Luke Wilson came into our lives through the movies of Wes Anderson. Since then, he’s been a rom-com staple, a sarcastic protagonist, a great second or third actor for any movie, and, in the last few years, someone to better any TV show (Enlightened, Roadies, and recently, Stargirl). Here are Luke Wilson’s best performances, ranked:
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8 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
DreamWorks Pictures
In Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is the top newsman in San Diego’s broadcasting in the ’70s. Everything changes when they bring a female anchorwoman, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), to be part of his team. This is one of the best Adam McKay movies, and his most funny and quotable. Wilson has a cameo as Frank Vitchard, a member of an enemy news team that fights Burgundy and his crew in the newsman brawl, one that escalated quickly, and the funniest, surrealist scene in the whole movie.
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7 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Lionsgate
3:10 to Yuma tells the story of a small-time rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale), who holds the outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) while he’s awaiting to go to court on the 3:10 train to Yuma. Full of tension and with great performances, especially a scene-stealing one by Ben Foster, Wilson plays Zeke, a railroad worker who finds Ben Wade and tortures him, but later is found and killed by Foster’s character. It’s a small role, probably because Wilson wanted to work with director James Mangold.
6 Middle Men (2009)
Paramount Vantage
Based on the true story of Jack Harris, Middle Men tells how the first porn site was created and charged for its content when the internet was just a new thing that would fizzle, and so it was like the wild west in there. Harris (Wilson) was the middle man that made the idea become a profitable business, but this new money-creating idea brought porn competitors, mafias wanting a piece of it, sex, crime, and drugs. Wilson is the straight man trying to navigate this world, and his performance shows how he’s being lured little by little to this place where morals don’t matter anymore, while trying to enjoy the lifestyle created by that same industry and world. His conflicting character is the center of this movie of what now would probably be a prestigious TV series.
5 Legally Blonde (2001)
MGM Distribution Co.
Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is a natural blonde, president of her sorority, and all-time delight. When her boyfriend Warner (Matthew Davis) dumps her and goes to Harvard Law, Elle decides to follow him there. At Harvard, she discovers she’s a lot more than a pretty blonde, that the law can be fun, and that she doesn’t need Warner at all. Wilson plays Emmett, the cute love interest that likes Elle for her resourcefulness and smarts, and not just for her beauty. Legally Blonde was a career-changing movie for Witherspoon, but also for Wilson, as it showed he could be a perfectly capable romantic leading man, a path that Wilson followed for the next few years.
4 Idiocracy (2006)
20th Century Fox
Joe Bowers (Wilson) is selected to take part in a secret military experiment to put him in hibernation for a year with Rita (Maya Rudolph). When they wake up in 2505, they discover the average intelligence of people has decreased so much that the average Joe is now the smartest man in the world. In Idiocracy, Wilson uses his charm, low-key charisma, and his “aw shucks” persona to navigate this sad new world, where he’s a celebrity and the smartest of them all. The movie was a satire when it was released, but the last few years have made it more poignant as social media, reality TV, and an obsession with technology have created a space where culture has to be dumbed down. Some of what looked like crazy ideas back then, are not so crazy these days. About what he would do differently now if he was writing the movie, Mike Judge told Fast Company: “Boy, oh boy. I mean, I guess there are things I didn’t exaggerate nearly enough.”
3 Old School (2003)
After being cheated on by his girlfriend, Mitch (Wilson) rents a house near his old college. His friends Beanie (Vince Vaughn) and Frank (Will Ferrell) throw him a party that becomes the talk of the town. When the dean of students, Pritchard (Jeremy Piven), wants to kick them out, they decide to form a fraternity for a collection of misfits, be it college students, middle-aged guys, and even elderly retirees. Old School is one of the greatest college movies ever, directed by Todd Philips with three great performances at its center. Wilson plays the leading man, amused at everything happening around him, while Vaughn and Ferrell have out-there performances. Still, Wilson’s charming, fun performance holds the movie together, and makes us remember it as one of the best comedy of the early 2000s.
2 Bottle Rocket (1996)
Columbia Pictures
Bottle Rocket tells the story of Dignam (Owen Wilson), Anthony (Luke Wilson), and Bob (Robert Musgrave) as they try to pull off a robbery and flee from the scene. This was the breakout movie for Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson, and Luke Wilson, and it already showed some of the idiosyncrasies that Anderson would use in most of its films. It was an incredible first step for the director and both Wilson brothers (Owen Wilson co-wrote it with Anderson) and their presentation card to Hollywood. In this role, Luke Wilson already showed his romantic chemistry with other actors, his everyman quality, and how he could adapt to any scene, partner, and situation, as his character is the one who has to hold together the team, while Dignam has a lot more dog energy and loves chaos.
About the premiere of this movie, his first movie, Anderson told Slash Film: “I feel like I was never more confident in my life than when we made that film, and never less confident than when we screened it.” Pure Anderson in that quote, as he probably thinks the same with every one of his movies.
1 The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
An eccentric family of three used-to-be kid-geniuses must gather again because their father is terminally ill. The Royal Tenenbaums has an incredibly stacked cast: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow in one of her best performances ever, Owen and Luke Wilson, Danny Glover, and the voice of Alec Baldwin. Luke Wilson plays Richie Tenenbaum, the heart of the movie, as he’s a failed tennis player in love with his adopted sister, Margot (Paltrow). As Richie, Wilson shows many emotions: melancholy, guilt, sadness, love, regret, and empathy as he’s the center of the movie, giving a chill-inducing performance in the scene where he tries to end his life, the catalyst for much of what happens in the last third of the movie. It’s his best performance, one where he showed what he could do with his talents, on the film many still believe is Anderson’s best.
