James Marsden has taken on a lot of comedic and dramatic roles over his movie career. Though we don’t know how his next performance in Sonic the Hedgehog will turn out, we do know that he’s played leading and supporting roles in a variety of other high-ranking films. Because of this, we’re turning to Rotten Tomatoes to see which films featuring James Marsden are more critically successful than the rest.
The popular review aggregation website has given every one of Marsden’s movies a Tomatometer score. This number is based on the positive and negative reviews of critics, and it’s what we’ll be using to stack up his best.
With the logistics out of the way, it’s time to grab some popcorn, take a seat, and enjoy Marsden’s best movies to date. Here’s how they rank, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Robot & Frank (68%)
This 2012 comedy-drama tells of an elderly man named Frank who is given a robot by his son, Hunter. Though Hunter thinks that the robot will offer his father the therapeutic care he needs, Frank instead uses his new companion to get his career as a cat burglar off the ground.
Though Frank Langella stars in the leading role, James Marsden acts as his son. While Hunter might be good at practicing law, he’s not as skilled at catching onto his dad’s shenanigans.
Welcome To Me (74%)
Kristen Wiig starred in this 2014 comedy-drama about a woman named Alice who wins a sweepstakes worth $86 million and decides to use the money to fund her own autobiographical talk show called Welcome to Me. With borderline personality disorder, however, the project is no easy venture.
Marsden takes on the role of Rich, the co-owner and manager of the studio that Alice hopes to film her show at.
Superman Returns (75%)
The sixth and final installment in the original Superman series saw James Marsden emerging as a central character.
This time around, Lex Luthor makes plans to finally get rid of Superman, who has just returned to a city that no longer has use for him. While Brandon Routh starred as the hero who poses as a journalist, James Marsden plays Richard White, a relative of the Daily Planet editor as well as the fiancé of Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth). In other words, yes, he is another challenge the hero must get through.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (75%)
The sequel to comedy classic Anchorman has Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) scoring a coveted spot on the world’s inaugural 24-hour worldwide news network. Burgundy puts together his broadcast dream team but soon learns that rising to the top will be a challenge after meeting his strict boss.
Marsden portrays Jack Lime, an anchorman who rivals Burgundy and his team. After winning a bet, Burgundy forces Jack to legally change his name to Jack Lame.
X-Men (81%)
The first installment in the long, still-running X-Men series hit theaters 20 years ago. While Tim Pocock more recently took on the role of Cyclops, Marsden was the man who originally portrayed Xavier’s second-in-command.
The 2000 superhero hit introduced moviegoers to the genetically modified X-Men, each of which has a special power. Though society struggles to accept their differences, they are forced to step up and use their skills after the evil Magneto makes plans to put an end to their existence.
X2: X-Men United (85%)
Marsden jumped back into action for the X-Men sequel in 2003. This one received even more acclaim than the film that came before it.
In X2, army commander-turned-villain Stryker decides to attack Professor Xavier, his school, and his mansion. This has Xavier considering a partnership with Magneto in order to stop this new enemy.
Though Marsden’s Cyclops is up for whatever challenges come his way, he is forced to overcome imprisonment and brainwashing conducted by Stryker.
Tour De Pharmacy (89%)
This 2017 sports mockumentary headed straight to HBO for release in 2017. It follows a group of cyclists who are set to compete in the 1982 Tour de France. They are soon, however, confronted with a string of issues related to their performance-enhancing drug use.
The cyclists were portrayed by a series of big names including John Cena, Andy Samberg, Daveed Diggs, Freddie Highmore, Julia Ormond, Danny Glover, Dolph Lundgren, Orlando Bloom, and Jeff Goldblum. The role of BBC reporter Rex Honeycut was taken on by James Marsden.
Hairspray (91%)
In 2007, the hit Broadway musical Hairspray was taken to the big screen. Thankfully, the romantic comedy film was just as entertaining as the live show.
Hairspray follows a 16-year-old Baltimore high school student named Tracy who both hopes to rise to stardom on — and diversify — a local dance TV show in the ‘60s.
While Nikki Blonsky took on the role of Tracy, Marsden plays the host of The Corny Collins Show. He is based on TV personality Buddy Deane.
Enchanted (93%)
Disney’s 2007 Enchanted sees the young Giselle falling for a handsome prince in the animated fairytale world of Andalasia. Though the pair plans to get married in the morning, their hopes come crashing down after Giselle is sent straight to a live-action New York City. While she’s busy waiting on Prince Edward to come and rescue her, she begins to fall for the charm of a pessimistic divorce lawyer, Robert. This has her questioning whether happy endings are all they appear.
Amy Adams stars and Patrick Dempsey plays Robert, while Marsden portrays the excitable Prince Edward.
The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya (100%)
Topping off the list as Marsden’s highest-rated film to date is The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. While this fantasy drama was at first released for Japanese audiences, it was later dubbed in English and sent to the U.S..
The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya tells of a little girl who a bamboo cutter finds growing inside of a bamboo shoot. She grows up into a beautiful young woman and recruits a series of suitors to bring her a mythical treasure; The winner gets her hand in marriage.
Marsden voices Prince Ishitsukuri, one of the boys who is taken by Kaguya’s presence.
