Paul Thomas Anderson is perhaps the most acclaimed American auteur of today’s film industry. Exploring deep themes of isolation and familial dysfunction, his films also feature trademark qualities of camerawork, like with his long takes. However, his ability to select the perfect casting choices for his characters stands out as one of his quintessential traits as a filmmaker.

He’s known for his collaborations with popular actors like Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, and Phillip Baker Hall, and with good reason. Anderson has been making masterpieces of modern cinema while in tandem directing Oscar-caliber performances ever since he debuted with Hard Eight back in 1996. And while a few of the films on this list may have fallen under the film public’s radar, each cast herein features some degree of star power.

And, for this list, the following criteria are at play: the name value of the actors, the quality of individual performances, and how well they work with one another to create chemistry on screen. All that said: here are the nine casts of Paul Thomas Anderson’s movies, ranked.

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9 Phantom Thread

     Focus Features

I know what you’re likely thinking: how could a film starring Daniel Day-Lewis, the most touted actor of all time, come in so low on the list? Well, aside from the three-time Academy Award winner, the cast of Phantom Thread (2017) doesn’t provide too many significant Hollywood players to write home about.

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There are people with deep filmographies, from Lesley Manville to Brian Gleeson, but they clearly pale in comparison to the name value of Day-Lewis. One of the few anomalies in Anderson’s career, Phantom Thread is easily the least-star-studded cast thereof. I don’t think there’s denying that despite the acclaim of the film itself, and in spite of its starring character being played by the critically acclaimed method actor, not even Day-Lewis can’t carry this cast on his back.

8 Licorice Pizza

     Universal Pictures

With Licorice Pizza (2022), Alana Haim earned nominations for Best Actress at both the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes. Opposite her was the son of former Anderson collaborator Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Cooper Hoffman, making his on-screen debut. He was also nominated at the Golden Globes, for Best Actor.

The film also features Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, and Benny Safdie in supporting roles. Some of those thespians are absolute legends of the industry, and they provide tremendous name value to contrast the breakthrough starring roles of Licorice Pizza. It’s a great cast in the end, but not quite among Anderson’s best. The next entry is definitely a scale up in caliber.

7 There Will Be Blood

     Miramax Films

Daniel Day-Lewis provided one of the greatest performances of the twenty-first century (and perhaps of all time). It’s probably the defining role of his career, which is undoubtedly speaking volumes considering the regard in which Day-Lewis is held. Frankly, there isn’t much of anyone else to look at here, aside from another standout role by Paul Dano. Both of these actors reached their pinnacles with There Will Be Blood (2007), and their on-screen dynamic sends chills down audiences’ spines to this day.

All that said: It’s almost as if Anderson cast these two to intentionally surround them with no-name actors to more adequately portray the power struggle thattakes place between the two characters: Day-Lewis’s Daniel Plainview and Dano’s Paul/Eli Sunday.They’re really the only two actors of note,and while they’re also two of the most revered talents of their generation, There Will Be Blood ultimately lands at number seven.

6 Punch-Drunk Love

     Sony Pictures

In the first truly dramatic role of his career, Adam Sandler garnered critical acclaim for his performance in Punch-Drunk Love (2002) as Barry Egan — a romantically uninvolved, socially anxious entrepreneur of a team that markets toilet plungers. He falls for a girl named Lena, played to a fantastic degree by acclaimed actress Emily Watson, and the two share a wonderful chemistry that remains the film’s highlight from start to finish.

There’s also a supporting role from Phillip Seymour Hoffman at his unhinged best. This was among his most prominent roles in an Anderson movie up to this point. And while the film wasn’t exactly a blockbuster, it’s recognized as Sandler’s best and perhaps most discussed film up to that point. It’s worth mentioning, too, that Paul Thomas Anderson wrote Punch-Drunk Love specifically with Sandler and Watson in mind for the lead roles. And there’s no forgetting that supporting role from Luiz Guzman, who had twice before collaborated to great effect with Anderson.

5 The Master

     Two Main Characters of The Master

Among the most respected and recognizable names of their generation, Juaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams were nominated at the Oscars for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. They were just fantastic. However, The Master (2012) also features the likes of Laura Dern and Rami Malek. Now as an Oscar-winner, Malek adds greatly to this roster in hindsight. And the stars don’t end there.

This was the last partnership between Paul Thomas Anderson and Phillip Seymour Hoffman before the latter’s untimely death in 2014. And frankly, it may be his best performance ever. He was nominated across the board of award associations for Best Supporting Actor, and while he came up short that year to Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained (2012), his efforts will forever be remembered.

4 Hard Eight

     The Samuel Goldwyn Company

With the crime film Hard Eight (1996), Paul Thomas Anderson recruited perhaps the greatest cast from any directorial debut ever, save perhaps for titles like Reservoir Dogs. The film stars Leslie David Baker, with John C. Reilly and Gwyneth Paltrow acting as his newly-married subordinates.

Samuel L. Jackson plays the primary antagonist Jimmy, and he was seemingly built for the role. It’s one of his best performances of the decade. However, it doesn’t quite stand up to the featured efforts of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. While he only appeared for a few short minutes, you could argue that Hoffman’s character stole the entire show as the most distinct takeaway, and seriously, he only has a few lines.

3 Inherent Vice

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Based on the Thomas Pynchon novel of the same name from 2009, the majority of readers may not have even heard of this movie. Inherent Vice (2014) is greatly underrated from a perspective of general popularity. But there’s no doubt that you have heard of the many well-established actors featured in its star-studded cast.

Starring Juaquin Phoenix opposite Josh Brolin, other thespians include Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, and Benicio Del Toro. All five of those are pretty prominent names — you should know most if not all of them, or at least a majority of their movies. Plus, more minor roles executed by Maya Rudolph and Martin Short round out this cast to effectively land it at number three.

2 Magnolia

     New Line Cinema

This is one of the most famous casts of all time, but compared to the number one pick, which should be obvious at this point to any fan of Paul Thomas Anderson, Magnolia (1999) barely misses the mark. Both of these top two movies feature five of the same performers: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina and John C. Reilly. Just throw those names away for now.

For Magnolia, however, you can tack on actors such as Phillip Baker Hall, Jason Robards (in his final film appearance) and Patton Oswalt, along with one of the most recognizable (for better or worse) names in the history of Hollywood: Tom Cruise. His inclusion as the lead character really clouds the judgment of audiences when considering the caliber of this cast, but they all have a point to an extent. Tom Cruise is a huge name, and he helps round Magnolia out at the penultimate spot.

1 Boogie Nights

Obviously, this pick has been given away, along with five of its most notable players. Again, that’s Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, and John C. Reilly. Any time they collaborate with Anderson, the result is pure cinema magic, but yeah. That’s enough on them.

Boogie Nights(1997) stands apart from Anderson’s other films thanks to the four names not featured in any other of his works: Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, and Heather Graham. There’s an argument that those thespians don’t quite stack up to the talent of the four actors exclusive to Magnolia. Aside from Cruise, though, the Boogie Nights foursome provide much more star power, especially for modern audiences, and they definitely had flashier performances. Plus, in the end, there’s no denying the synergy that these actors shared with one another through every second of the film.