All John Cusack Movies Ranked
(Photo by Buena Vista/ courtesy Everett Collection)
John Cusack pulled off the tricky act of being one of those It kids of the ’80s without having that distinction become an albatross hanging across his career once the decade ended. Cusack found breakthrough roles in just about every permutation of the teen comedy in the spandex and big-hair era: the hormonal-driven (One Crazy Summer), the bizarro creations (Better Off Dead), the rom-com (The Sure Thing). But Cusack had an erudite quality that separated him from his contemporaries, drawing him to name directors like John Sayles (Eight Men Out) and Cameron Crowe, the latter of whom he worked with to close out the decade with perhaps the best romantic-comedy in a decade full of classics: 1989’s Say Anything….
Cusack of the 1990s represented a maturation that allowed him to fit into just about any mold: drama (The Thin Red Line), comedy (Bullets Over Broadway, The Grifters, Being John Malkovich), romance (Pushing Tin), and even action (Con Air). Some movies combined all the genres, like 1997’s Grosse Pointe Blank (in which he plays a hitman attending his high school reunion), one of those high-concept Hollywood movies that endures for decades after release.
2000’s High Fidelity may have been the last we’ve seen of Cusack in classic rom-com leading man form, as in the ensuing years he’s been putting more work into genre fare, and playing shadowy figures and villains. Highlights from this ongoing period include 1408, 2012, and Grand Piano. Meanwhile, 2015’s Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy is just about as good as anything he’s done in his career. And now we’re taking a look back with all John Cusack movies ranked by Tomatometer!
#64
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Attempting to recover from a recent family trauma by escaping into the woods for a peaceful hiking trip, an ex-lawman… [More]
#63
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Jason Patric, Bruce Willis and John Cusack face off in this action-packed thriller. A retired assassin is drawn back into… [More]
#62
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After their newly adopted daughter goes missing in a small town, Steven and Shannon will stop at nothing to uncover… [More]
#61
Adjusted Score: 3.375%
Critics Consensus: Aside from an opportunity to watch a mustachioed Nicolas Cage acting from under a wig and behind a prosthetic nose, Arsenal has depressingly little to offer.
Synopsis: A powerful action thriller, ARSENAL tells the intertwining stories of the Lindel brothers, Mikey (Johnathon Schaech) and JP (Adrian Grenier),… [More]
#60
Adjusted Score: 4.009%
Critics Consensus: Shanghai is crippled by a weak story and fatally undermined by clunky direction, making for a period political drama that lacks all of its key components.
Synopsis: This period drama concerns an American (John Cusack) in Shanghai who, through the investigation of the death of a friend,… [More]
#59
Adjusted Score: 8.08%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Former racecar driver Peter Roberts (Thomas Jane) traded the winner’s circle for a 9 to 5 job as a beginners’… [More]
#58
Adjusted Score: 11.945%
Critics Consensus: Busy with attitude and light on intrigue, The Bag Man is a mystery box with nothing surprising inside.
Synopsis: THE BAG MAN is a taut crime thriller that follows the story of JACK (John Cusack), a tough guy with… [More]
#57
Adjusted Score: 12.304%
Critics Consensus: Shoddily crafted and devoid of suspense, Cell squanders a capable cast and Stephen King’s once-prescient source material on a bland rehash of zombie cliches.
Synopsis: Stephen King’s best-selling novel is brought to terrifying life in this mind-blowing thriller starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson…. [More]
#56
Adjusted Score: 9.31%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Lauren (Christina Ricci) and Russel Curran (Brendan Fletcher) decide to move away from the bustle of the city and into… [More]
#55
Adjusted Score: 26.655%
Critics Consensus: Thinly scripted, unevenly acted, and overall preposterous, The Raven disgraces the legacy of Edgar Allen Poe with a rote murder mystery that’s more silly than scary.
Synopsis: The macabre and lurid tales of Edgar Allan Poe are vividly brought to life – and death – in this… [More]
#54
Adjusted Score: 9.31%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Taye Diggs, George Lopez and John Cusack star in this action-packed battle for revenge at any price. Respected Judge Charles… [More]
Directed By:
#53
Adjusted Score: 30.148%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After his latest mission goes disastrously wrong, veteran CIA black ops agent Emerson Kent (John Cusack, 2012) is given one… [More]
#52
Adjusted Score: 32.32%
Critics Consensus: War, Inc. attempts to satirize the military industrial complex, but more often than not it misses its target.
