Jake Johnson is one of those actors that once you recognize, you start to see everywhere, and then once you start to seek out his work, you are rarely disappointed. But the thing is, Johnson tends to play some very similar characters, often playing the funny, lovable, and schlubby friend, happy in his own right, and always a moment or two away from sitting barside with a beer.
So, spotting Johnson on-screen unexpectedly feels more like running into an old drinking buddy than not realizing such-and-such-an-actor was in a supporting role. He might not be versatile, as his upcoming role in Stumptown as another Nick from New Girl type proves, but what he does he does very well. So, for the uninitiated in the goings-on of Jake Johnson’s acting career, here are his top-rated roles (according to Rotten Tomatoes).
Jurassic World (2015) - 71%
The first film in the Jurassic Park sequel trilogy was a little different from the more thriller skewed original, leaning more towards monster movie status with some comic relief characters thrown in for good measure. One of these characters is played by Johnson, a tech in the control room named Lowery Cruthers.
Lowery, bless him, is always on the back foot and comically undercut by the leads of the film. First being called out for wearing a t-shirt from the original park, then being the but of the joke when trying to have a dramatic hero moment of his own. He’s a standout in a blockbuster that stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, enough said.
Get Him To The Greek (2010) - 72%
One of Johnson’s smaller roles, he pays Jazz Man, co-worker to Aaron Green played by Jonah Hill. With the company they both work at desperately needing a larger revenue stream, word around the office becomes that some people will be fired.
Jazz Man isn’t worried though, because of his and Aaron’s boss not even knowing his name. This doesn’t quite pan out as his phone rings in a company meeting and he’s forced to smash it in front of everyone. It’s a role that you likely didn’t recognize Johnson for at the time, but going back, it’s one of the funnier moments in the film.
Neighbors (2014) - 73%
The year is 1985, Sebastian Cremington and his brothers are at the school prep rally, they’ve been drinking since the crack of dawn. Sebastian has to throw up, but he also wants to keep partying, what does he do? He throws up in his shoe and keeps on drinking.
That’s right, you might remember that early on in Neighbors, Zac Efron and Dave Franco present the party legacy of Delta Psi to the rest of the fraternity. As they explain the invention of the Togo Party and Beer Pong, comedy groups The Lonely Island and the Workaholics can be seen inventing the respective activities. But who is responsible for the Boot And Rally? None other than Jake Johnson.
Becoming Bond (2017) - 76%
Becoming Bond tells the stranger-than-fiction story of how George Lazenby went from being a poor Australian car mechanic to portraying one of the most iconic British characters of all time. Before you get ahead of yourself, no, Jake Johnson doesn’t play George Lazenby or Bond.
He does play Peregrine Carruthers though, as the documentary/ biopic is set out as an interview with Lazenby telling his story and actors playing it out in tandem. Peregrine Carruthers was the original name of James Bond before Ian Fleming changed it, here Johnson represents some of the less reliable aspects of Lazenby’s retelling.
Drinking Buddies (2013) - 83%
The first film on this list in which Jake Johnson has a leading role, that of the infinitely lovable Luke. Directed by Joe Swanberg, Johnson stars alongside Olivia Wilde, Ron Livingston, and Anna Kendrick. Johnson and Wilde’s characters both work together at a brewery where they mostly drink and flirt, they’re perfect for one another, but they’re both in long term relationships.
While Drinking Buddies didn’t do particularly well at the box-office, only making back $200,000 of its $1 million budget, it is a film with a lot of heart that did incredibly well critically. In particular, Jake Johnson’s performance alongside Olivia Wilde was applauded, if you’re a fan of his you should see this film.
Win It All (2017) - 85%
Some of Johnson’s best performances have sparked to life while collaborating with writer-director Joe Swanberg, it’s true for Drinking Buddies, and it’s true for Netflix Original Win It All. In which, Johnson plays small-time and not very good gambler, Eddie Garret.
An acquaintance of Garret leaves a mystery duffel bag with him when sent to prison, of course, Garret opens said duffel bag to reveal a lot of money. Obviously, he ends up gambling it away and ending up in debt, only for the original owner’s prison sentence to be shortened, leaving Garret a limited amount of time to re-raise the funds.
21 Jump Street (2012) - 85%
Anyone that’s seen an even slice of Johnson’s work will know that he’s a pretty terrific comedic actor, and anyone else has likely picked that up by this point in the list, his role as Principal Dadier lives up to the trend.
The film is a satire of 80’s action films, a send up of the ridiculousness of the original TV show, and equally satirical of modern teen movies. It involves every cliché character type from each of the aforementioned and turns them on their head, none more than Principal Dadier, someone you’d expect to care about the kids in his school but who instead is just tired and wants to go home.
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) - 90%
When a man places an ad in a newspaper in the hopes of recruiting a partner to go back in time with him, three cynical magazine employees answer said ad in the hopes of finding a juicy story. Starring alongside Audrey Plaza and Mark Duplass, Johnson really brings all of his dry wit to this one.
The film is quirky, weird, and beautifully hopeful, which means to add some interesting contrast someone needs to be overly cynical and comically dry, that someone is Jake Johnson. Playing Jeff, a magazine reporter that’s given up pursuing a meaningful career in favor of writing puff pieces to get by, Johnson gets to show his more dramatic chops in this flick.
New Girl (2011-2018) - 94%
Likely Jake Johnson’s most famous role, Nick Miller is a standout fan favorite of the show and is just as likely the most Jake Johnson-esque character on this list. The show ran for 7 seasons and saw “New Girl” Jess move into a loft apartment with three dudes, Winston, Schmidt, and of course, Nick Miller.
The show involved a lot of improv and relied heavily on the chemistry between its leads, which is likely why, as the show went on, the characterization of said characters became closer and closer to that of its actors. This isn’t a bad thing, this is a seriously funny and talented cast, Jake Johnson being a standout, likely setting a precedent for the rest of his career.
Spiderman: Into The Spider-verse (2018) - 97%
And so, we reach Jake Johnson’s highest-rated role, that of Peter B. Parker in Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse. Miles Morales was a version of Spider-man created for a new, younger generation, and as a result, the cinematic version of Peter Parker was finally allowed to age, and age he did.
Johnson’s version of Parker is stubbled, has a beer gut, and has gone through the superhero rigmarole so many times he has easy to remember names for every recurring plot element. He manages to outshine Chris Pine’s idyllic version of Parker in terms of relatability and has likely solidified himself as many people’s favorite Spider-man.
