Although John Goodman is best remembered for his role as working-class father Dan Conner on TV’s “Roseanne” and “The Conners,” he’s also enjoyed a very successful big screen career as well, working with such directors as the Coen brothers, Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis. Let’s look back at 10 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
1. ‘Patriots Day’ (2016)
Goodman is just one of several A-list actors headlining this true crime drama from Peter Berg, which recounts the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. He plays Commissioner Ed Davis, who worked with the police and the FBI in a city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists responsible. Shot with handheld documentary realism and told with a rigorous narrative through line, “Patriots Day” is a taut, suspenseful, and rousing tribute to the heroes of a real life tragedy.
2. ‘The Flintstones’ (1994)
It’s one of the great alchemies of casting that John Goodman played Fred Flintstone in this big screen adaptation of the beloved cartoon. The actor is uncanny in his ability to not just look and sound like the 2D creation, but capture his spirit as well. The same goes for Elizabeth Perkins as wife Wilma and Rick Moranis and Rosie O’Donnell as best friends Barney and Betty Rubble. They’re certainly helped by the prehistoric world created by production designers Eloy Lobato and William Sandell, which is spot on. Unfortunately, the rest of Brian Levant’s movie isn’t much fun, with a bizarre plot that revolves around embezzlement and adultery. Still, we’ll return to the town of Bedrock for the joy of Goodman’s performance, which makes this outing far more bearable than the rocky followup “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas” (2000).
3. ‘Always’ (1989)
Growing up, Steven Spielberg loved “A Guy Named Joe,” the 1944 romantic drama about a deceased WWII bomber (Spencer Tracy) forced to become the guardian angel to a younger pilot (Van Johnson) who’s falling in love with his former girlfriend (Irene Dunne). As an adult, he remade it with Richard Dreyfuss as a forrest fire fighter, Brad Johnson as a young airman, and Holly Hunter as the dead man’s girl. Goodman plays Al Yackey, a fellow pilot who Dreyfuss dies trying to save. Many disregarded “Always” as a sentimental misfire from the usually first-rate craftsman, but the film has found a second life almost 30 years after its release as a touching ode to lost love and sacrifice. It’s perhaps most notable for being the last screen appearance by the legendary Audrey Hepburn as Dreyfuss’s guardian angel.
4. ‘Trumbo’ (2015)
Hollywood’s darkest period is brought to life with this vibrant, entertaining biopic about blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston in an Oscar-nominated performance). After being jailed for refusing to answer questions to the House Un-American Activities Committee, Trumbo must find new ways to support his family through his art, writing under pseudonyms and picking up a couple of Academy Awards in the meantime. Goodman plays Frank King, who produced Trumbo’s Oscar-winning bull-fighting drama “The Brave One” (1956). The film brought Goodman a SAG Ensemble nomination.
5. ‘The Big Easy’ (1987)
Few movies capture the city of New Orleans quite like “The Big Easy,” Jim McBride’s sensual thriller about a vice cop (Dennis Quaid) who begins an elicit affair with a special prosecutor (Ellen Barkin) while investigating a string of murders. Goodman makes a memorable appearance as De Soto, a detective working for the corrupt commanding officer (Ned Beatty, who played Goodman’s father on “Roseanne”) behind the killings. “The Big Easy” makes great use of its setting, from the winding French Quarter streets to the Cajun music soundtrack, as well as the steamy and sweaty chemistry of its two stars.
6. ‘The Artist’ (2011)
Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist” is a love letter to Hollywood in every way, which is probably why the Academy went so gaga for it. Jean Dujardin stars as George Valentin, a silent movie star who falls in love with a young dancer (Berenice Bejo) as the arrival of sound threatens to end his career. Goodman is perfectly cast as Al Zimmer, the cigar-chomping studio boss who heralds the arrival of talkies. Shot in the style of a black-and-white silent film, “The Artist” is a starry-eyed tribute to tinsel town’s most glamorous era. The film won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Dujardin). Goodman and the cast also competed at SAG for Best Ensemble.
7. ‘Storytelling’ (2001)
Todd Solondz’s “Storytelling” gives you two movies for the price of one, and neither will appeal to everyone. The first, “Fiction,” follows a college student (Selma Blair) who has a one night stand with her creative writing professor (Robert Wisdom), then tries to use it as material. The second, “Non-Fiction,” focuses on a dysfunctional New Jersey family who are the subjects of a documentary. Goodman plays Marty Livingston, the imposing, bombastic patriarch who fights with his pot smoking son (Mark Webber). Offensive, sexually explicit, and self-referential, “Storytelling” is a challenging experience for audiences, but a richly rewarding one for those who want to stick it out.
8. ‘Bringing Out the Dead’ (1999)
Martin Scorsese returns to the mean streets of New York City with “Bringing Out the Dead,” a surreal and nightmarish journey into the abyss. Nicolas Cage stars as Frank Pierce, a Manhattan ambulance paramedic who is haunted by the patients he fails to save. Goodman plays Larry, a fellow EMT who accompanies Frank as he struggles to maintain his sanity over the course of three nights. Scorsese and cinematographer Robert Richardson create a vision of the city that feels taken straight out of Hieronymus Bosch, as if Frank is entering the Underworld to do battle with evil through his white, four-wheeled chariot.
9. ‘Arachnophobia’ (1990)
If you’re looking for a movie to give you the creepy-crawlies, look no further than Frank Marshall’s horror-comedy about those most deadly of insects. Jeff Daniels stars as a doctor with a crippling fear of spiders who must wage war against a killer species of South American arachnids who find their way into small town America. Goodman steals the show with a memorable supporting turn as Delbert McClintock, the local exterminator who realizes he needs a bigger can of bug spray to fight these vicious little monsters. For anyone who’s ever crossed the street to avoid a spider’s web, “Arachnophobia” is a frighteningly good time.
10. ‘Argo’ (2012)
Ben Affleck’s Best Picture-winning “Argo” is based on one of those truth-is-stranger-than-fiction stories that feels perfectly conceived for the movies. Affleck stars as Tony Mendez, a CIA extractor who enlists a Hollywood producer (Alan Arkin) and makeup artist (Goodman) to cook up a phony science-fiction epic as a cover for rescuing six American hostages in Tehran. Told with crackling suspense and a quick wit, “Argo” is that rare entertainment to elevate itself into the realm of great art. Goodman won his very first SAG prize as part of the film’s ensemble, while the film also took home prizes for Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio) and Best Film Editing.