Synopsis: An assassin posing as a trade-show producer fixes his crosshairs on a Middle Eastern oil minister while maintaining his cover… [More]
#51
Adjusted Score: 36.608%
Critics Consensus: Despite its famous cast, the movie lacks sympathetic characters and is only funny in spurts.
Synopsis: For an awkward, self-conscious girl like Kiki, being the personal assistant to a beautiful mega-star like Gwen isn’t easy. But… [More]
#50
Adjusted Score: 37.132%
Critics Consensus: Despite some charms, overt emotional manipulation and an inconsistent tone prevents Martian Child from being the heartfelt dramedy it aspires to be.
Synopsis: A man whose wife has recently passed away adopts a seven-year-old boy he believes to be from the planet Mars… [More]
#49
Adjusted Score: 40.724%
Critics Consensus: Despite good work from its likable leads, the romantic comedy Must Love Dogs is too predictable.
Synopsis: A woman finds herself drafted into the battle of finding the perfect man in this romantic comedy. Sarah Nolan (Diane… [More]
#48
Adjusted Score: 37.934%
Critics Consensus: Dragon Blade is beautifully staged and choreographed, but between the battles, its talented cast is overwhelmed by a dull story and choppy editing.
Synopsis: One of the most expensive films ever produced in China, the historical action epic Dragon Blade takes place during the… [More]
#47
Adjusted Score: 41.908%
Critics Consensus: With an animation style that apes Tim Burton, and a slew of cultural references that aren’t clear enough to reach the crowds, Igor’s patched together antics make it hard to see who the film is trying to please.
Synopsis: In a land of mad scientists and diabolical inventions, what do you do when youre born with a hunch on… [More]
#46
Adjusted Score: 46.752%
Critics Consensus: Roland Emmerich’s 2012 provides plenty of visual thrills, but lacks a strong enough script to support its massive scope and inflated length.
Synopsis: Disaster movie maven Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow) crafts this apocalyptic sci-fi thriller following the prophecy stated… [More]
#45
Adjusted Score: 41.31%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this unique comedy, set in 1907, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg runs the Battle Creek Sanitarium based on his bizarre… [More]
#44
Adjusted Score: 49.939%
Critics Consensus: Trashy and melodramatic, The Paperboy is enlivened by a strong cast and a steamy, sordid plot, but it’s uneven and often veers into camp.
Synopsis: A sexually and racially charged film noir from Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels (Precious), The Paperboy takes audiences deep into the… [More]
#43
Adjusted Score: 47.329%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Two old law-school buddies find themselves on opposing sides of ethical beliefs when one is a manipulative politician and the… [More]
#42
Adjusted Score: 47.723%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This historically-based film recounts the creation of the first atomic bomb and the people who played a vital role in… [More]
#41
Adjusted Score: 51.113%
Critics Consensus: The Ice Harvest offers a couple of laughs, but considering the people involved, it should be a lot funnier.
Synopsis: In icebound Wichita, Kan., its Christmas Eve, and this year Charlie Arglist just might have something to celebrate. Charlie, an… [More]
#40
Adjusted Score: 50.448%
Critics Consensus: Solid performances by the leads, but the generic ending needs help.
Synopsis: The intense world of air-traffic controllers is played for both drama and laughs in Pushing Tin. John Cusack plays Nick… [More]
#39
Adjusted Score: 50.528%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Clint EastwoodÕs adaptation of John BerendtÕs nonfiction novel doesnÕt create much of a drama from its centerpiece tale of murder… [More]
#38
Adjusted Score: 51.258%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this Woody Allen film, a city is searching for the person responsible for a series of strangulation murders, and… [More]
#37
Adjusted Score: 18.337%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Three friends on a wilderness excursion must outrun a white collar criminal hell-bent on retrieving his cash, but soon their… [More]
#36
Adjusted Score: 54.512%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Adult World is a satirical comedy about an eccentric young woman, Amy Anderson, (Emma Roberts) who has just come out… [More]
#35
Adjusted Score: 58.695%
Critics Consensus: Con Air won’t win any awards for believability – and all involved seem cheerfully aware of it, making some of this blockbuster action outing’s biggest flaws fairly easy to forgive.
