

Preston Tucker, Tucker: The Man and his Dream



Some felt he was miscast, but I loved Bridges as the maverick inventor of a new automobile.

6.

Starman, Starman



Bridges received his first Lead Actor Oscar nomination for this AMAZING performance as an alien who arrives on earth and takes human form of a deceased man, causing confusion and mixed emotions for the man's widow (Karen Allen). This film was a perfect blend of science fiction and romance and I can't recall a Bridges performance that had me wiping tears from my eyes more than this one.

5.

Ernie, Fat City



A nearly forgotten gem from the early part of the man's career found Bridges playing a professional boxer unhappy with the course of his career.

4.

Michael Farraday, Arlington Road



Bridges' powerhouse performance as a widowed college professor who learns his neighbor (Tim Robbins) might be a terrorist is the centerpiece of this riveting crime thriller.

Only #4?

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

3.

The Dude, The Big Lebowski



Bridges' breezy movie star turn as a loser who gets involved in a phony kidnapping scheme is at the heart of this Cohen Brothers classic. Bridges has put together an impressive resume over the years, but when he hosted Saturday Night Live, this was the film that he referenced in his opening monologue so that people would know who he was and the audience went nuts.

2.

Ted Cole, The Door in the Floor



It's not my favorite Bridges performance, but I think it's his best performance...Bridges plays Ted Cole, an eccentric writer of children's books who hires a prep school student (Jon Foster) who drifts into an affair with his wife (Kim Basinger). Bridges gives a brassy, in your face interpretation of an unsympathetic character who does lousy things and is unapologetic for it, I don't know how Bridges didn't get a nomination for this one.

Well, now that we're down to #2, I do have a couple of honorable mentions:

King Kong (Hated the movie, but he was the best thing in it)
Rancho Deluxe
The Vanishing
Against All Odds
Kiss Me Goodbye

Drum roll...and now...my favorite performance of the amazing Jeff Bridges:

1.

Max Klein, Fearless



Bridges really knocked it out of the park here with this blistering and heartbreaking performance. He plays Max Klein, a man who goes into complete disconnect from his family and friends after surviving a plane crash, where his business partner (John DeLancie) was killed and finds the only person he can connect with is a young woman (Rosie Perez) who also survived the crash but lost her baby. This movie had me experiencing just about every emotion there is and haunted me long after the credits began to roll and Bridges' performance had a lot to do with it. Oddly, Perez received an Oscar nomination for the film, but Bridges was overlooked...damned Academy.



Hope you enjoyed the list.

Sorry...look at it this way, it could have been # 14!

True. Good list, cheers. I need to watch Fat City.

Sad to see no love for Surf''s Up here. Yeah, it's only a voice performance but I loved him as Big Z.

Still nice to see my other favorites make the cut.

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Never seen Surf's Up, guess I need to check it out.