Joaquin Phoenix is the talk of Hollywood thanks to his controversial new film Joker in which he gives a performance that has been called one of the year’s best. Phoenix has emerged over the years as one of the best actors working today and has compiled a pretty stellar filmography thus far.
Though not all of his movies connect with audiences and critics, he has been in some of the most acclaimed modern films. A look at his top-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes is an impressive list. Though you won’t find Joker on that list, there are plenty of great films. Here are Joaquin Phoenix’s best movies according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Two Lovers (82%)
Phoenix has collaborated with filmmaker James Gray a number of times and it almost always results in an interesting project. Two Lovers is one of their more forgotten projects together as it came out during Phoenix’s staged faux public meltdown era.
Phoenix plays a struggling young man living with his parents who finds himself forced to choose between two women he has begun a romantic relationship with. It is a somber and intense romantic-drama featuring some great performances from its stellar cast.
Walk The Line (83%)
Walk the Line is the music-biopic about the life and career of iconic country singer Johnny Cash. Phoenix stars as Cash and gives an incredible performance as the man which scored him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
The movie details Cash’s rise to fame, his battle with drug addiction and his complicated romance with fellow musician June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). The movie helped establish many of the tropes of a musical biopic that are criticized now, but the stellar performances and music moments make it highly entertaining.
The Master (85%)
The Master marked Phoenix’s first collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson in this complex and fascinating story. Phoenix stars as Freddie, an unstable war veteran who meets a charismatic man (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who has created his own religion. Freddie soon becomes a devoted follower.
The movie is said to be based on the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard but it is a much larger story than that. Phoenix gives such a compelling and unnerving performance as the troubled man and he is backed up by an amazing cast and beautiful direction.
The Immigrant (85%)
The Immigrant is the fourth collaboration between Phoenix and James Gray and remains their most acclaimed work together. The underseen period drama stars Marion Cotillard as Ewa, an immigrant who arrives in New York alone and with nowhere to go. She is seduced into a life of prostitution by a pimp (Phoenix) but finds hope after meeting a charming stage magician (Jeremy Renner).
Gray’s beautiful direction makes this a visually dazzling period piece and the performances from the main actors are all excellent. Phoenix is surprisingly restrained in the compelling villain role.
The Sisters Brothers (87%)
The Sisters Brothers is the most recent film on this list and one of Phoenix’s most underrated films. Phoenix and John C. Reilly star in this Western as two brothers who have been hired to track down a chemist in the midst of the Gold Rush.
The movie is not the kind of action-packed Western some fans might hope for but is instead a quiet and thoughtful film about two men trying to leave their life of violence behind. The movie was a financial flop but will hopefully find an audience in years to come.
To Die For (88%)
To Die For is an earlier film in Phoenix’s career before he was such a big name in the movie business. Directed by Gus Van Zant, this is a fascinating black comedy based on a true story about a high school teacher (Nicole Kidman) who seduces one of her students (Phoenix) into killing her husband.
Kidman is the star of the show giving a funny, heartbreaking and disturbing performance which really carries the film to great heights. It is also fun seeing Phoenix as a younger man and still displaying that immense talent that would only improve over the years.
You Were Never Really Here (89%)
You Were Never Really Here marks one of Phoenix’s most acclaimed performances and one that has been largely overlooked. He stars as a troubled man who operates as a violent fixer. After rescuing a young girl from captivity, he finds himself the target of dangerous people.
The premise might sound like the plot of a Liam Neeson action film, but the movie is a much darker and more vulnerable take on the noir genre. The result is a haunting and unforgettable film from the brilliant writer-director Lynn Ramsay.
Hotel Rwanda (91%)
Hotel Rwanda is certainly not an easy movie to watch, but a powerful movie nonetheless. Based on a true story, the film stars Don Cheadle as a Rwandan hotel manager who helped save many lives during the horrific Rwandan genocide.
Cheadle carries the film in one of his best performances to date. Phoenix has a small role as an American cameraman who is documenting the genocide and helps to represent the inaction of the rest of the world as these atrocities were taking place.
Parenthood (93%)
Parenthood marks one of Phoenix’s very first feature film roles in which he is just a young boy. The comedy is an ensemble film from director Ron Howard and explores the ups and downs of parenthood in several different families.
Phoenix plays a young boy struggling with puberty while living with his single mother. Phoenix shows even at this young age he was a huge talent and the movie is a lot of fun thanks to an all-star cast including Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Keanu Reeves, and Rick Moranis.
Her (94%)
For Phoenix to do a romantic-comedy, you could bet that it was going to be a rather unique romantic-comedy. And with Spike Jonze as the director, Her made for one of the most interesting films the genre has ever produced.
Phoenix plays a lonely yet sweet man who develops a romantic relationship with his operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). The movie is surprisingly sweet and heartfelt with Phoenix giving one of his most understated performances to date. And though she is just a voice, Johansson is spectacular in the film.