Synopsis: Former war hero Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) is sentenced to eight years in prison when he accidentally kills a man… [More]
#34
Adjusted Score: 32.621%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This film is about a rare windy-city cab driver who will go anywhere and do just about anything to please… [More]
#33
Adjusted Score: 56.745%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this sophomoric comedy, a teenage dweeb and his buddies have summer fun on Nantucket while preparing for college in… [More]
#32
Adjusted Score: 56.693%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This tragic drama explores the rotten core of Big Apple city politics. The city’s naïve, idealistic deputy mayor and his… [More]
#31
Adjusted Score: 62.301%
Critics Consensus: Light and charming, Serendipity could benefit from less contrivances.
Synopsis: On a bustling shopping day in the winter of 1990, Jonathon Trager meets Sara Thomas. Two strangers amid the masses… [More]
#30
Adjusted Score: 60.343%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: John Cusack and Tim Robbins star as Ivan Alexov and Josh Tager, security officers who lose their jobs and decide… [More]
#29
Adjusted Score: 62.424%
Critics Consensus: Though this by-the-numbers true procedural seems basic, The Frozen Ground presents a welcome return for Nicolas Cage in a solid performance.
Synopsis: THE FROZEN GROUND is inspired by the incredible true story that follows Alaskan State Trooper Jack Halcombe (Nicolas Cage) as… [More]
#28
Adjusted Score: 66.558%
Critics Consensus: Narratively unwieldy and tonally jumbled, Maps to the Stars still has enough bite to satisfy David Cronenberg fans in need of a coolly acidic fix.
Synopsis: Meet the Weiss family, who are making their way in Hollywood rife with money, fame, envy, and relentless hauntings. Stafford… [More]
#27
Adjusted Score: 63.805%
Critics Consensus: A refreshing departure from the current crop of Iraq war dramas, Grace is Gone is a heartfelt, finely acted portrayal of grief and healing.
Synopsis: The contemplative, understated tearjerker Grace Is Gone dramatizes the quiet crisis that befalls Stanley (John Cusack), a young Midwestern husband… [More]
#26
Adjusted Score: 68.998%
Critics Consensus: Its flagrantly silly script — and immensely likable cast — make up for most of its flaws.
Synopsis: «Hot Tub Time Machine» follows a group of best friends who’ve become bored with their adult lives: Adam has been… [More]
#25
Adjusted Score: 66.705%
Critics Consensus: Witty and provocative.
Synopsis: The art and theater world of 1930s New York City is the backdrop for the new Touchstone Pictures film «Cradle… [More]
#24
Adjusted Score: 61.957%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Noted independent film producer Peter McCarthy made his writing and directing debut with this surreal comedy. John Boyz (James LeGros)… [More]
#23
Adjusted Score: 71.722%
Critics Consensus: Well-acted in the execution of its provocative «what-if?» premise.
Synopsis: In the wake of his rise to power, Adolf Hitler became known as perhaps the most villainous and destructive political… [More]
#22
Adjusted Score: 79.251%
Critics Consensus: Gut-wrenching and emotionally affecting, Lee Daniels’ The Butler overcomes an uneven narrative thanks to strong performances from an all-star cast.
Synopsis: LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades…. [More]
#21
Adjusted Score: 77.396%
Critics Consensus: An implausible but entertaining legal thriller.
Synopsis: When a young widow in New Orleans brings a civil suit against the powerful corporate consortium she holds responsible for… [More]
#20
Adjusted Score: 75.441%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This Is My Father chronicles the journey of a disillusioned Chicago schoolteacher who returns to Ireland with his nephew in… [More]
#19
Adjusted Score: 77.911%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Vincent Ward directed this beautifully photographed romantic tale about a bold love affair stretching across both years and cultural barriers…. [More]
#18
Adjusted Score: 78.332%
Critics Consensus: Better Off Dead is an anarchic mix of black humor and surreal comedy, anchored by John Cusack’s winsome, charming performance.
Synopsis: After being rejected by the object of his affection and suffering a series of other humiliations, a depressed teenager decides… [More]
#17
Adjusted Score: 81.068%
Critics Consensus: Grand Piano is so tense in its best moments — and appealingly strange overall — that it remains rewarding in spite of its flaws.
