Sam Rockwell

Lili’s Pick: The Way Way Back

Lanie’s Pick: Mr. Right

Continuing our exploration of iconic films from our favorite actors, we went down a much less problematic route by visiting the filmography of the impossibly charismatic Sam Rockwell. If you’re keeping score, Sam Rockwell and Jake Gyllenhaal have tipped the scale of our viewership of films starring recently-exposed terrible men, and we’re hoping to continue this trend. (We promise that we’re not actively seeking out films with leading men who are abusers, but my god, so many leading men are abusers.) Similar in cutesy, quippy character, The Way Way Back and Mr. Right have equally ridiculous premises with equally lovable performances from the man of the night. The Way Way Back was a revisit for me, albeit a cautious revisit, since my first viewing was enjoyable—but this was like seventh grade, before my taste in movies was refined, so who can trust that? Sure enough, this movie was cringey as hell, with Steve Carrell’s TOO mean of a portrayal (like shockingly mean) of the evil stepfather, and Liam James’ TOO convincingly awkward portrayal of a teen who is on the brink of coming of age. If it weren’t for its excellent ensemble cast led by Sam Rockwell’s insanely quotable Owen, I’m not sure if this film would be worth watching. But this character is truly Sam Rockwell at his best: laugh-out-loud funny, effortlessly charming, and unbelievably attractive. The same goes for Mr. Right, a movie almost oversaturated by Anna Kendrick’s quirky, vaguely adolescent mannerisms, but ultimately saved by her chemistry with Mr. Rockwell—despite its tendencies to try a little too hard. What places both of these movies on our list at all is the power of Sam Rockwell, so if you can appreciate this short king as much as we do, you should definitely take a dip into his diverse, exciting filmography.