Synopsis: Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after… [More]
#16
Adjusted Score: 20.583%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: John Cusack plays Myrl Redding, a horse trader who locks horns with a rancher who has callously mistreated two of… [More]
#15
Adjusted Score: 84.057%
Critics Consensus: A high-concept high school reunion movie with an adroitly cast John Cusack and armed with a script of incisive wit.
Synopsis: Martin Blank, a professional assassin, is sent on a mission to Gorsse Pointe, a small Detroit suburb. Things get complicated… [More]
#14
Adjusted Score: 85.408%
Critics Consensus: The Thin Red Line is a daringly philosophical World War II film with an enormous cast of eager stars.
Synopsis: The return of director Terrence Malick to feature filmmaking after a twenty year sabbatical, this World War II drama is… [More]
#13
Adjusted Score: 85.672%
Critics Consensus: Relying on psychological tension rather than overt violence and gore, 1408 is a genuinely creepy thriller with a strong lead performance by John Cusack.
Synopsis: Renowned horror novelist Mike Enslin believes only in what he can see with his own two eyes. But after a… [More]
#12
Adjusted Score: 87.138%
Critics Consensus: Chi-Raq is as urgently topical and satisfyingly ambitious as it is wildly uneven — and it contains some of Spike Lee’s smartest, sharpest, and all-around entertaining late-period work.
Synopsis: Chi-Raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play «Lysistrata» by Aristophanes. After the murder of a child… [More]
#11
Adjusted Score: 43.255%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Screenwriter/electrician Abbe Wool makes her directorial debut with the offbeat road movie Roadside Prophets. Brooding factory worker Joe (X front… [More]
#10
Adjusted Score: 87.05%
Critics Consensus: Though its final outcome is predictable, The Sure Thing is a charming, smartly written, and mature teen comedy featuring a breakout role for John Cusack.
Synopsis: Director Rob Reiner’s The Sure Thing is essentially It Happened One Night for the 1980s, but its lack of surprise… [More]
#9
Adjusted Score: 87.901%
Critics Consensus: Beautiful animation, an affable take on Russian history, and strong voice performances make Anastasia a winning first film from Fox animation studios.
Synopsis: The first feature from the 20th Century-Fox animation unit in Phoenix, Arizona, this is the ninth film produced and directed… [More]
#8
Adjusted Score: 89.476%
Critics Consensus: Perhaps less than absorbing for non-baseball fans, but nevertheless underpinned by strong performances from the cast and John Sayles’ solid direction.
Synopsis: Writer/director John Sayles’ dramatization of the most infamous episode in professional sports — the fix of the 1919 World Series… [More]
#7
Adjusted Score: 91.781%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Disney’s The Journey of Natty Gann stars Meredith Salenger in the title role. During the Depression, Natty’s father (Ray Wise)… [More]
#6
Adjusted Score: 90.016%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Debauchery. Greed. Murder. Welcome to Garlow. The once-peaceful frontier town is now a den of vice after vicious outlaw Dutch… [More]
#5
Adjusted Score: 92.532%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Director Stephen Frears’ tense adaptation of Jim Thompson’s novel The Grifters was one of a number of revival film noirs… [More]
#4
Adjusted Score: 97.954%
Critics Consensus: As unconventional and unwieldy as the life and legacy it honors, Love & Mercy should prove moving for Brian Wilson fans while still satisfying neophytes.
Synopsis: LOVE & MERCY presents an unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, the mercurial singer, songwriter and leader of The Beach Boys…. [More]
#3
Adjusted Score: 96.943%
Critics Consensus: The deft hand of director Stephen Frears and strong performances by the ensemble cast combine to tell an entertaining story with a rock-solid soundtrack.
Synopsis: In a biting romantic comedy, Rob Gordon is the owner of a semi-failing record store in Chicago, where he sells… [More]
#2
Adjusted Score: 100.47%
Critics Consensus: A gleefully entertaining backstage comedy, Bullets Over Broadway features some of Woody Allen’s sharpest, most inspired late-period writing and direction.
Synopsis: Bullets Over Broadway is a Woody Allen romp that, as the title suggests, combines gangsters with show business at the… [More]
#1
Adjusted Score: 101.081%
Critics Consensus: One of the definitive Generation X movies, Say Anything is equally funny and heartfelt — and it established John Cusack as an icon for left-of-center types everywhere.
Synopsis: A high-school valedictorian begins dating an irresponsible army brat, much to the dismay of her father. After breaking off the… [More]
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